Alcohol-specific and -related deaths have fallen in England for the first time since huge rises after the pandemic.
7,673 people died from alcohol-specific causes in 2024, down from 8,274 in 2023, a drop of 7.3%.
The death rate from alcohol-specific causes has fallen by 8%, down from 15 per 100,000 in 2023 to 13.8 in 2024.
Although this is a positive trend, deaths and the death rate are still far above 2019 levels: 32% and 28% respectively.
There were also an estimated 21,971 alcohol-related deaths in 2024.
As a recent paper in Addiction found, although risky drinking is trending downwards, that is happening much slower in less advantaged groups, so will likely increase health inequalities. In addition, the prevalence of dependent drinking remains very high.
As our long-term vision calls for, comprehensive policy action is needed to significantly reduce alcohol deaths. Our 10-year target is to return to 2012 levels, bringing the death rate down to 11.1 per 100,000.