Poverty and inequality
Alcohol harm is not spread evenly across Scotland. People in poorer areas are much more likely to end up in hospital or die from alcohol-related causes, even though survey data does not show that they necessarily drink more.
The inequality is stark Alcohol-related deaths and hospital admissions are far higher in Scotland's most deprived areas.
In 2024, alcohol-specific mortality rates were 4.5 times as high in the most deprived areas of Scotland as in the least deprived areas.
In 2024/25, people in the most deprived areas were seven times more likely to be admitted to general acute hospitals for conditions wholly attributable to alcohol.
National Records of Scotland — alcohol-specific deaths 2024 ↗ Public Health Scotland — alcohol-related hospital statistics 2024/25 ↗People in poorer areas do not simply drink more Scottish survey data shows a more complicated picture.
In the 2024 Scottish Health Survey, hazardous or harmful drinking was actually reported more often in the least deprived areas than in the most deprived areas: 26% compared with 15%.
That means the much higher level of alcohol-related illness and death in poorer areas cannot be explained simply by saying that people there drink more.
Scottish Health Survey 2024 — alcohol and deprivation ↗Why the worst outcomes are more common Alcohol can harm anyone, but poorer health, insecure housing, debt and other pressures can make the consequences harder to survive and recover from.
Alcohol itself is not discriminatory. It can damage the health of anyone, regardless of income or postcode.
But someone already dealing with poor health, insecure housing, debt, unstable work or other pressures may have fewer resources available when drinking becomes a serious problem. That can make illness harder to manage, recovery harder to sustain and the wider social consequences more severe.
Read about work and housing →Health problems build on each other Alcohol can worsen illnesses and pressures that are already more common in deprived communities.
Long-term illness, poor mental health, smoking, unstable housing and financial stress can all sit alongside alcohol problems. When several problems are present at the same time, recovery can be harder and the health consequences can be more severe.
This is one reason the most serious alcohol-related health outcomes cannot be separated completely from wider questions of health and social inequality.
Read about alcohol's health effects → Getting help with alcohol →Where you live matters Alcohol-specific death rates vary widely across Scotland.
Over 2020 to 2024, Glasgow City, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, West Dunbartonshire and Dundee City had alcohol-specific mortality rates above the Scottish average.
Some of the lowest rates were in Aberdeenshire, East Dunbartonshire and Shetland.
Local figures should be read carefully because smaller populations can produce wider statistical uncertainty, but the overall pattern across Scotland is clear: the most serious alcohol-related health outcomes are much more common in some communities than others.
National Records of Scotland — local alcohol-specific mortality ↗ Read about communities →The gap is wider for alcohol than for deaths overall Alcohol inequality is not just part of Scotland's general health gap — it is especially pronounced.
For all causes of death, people in Scotland's most deprived areas are around twice as likely to die as those in the least deprived areas. For alcohol-specific deaths, the rate is 4.5 times as high.
That shows how strongly the most serious alcohol-related health outcomes are tied to inequality.
National Records of Scotland — deprivation and alcohol-specific deaths ↗What this means for services Areas with the greatest harm need accessible treatment and practical support, not only information.
Alcohol treatment alone cannot solve poverty, debt, housing problems or family strain. People may need several kinds of help at the same time.
Alcohol treatment and recovery support.
GP and mental health care.
Debt and benefits advice.
Housing support.
Family and child support.
Domestic abuse and safety services where needed.
The numbers behind the problem Scotland still carries a very high burden of alcohol harm.
There were 1,185 alcohol-specific deaths registered in Scotland in 2024. In 2024/25 there were 29,430 hospital admissions for conditions wholly attributable to alcohol.
These are not abstract figures. They represent thousands of people, families and communities dealing with serious alcohol-related illness and loss.
See Scottish alcohol facts and research →