United Kingdom: Alcohol-related deaths among UK women at highest rate in 10 years
ONS figures show eight deaths per 100,000 women in 2017, as total death rate also rises
By Frances Perraudin
December 4, 2018
Alcohol-related deaths among women in the UK have reached the highest rate since 2008, statistics have shown.
There were eight deaths per 100,000 women in 2017, according to the Office for National Statistics – a similar level to when ONS records began in 2001. Death rates among men continued to be at least double that figure, at 16.8 per 100,000 – the highest since 2010, when there was an equivalent rate.
In total, 7,697 people died from alcohol-specific causes during 2017, a rate of 12.2 deaths per 100,000. That figure is also the highest since 2008, when the rate was 12.7 deaths per 100,000. Deaths caused by alcohol misuse have been rising steadily since 2015.
While Scotland continued to have the highest rate of alcohol-specific deaths (20.5 per 100,000 people), it is the only UK country to have recorded a statistically significant decrease since 2001, with a 21% reduction.
There has been a 40% increase in alcohol-specific deaths in Northern Ireland, the biggest change in death rate since 2001 of any UK country.
England had the lowest rate of alcohol deaths, with 11.1 per 100,000 people. It was highest in the north-east, with 15.5 deaths per 100,000, despite a decline since 2014. London had the lowest rate for the first time since 2011, with 7.8 deaths. With the exception of London, all regions had significantly higher alcohol-specific rates in 2017 than in 2001.
Deaths from alcohol misuse were highest among 60- to 64-year-olds in 2017, at 29.7 per 100,000, overtaking 50- to 54-year-olds, who had the highest rate in 2001. Broken down by sex, death rates were highest among 55- to 59-year-old women and 60- to 64-year-old men.
Karen Tyrell, the executive director of external affairs at the drug and alcohol charity Addaction, said more than half of people knew someone with an alcohol problem. “It’s an issue that touches almost every family in the UK. It’s really common and it’s definitely something we all need to talk about,” she said.
“We know alcohol is an issue for over-50s and we need to do a lot more to reach this group in a way that works for them. For older drinkers, alcohol often creeps up and gradually plays a more central role in day-to-day life.
“The people we work with frequently talk about alcohol as a way to deal with loneliness, isolation, and the sense of loss that sometimes comes with retirement and move into a new phase of life.”
She said that, at a policy level, the alcohol industry needed to be held to account. “We know that the big drivers in terms of behaviour change include minimum unit pricing along with restricting advertising and visibility. We’re encouraging government to include these measures in the forthcoming alcohol strategy.”