Deaths caused by diseases known to be a direct consequence of alcohol, by age, sex, and region.

Main points

• In 2022, there were 10,048 deaths (16.6 per 100,000 people) from alcohol-specific causes registered in the UK, the highest number on record.
• The number recorded in 2022 was 4.2% higher than in 2021 (9,641 deaths; 14.9 per 100,000) and 32.8% higher than in 2019 (7,565 deaths; 11.8 per 100,000), the last pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic year.
• Between 2012 and 2019, rates of alcohol-specific deaths in the UK had remained stable, with no statistically significant changes in the age-standardised rate.
• Consistent with previous years, the rate of alcohol-specific deaths for males in 2022 remained around double the rate for females (22.3 and 11.1 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively). 
• Scotland and Northern Ireland had the highest rates of alcohol-specific deaths in 2022 (22.6 and 19.5 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively).
• Comparing with 2019, there have been statistically significant increases in the alcohol-specific death rate in England, Wales, and Scotland. 
• The North East had the highest rate of alcohol-specific deaths of any English region in 2022 (21.8 deaths per 100,000); the East of England had the lowest rate (11.0 deaths per 100,000).