The ONS reported 9,809 deaths from alcohol-specific causes in 2024, the lowest number since 2021 (9,641 deaths) and the rate of alcohol-specific deaths (14.8 per 100,000 people) fell to its lowest recorded number since 2020 (13.9 deaths per 100,000 people).

Age-specific rates decreased compared with 2023 for people aged between 25 and 79 years, while rates for those aged 80 years and over increased; rates for those aged 20 to 24 years remained similar to 2023.

The rate of alcohol-specific deaths for males remained around double the rate for females (20.2 and 9.7 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively).

England and Wales had a decrease in the rate of alcohol-specific deaths (13.8 and 16.8 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively) compared with 2023.

Scotland and Northern Ireland continued to have the highest rate of alcohol-specific deaths (20.9 and 21.4 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively), with a decrease in the rate in Scotland and an increase in Northern Ireland when compared with 2023.

The North East had the highest rate of alcohol-specific deaths of any English region (21.1 deaths per 100,000); London had the lowest rate (10.9 deaths per 100,000).

Samantha Field, senior fellow (public health consultant), at The Health Foundation, said: 'The recent fall in alcohol‑related deaths is welcome, but Health Foundation analysis shows that overall levels of harm remain significantly higher than a decade ago and continue to hit the most deprived communities hardest.

'Our polling also revealed that almost half the population supports minimum unit pricing and tighter marketing rules for alcohol. Scotland, which introduced minimum unit pricing in 2018, has not seen the same rise in deaths – a contrast that underlines the important role of policy in preventing alcohol-related harm.

'To achieve sustained improvement, we need population-level, evidence‑based policies that address the underlying drivers of alcohol harm.'