Scotland set to remain Europe's drug‑death capital for seventh year

Scotland is expected to record the highest rate of drug‑related deaths in Europe for the seventh consecutive year, with official figures due on Tuesday showing 1,172 deaths from drug misuse in 2023.

The total number of drug‑misuse deaths in Scotland over the past decade now stands at 10,481. Although analysts anticipate a small decline in the 2024 total, public health experts cautioned that any short‑term fall is likely to be a blip rather than a sustained reversal of the trend.

Kirsten Horsburgh, chief executive of the Scottish Drugs Forum, said the arrival of powerful synthetic opioids known as nitazenes had made an already severe situation worse. "This is a crisis on top of a crisis," she said, adding that suspected deaths in the first quarter of this year were already higher than in the same period last year.

Public health authorities attribute Scotland's persistently high death rate to a complex mix of factors, including cycles of poverty, unemployment and social dislocation that followed the widespread collapse of heavy industry in the latter half of the 20th century. The loss of shipyards, steelworks and coal mines, officials say, left communities with entrenched health inequalities, fewer economic opportunities and weakened social networks.

Public health and addiction specialists have warned that patterns of problematic drug use are shaped by those long‑standing social and economic conditions, and that the introduction of more potent synthetic drugs can rapidly increase the risk of fatal overdoses in vulnerable populations.

The Scottish Government and health agencies have implemented a range of measures in recent years, including expanded access to treatment, naloxone distribution and initiatives aimed at reducing harm. Despite these efforts, the scale of the crisis has persisted, and officials have acknowledged that new substances and supply changes complicate responses.

The forthcoming official data will be used by policymakers, health services and community organisations to assess current strategies and plan further interventions. Analysts and campaigners emphasise that addressing the high death rate will require sustained investment in treatment and social supports, as well as responses tailored to the changing drug supply.

Officials will publish the full breakdown of the 2023 figures and provisional 2024 data on Tuesday, which are expected to confirm Scotland's position relative to other European countries for the seventh successive year.