Key points

• The total number of alcohol-specific deaths registered in 2021 was 350. This was one less than the previous year (351) and the second highest since the start of the series, accounting for 2.0% of all deaths registered in 2021.
• Almost two-thirds (64.3%) of the 350 deaths were male, and over one third (35.7%) were female. Similarly, the age standardised mortality rate per 100,000 population of alcohol-specific deaths for males was almost twice that of the rate for females (25.5 and 13.4 respectively).
• Alcohol-specific deaths continue to be more prevalent among the 45-54 and 55-64 age groups, which together accounted for 63.1% of all alcohol-specific deaths registered in 2021.
• Alcoholic liver disease was the most common cause of death, accounting for 70.0% of the 350 deaths registered in 2021.
• Western Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust had the highest age-standardised rate of alcohol-specific deaths of all the HSC Trust areas in Northern Ireland at 24.9 per 100,000 population in 2021.
• The relationship between the number of alcohol-specific deaths and the level of deprivation remains the same in 2021 - as deprivation increases, so too does the rate of alcohol-specific deaths. This is demonstrated by looking at the most recent five years together (2017 to 2021). There were almost four times as many alcohol-specific deaths in the most deprived areas compared to the least deprived areas.