There were 397 alcohol-specific deaths registered in Northern Ireland in 2024, according to the latest figures from the Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency (NISRA) – an 81 per cent increase since 2014.
The country’s alcohol-specific mortality rate per 100,000 people now stands at 21.4, the highest on record, with nearly two thirds of 2024’s deaths registered among men.
Nearly 60 per cent of deaths were in the 45-54 and 54-64 age groups, with Belfast having the highest death rate of any local government area. Almost 40 per cent of alcohol-specific deaths occurred in the country’s most deprived areas, with less than 10 per cent registered in the least deprived.
Scotland saw a 7 per cent fall in alcohol-specific deaths in 2024, down from 2023’s record high of 1,277. Alcohol-specific deaths in the UK as a whole hit their highest ever level in 2023, at almost 10,500.
Deputy chair of BMA’s Northern Ireland Council, Dr Clodagh Corrigan, called the figures ‘alarming’ and called for the introduction of minimum unit pricing (MUP). ‘Doctors see first-hand the devastating effects of prolonged alcohol abuse on the health of their patients as it is one of the most significant risk factors for cardiovascular health, cancer and mental health,’ she said. ‘Alongside MUP legislation, it is essential that there is help available for those who want to address their drinking. That includes ensuring all healthcare professionals receive adequate training in identifying and delivering interventions into alcohol misuse and are supported to be able to deliver this in their roles.’
Alcohol-specific deaths in Northern Ireland, 2014 to 2024 available here