According to 2023 data provided by National Records of Scotland, death rates remain three times as high as England and Northern Ireland and twice as high as Wales.

Phillipa Haxton, head of vital events statistics, said: ‘The longer term trend shows that drug misuse deaths are still much more common than they were two decades ago.

‘The statistics also provide information about the people who died of a drug misuse death. The figures show us that males continue to be more than twice as likely to have a drug misuse death as females.'

Drug deaths increased over the last two decades in Scotland to peak in 2020 but have  decreased since then, with the exception of a 12% increase in 2023.

Death rates were around twice as high in the most deprived areas as the least deprived.

Glasgow City, Dundee City and Inverclyde council areas had the highest rates of drug misuse deaths in the period 2020-2024. 

Drugs and alcohol policy minister Maree Todd said: ‘It is welcome that we have seen progress with the number of deaths at the lowest level since 2017, but I know there is still work to be done and we will continue to do everything we can to save and improve lives.

‘This is particularly true as we face new threats from highly dangerous synthetic opioids like nitazenes, which further raise the risk of overdose and death.'