Alcohol consumption and harms dashboard

About this release

This release by Public Health Scotland (PHS) updates the Alcohol Consumption and Harms Dashboard (ACHD) with new estimates of partially attributable alcohol hospital admissions and partially attributable alcohol mortality statistics for persons aged 16 and over covering the calendar year 2024. This release also updates the existing partially attributable alcohol estimates published in October 2025 covering the calendar years 2012 to 2023. For further information on methodology see 'Data Sources and Methods' in the dashboard. This summary uses the European Age-sex Standardised Rate (EASR), which adjusts for age and sex to allow valid comparisons of health outcomes across populations.

For this release of partially attributable alcohol hospital admissions and partially attributable alcohol mortality statistics, updated prevalence data (to 2024) from the Scottish Health Survey have been incorporated. Please note that figures for 2023 figures have been revised. As 2023 alcohol consumption prevalence data were not yet available, the 2022 data were used to estimate 2023 figures when released in October 2025. For this September 2026 release, updated prevalence data (to 2024) from the Scottish Health Survey have been incorporated. As a result, 2023 estimates have been revised: overall, hospital admissions in 2023 are 0.8% higher and deaths are 3.6% higher than previously reported. There is further variation between previously published and revised 2023 figures for age groups, condition categories and area breakdowns. However, these revisions do not materially change the overall trends or key messages previously reported and this represents an improvement in the accuracy of these estimates by using the most appropriate consumption data for 2023. For further information on methodology see 'Data Sources and Methods' in the dashboard.

Main points

• In 2024, the estimated EASR of partially attributable alcohol hospital admissions in persons aged 16 and over was 424 per 100,000 population. This was identical to the rate in 2023 (424 per 100,000).
• In 2024, males aged 16 and over (501.6 admissions per 100,000 population) were 40% more likely than females aged 16 and over (357.7 admissions per 100,000 population) to be admitted to hospitals for conditions partially attributable to alcohol.
• In 2024, the estimated EASR of partially attributable alcohol deaths in persons aged 16 and over was 32.7 per 100,000 population and was 12% lower than the rate in 2023 (37 per 100,000).
• In 2024, the estimated mortality rate for conditions partially attributable to alcohol in males aged 16 and over (40.3 per 100,000 population) was 56% higher than the rate observed in females aged 16 and over (25.8 per 100,000 population).
• In 2024, the estimated mortality rate for conditions partially attributable to alcohol in persons aged 16 in the most deprived areas was 2.8 times higher than the rate in the least deprived areas (51.2 compared to 18.6 per 100,000).

Chart of partially attributable alcohol mortality rates from 2012 to 2024, broken down by men and women as well as both combined.

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Estimated partially attributable alcohol mortality rates in persons aged 16 and over, Scotland, 2012-2024

Background

Alcohol health harms are either wholly or partially attributable to alcohol consumption. Harms that are wholly attributable to alcohol, such as alcoholic liver disease, are caused entirely by alcohol consumption and would not have occurred in the absence of consumption. Harms that are partially attributable to alcohol may involve alcohol as one of several, but not the only, risk factors. For example, alcohol increases the risk of liver cancer, but other factors may also contribute.

The partially attributable statistics in this release estimate hospital admissions and deaths linked to conditions where alcohol is a contributing factor. Estimates are based on population drinking patterns, alcohol consumption levels, associated health risks and the frequency of related health conditions. For further information on methodology see 'Data Sources and Methods' in the dashboard.

Further to the described 2023 revision, the upscale factor that is used to account for alcohol consumption that is not recorded in retail sales data has also been changed from 1.10101 to 1.10. This factor is calculated using WHO estimates of unrecorded alcohol consumption for the UK which have wide confidence intervals. In order to maintain consistency across this publication series PHS will continue to apply an upscale factor of exactly 1.10. This figure will be checked annually to ensure that it continues to align with WHO estimates. The changes described above have been applied to figures previously published, covering the period from 2012 to 2023, and their impacts have been described on the 'Introduction' page of the dashboard. The effect that each of these changes have had, in isolation, on the statistics published in October 2025 are also provided on the 'Introduction' page of the dashboard. These methodological improvements and revisions have not resulted in any material changes to the underlying trends or messages previously reported.

Further information

The next release of this publication will be December 2026.