There were 1,146 suspected drug deaths in Scotland last year, according to the latest Police Scotland statistics – 8 per cent up on 2024’s figure of 1,065.
Men accounted for two thirds of the suspected drug deaths, with the majority of fatalities among people aged between 35 and 54. The highest number of deaths were in the Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and Lanarkshire police divisions. Although the number of suspected drug deaths in the final quarter of 2025 was 15 per cent down on the previous quarter, it was an increase of 7 per cent on the corresponding period for the previous year.
The figures are based on reports from officers attending scenes of death, which means they are not subject to the same level of validation as the official figures published each year by National Records of Scotland. The most recent set of official statistics, for 2024, recorded 1,107 drug misuse deaths.
Public Health Scotland recently warned that the ‘highly toxic and unpredictable’ drug supply across the country meant that anyone using street drugs should now assume they were contaminated with other substances. The Scottish Government published its new ten-year drug and alcohol plan last week, replacing its national mission on drugs.
Suspected drug deaths in Scotland: October to December 2025 available here