Drug use disorder deaths in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Drug use disorder deaths was 5,631 deaths in 2021. ▲ Rising
Drug use disorder deaths in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2021, drug use disorder deaths in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 5,631 deaths. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
That represents a change of up 9.4% on the previous year and up 163.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, drug use disorder deaths in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 5,631 deaths in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1,717 deaths, in 2003.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 5th of 194 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Drug use disorder deaths in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1,995 deaths | — |
| 2001 | 2,073 deaths | +3.9% |
| 2002 | 1,929 deaths | -6.9% |
| 2003 | 1,717 deaths | -11.0% |
| 2004 | 1,833 deaths | +6.7% |
| 2005 | 1,904 deaths | +3.9% |
| 2006 | 1,957 deaths | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 2,197 deaths | +12.3% |
| 2008 | 2,557 deaths | +16.3% |
| 2009 | 2,520 deaths | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 2,368 deaths | -6.0% |
| 2011 | 2,134 deaths | -9.9% |
| 2012 | 2,144 deaths | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 2,498 deaths | +16.5% |
| 2014 | 3,034 deaths | +21.5% |
| 2015 | 3,535 deaths | +16.5% |
| 2016 | 3,775 deaths | +6.8% |
| 2017 | 3,801 deaths | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 4,745 deaths | +24.8% |
| 2019 | 4,832 deaths | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 5,148 deaths | +6.5% |
| 2021 | 5,631 deaths | +9.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2,068 deaths | 1,717 deaths | 2,557 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 3,287 deaths | 2,134 deaths | 4,832 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 5,390 deaths | 5,148 deaths | 5,631 deaths | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
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Frequently asked questions
- What is drug use disorder deaths in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Drug use disorder deaths in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 5,631 deaths in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest drug use disorder deaths recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 5,631 deaths in 2021.
- What is the lowest drug use disorder deaths recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,717 deaths in 2003.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for drug use disorder deaths?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 5th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is drug use disorder deaths rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 163.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Drug use disorder deaths. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of deaths from drug use disorders in both sexes.