Impact on health
Substance use is associated with adverse health outcomes and premature death. In England and Wales 5,565 deaths related to drug poisoning were registered in 2024 according to latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, and deaths related to drug poisoning have increased every year since 2012.
The rate among men (128.7 per million population) in 2024 was double that for women – 60.6 deaths per million. There were 3,736 deaths registered that were identified as ‘drug misuse’ in 2024. Just under half (2,621) of drug poisoning deaths involved an opiate and opioid and 195 deaths involved a nitrazene – four times the level recorded for 2023.2
The highest rates of deaths from drug poisoning and drug misuse in 2024 were seen in the North East of England – 167.6 deaths per million people and 107.1 per million, respectively – while the lowest rates are seen in the East of England at 66.3 deaths per million people and 40.2 per million, respectively.2
In Wales, there were 417 deaths related to drug poisoning registered in 2024 (140.4 deaths per million people), higher than the rate recorded in 2023 (129.2 deaths per million, 377 deaths).2
The age of people in Scotland dying from drug use has increased from 32 years in 2000 to 46 years in 2025. The most deprived areas in Scotland have drug use death rates 15 times higher than those in the least deprived areas.
The most commonly implicated drugs in drug use deaths are opiates and opioids (881 deaths) with cocaine implicated in 589 drug use deaths in 2025 and nitrazenes implicated in 247 deaths. In 2025, 1,133 (830 male; 131 female) drug use deaths were registered, up 11% from the 116 registered in 2024, although lower than the recent high of 1,339 deaths recorded in 2020.3
For a death to be classified as drug misuse it must be a drug poisoning and the underlying cause must be drug abuse or drug dependence or involve any substance controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 are involved.2
Most deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales are certified by a coroner and cannot be registered until an inquest is complete.
This results in a delay between the date the death occurred and the date it is registered and received by the Office for National Statistics (ONS); for example, in 2024, of the deaths related to drug poisoning registered, only 37.2% of the deaths actually occurred in that year.2