1.Main points

• In England and Wales, 5,448 deaths related to drug poisoning were registered in 2023, the equivalent of 93.0 deaths per million people, and higher than the rate recorded in 2022 (84.4 deaths per million, 4,907 deaths); the age-standardised mortality rate for deaths related to drug poisoning has risen every year since 2012.
• Among males, there were 127.6 drug-poisoning deaths registered per million in 2023 (3,645 deaths), compared with 59.8 deaths per million among females (1,803 deaths).
• Of drug-poisoning deaths registered in 2023, 3,618 were identified as drug misuse, accounting for 61.8 deaths per million people; rates of drug misuse deaths continue to be elevated among those born in the 1970s, often referred to as "Generation X", with the highest rate in those aged 40 to 49 years.
• Just under half of all drug-poisoning deaths registered in 2023 were confirmed to involve an opiate (46.8%; 2,551 deaths), while 1,118 deaths involved cocaine, which is 30.5% more than 2022 and represents the 12th consecutive annual rise.
• The North East continues to have the highest rates of deaths relating to drug poisoning and drug misuse (174.3 deaths per million people and 108.5 per million, respectively); London had the lowest rate for drug poisoning and drug misuse (58.1 deaths per million people and 41.0 per million, respectively).
• In Wales, there were 377 deaths related to drug poisoning registered in 2023, the equivalent of 129.2 deaths per million people, this is higher than the rate recorded in 2022 (109.6 deaths per million, 318 deaths).