Scotland recorded 1,133 drug-related deaths in 2025, an 11% increase from the previous year, as the country continues to grapple with Europe’s highest drug fatality rate and a growing threat from powerful synthetic opioids known as nitazenes.
Highlights
- Drug-related deaths increased by 116 to 1,133 in 2025.
- Nitazenes were linked to 247 deaths, more than three times the previous year’s figure.
- Opiates and opioids were involved in 78% of the deaths.
- Cocaine was implicated in 52% of cases, the highest proportion recorded since 2008.
- People living in Scotland’s most deprived areas faced a drug death rate 15 times higher than those in the least deprived areas.
Main Story
Drug Deaths Reverse Previous Decline
Scotland has recorded a significant rise in drug-related deaths, with 1,133 people dying in 2025, according to figures from the National Records of Scotland (NRS).
The latest total is 116 deaths higher than the previous year and means more than 11,000 people have died from drug-related causes over the past decade.
The increase follows a 13% decline recorded in 2024, with the latest figures showing that the downward trend did not continue.
After adjusting for age, Scotland recorded 214 drug-related deaths per million people.
Nitazenes Become Growing Threat
One of the biggest concerns highlighted by the figures is the increasing presence of nitazenes, a group of highly potent synthetic opioids.
Nitazenes were implicated in 247 deaths during 2025, accounting for more than a fifth of the total. That was more than triple the 76 deaths recorded in which the drugs were implicated the previous year.
Experts have warned that people may unknowingly consume nitazenes when they are mixed into substances such as heroin, cocaine and counterfeit tablets.
Professor Catriona Matheson of the University of Stirling said the potency of some nitazenes can be extremely difficult to predict, with certain variants potentially being many times stronger than heroin.
She also pointed to the increasing use of multiple substances at the same time as another factor that can raise the risk of a fatal overdose.
Opioids and Cocaine Remain Major Factors
Opiates and opioids continued to feature most frequently in Scotland’s drug-related deaths, being implicated in 78% of cases.
Cocaine was also involved in 52% of deaths, marking the highest proportion recorded by NRS since it began publishing detailed drug-specific figures in 2008.
The increase was particularly pronounced among men.
Deaths involving male drug users rose by 19%, while the number involving women fell by 5%.
The average age of people dying from drug-related causes has also increased considerably, rising from 32 years in 2000 to 46 years in 2025.
Poverty Linked to Higher Death Rates
The figures also reveal a stark relationship between deprivation and drug-related deaths.
People living in Scotland’s most deprived communities experienced a death rate 15 times higher than those living in the least deprived areas.
Over the five years between 2021 and 2025, Glasgow recorded the highest average rate at 380 deaths per million people.
Dundee followed at 340 per million, while North Ayrshire recorded 310 per million.
Kirsteen Horsburgh, chief executive of the Scottish Drugs Forum, said the figures showed a strong connection between drug deaths, poverty and wider health inequalities.
She argued that focusing only on individual substances risks overlooking the social and economic conditions affecting people who use drugs.
Scotland Records Highest Rate in Europe
Scotland’s drug death rate also remains significantly higher than elsewhere in Europe.
Using the age group of 15 to 64 years for international comparisons, Scotland recorded 277 drug-related deaths per million people in 2025.
Estonia had the next highest rate, at 112 deaths per million in 2024, the latest year available for comparison.
Scotland’s corresponding rate in 2024 was 246 per million.
The figures also show a substantial gap between Scotland and other parts of the UK. Comparable 2024 data put Scotland’s age-adjusted rate at 216 deaths per million, compared with 91 in England, 140 in Wales and 135 in Northern Ireland.
Government Faces Pressure to Act
Scotland’s Alcohol and Drugs Minister Maree Todd described the latest increase as deeply concerning and said the figures demonstrated the need for stronger action.
The Scottish Government says it has expanded access to residential rehabilitation, with more than 1,100 placements funded during the previous year.
Officials also plan to strengthen links between drug treatment, housing and other support services while directing more assistance towards communities facing the greatest risks.
A drug-checking service is also due to open in Glasgow, allowing people to have substances analysed for potentially dangerous contents.
Political Parties Demand Action
The latest figures have triggered criticism from opposition parties, with Scottish Labour accusing the government of failing some of the country’s most vulnerable communities.
Scottish Conservative representatives also criticised the government’s drug policy, arguing that its approach has failed to reduce fatalities.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Greens and Scottish Liberal Democrats have called for expanded harm-reduction measures, including drug-checking services, safer consumption facilities and greater access to treatment.
As authorities debate the best way forward, the scale of the figures has renewed attention on the combination of dangerous synthetic drugs, poverty, health inequalities and access to treatment that continues to shape Scotland’s drug crisis.
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Scotland’s latest figures show that tackling drug deaths may require more than targeting substances alone it may also mean confronting the poverty, inequality and gaps in support that leave some communities at far greater risk.
