There were 417 drug poisoning deaths registered in Wales last year, according to the latest Public Health Wales figures, 288 of which were drug misuse deaths – the highest number ever recorded.
Almost 85 per cent of deaths were the result of accidental poisoning, with opioids involved in 79 per cent. More than a quarter of deaths involved cocaine, while 62 per cent were the result of polydrug use – most commonly opioids combined with cocaine or benzodiazepines.
Men were nearly three times more likely to die as a result of drug misuse than women, with people over 50 making up 34 per cent of deaths. People living in the country’s most deprived areas were more than five times more likely to die from drug misuse than those in the least deprived.
‘These figures show the continued harm opioids are causing across Wales, often alongside substances such as cocaine and benzodiazepines,’ said head of the agency’s substance misuse programme Rick Lines. ‘The rise in cocaine involvement reflects what local services have been reporting for some time. Drug-related deaths remain far more common in our most deprived communities. This shows the need for wider action on housing, poverty and health inequalities alongside the work of specialist drug services.’
Meanwhile, there were 898 suspected drug deaths recorded in Scotland in the first nine months of this year, according to Police Scotland statistics – 8 per cent up on the same period last year. ‘After following a downward trend in 2024, the rolling 12-month total of suspected drug deaths has increased over recent quarters,’ the Scottish Government says. Men accounted for three quarters of the suspected deaths.
The figures are based on the reports of offers attending scenes of death and are not subject to the ‘same level of validation and quality assurance’ as the official statistics published by National Records of Scotland, the government points out. Last year’s official death toll was 1,107, a 13 per cent drop from 2023 but almost four times higher than 25 years ago.
Harm reduction database Wales: drug related mortality annual report 2025 available here
Suspected drug deaths in Scotland: July to September 2025 available here