50 registered drug-related deaths in Western Trust in 2024
Pregabalin was the specific drug mentioned most often, appearing on the death certificates of 101 of the 251 drug related deaths registered in 2024.
There were 50 deaths within the Western Trust registered as due to drug-related causes in 2024, new figures have confirmed.
The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) published statistics on Wednesday for deaths in Northern Ireland due to drug-related causes in 2024.
Drug-related and drug misuse deaths statistics are derived from cause of death information recorded when a death is registered.
Belfast Local Government District (LGD) had the highest number of drug-related deaths (80) in 2024. It also had the highest age standardised mortality rate (ASMR) of 21.6 per 100,000 population.
The Derry and Strabane District area had an ASMR of 17.7 per 100k population in 2024.
The ASMR was lowest in Newry, Mourne & Down at 7.2.
While Belfast LGD has consistently had the highest number of drug-related deaths, NISRA said that all LGDs have seen an increase in the number of drug-related deaths since 2023.
Across Northern Ireland, there were 251 drug-related deaths registered in 2024, 219 (87.3 per cent) of which fell within the definition of drug misuse.
Like previous years, males accounted for more than two-thirds (70.9 per cent) of drug-related deaths in 2024.
The 35-44 age group had the highest age-specific drug-related and drug misuse mortality rates in 2024, at 30.1 and 27.0 per 100,000 population, respectively.
Opioids was the most mentioned drug group, with heroin/morphine the opioid mentioned most often, appearing on the death certificates of 131 (52.2%) drug related deaths registered in 2024
Benzodiazepines (which include drugs such as temazepam and diazepam) was the next most common group, with 128 deaths or 51.0%.
Pregabalin was the specific drug mentioned most often, appearing on the death certificates of 101 (40.2%) of the 251 drug related deaths registered in 2024.
The number of deaths where pregabalin was mentioned saw a ‘sharp increase from five in 2014 to 67 in 2023 and 101 in 2024.’
"The three-year average for this drug has risen from 7.0 deaths per year in 2014-16 to 76.3 deaths per year in 2022-24.”
“In contrast, mentions of drugs such as codeine have remained relatively stable over the last decade.”
Cocaine was the most prominent drug in deaths that involved only one drug in 2024. It contributed to 22 (40.7%) of single-drug deaths (54).
NISRA said that the number of deaths where cocaine was mentioned saw a sharp increase between 2023 (34) and 2024 (71).
"The three-year average number of deaths mentioning this drug has more than tripled since 2016-18 from 14.7 deaths per year deaths to 45.7 deaths per year in 2022-24.”
NISRA added that deaths involving anti-depressants ‘have been steadily increasing over the last decade’.
"The average number of drug-related deaths involving anti-depressants increased from 36.0 deaths per year in 2014-16, to 59.3 deaths per year in 2022-24.
“This increase has been partly driven more recently by mentions of selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which were mentioned in seven drug-related deaths in 2014 and 27 drug-related deaths in 2024..”
NISRA’s report said that multi-drug deaths ‘have become more prevalent over time, with the proportion of deaths involving five or more drugs rising from 12.7% (2014) to 21.9% (2024).’
Alcohol was mentioned in approximately one-fifth (19.9%) of drug-related deaths in 2024, ‘in line with previous years.’
The most deprived areas experienced the highest number of drug-related deaths for the combined years of 2020 to 2024, accounting for 43.7 per cent of drug-related deaths and 44.4 per cent of drug misuse deaths.
The statistics show that the least deprived areas in Northern Ireland accounted for 7.4 per cent of drug-related deaths and 6.9 per cent of drug misuse deaths in the same period.
The three-year average for the number of registered drug-related deaths "has shown a general rise over the past decade, rising from 111.7 deaths per year (2012-14) to 207.3 deaths per year (2019-21). It then fell to 178.7 deaths per year (2021-23) before rising to 191.3 deaths per year in 2022-24.”
NISR said the number of drug misuse deaths has ‘similarly fluctuated over time, rising from a three-year average of 81.3 deaths per year (2012-14) to 164.7 deaths per year in 2022-24.’
Registered annual deaths from drug-related causes have risen from 110 in 2014 to a peak of 218 in 2020. Deaths then fell to 154 in 2022.
The 2024 total of 251 represents a new single year high.
The number of annual drug misuse deaths has similarly increased from 88 in 2014 to 185 in 2020. It then fell to 129 in 2022. The total of 219 in 2024 is also a new series high.
The report said that most drug-related deaths are ‘consistently accounted for by accidental poisonings, as decided by the Coroners’ Service for NI (CSNI).’
This cause accounted for 211 (approximately 84.1 per cent) of the drug-related deaths in 2024.
The second most common cause of death is intentional self-poisoning which accounted for 29, or 11.6 per cent, of the 251 drug-related deaths registered in 2024.
In 2024, 88.6 per cent of the 219 drug misuse deaths were accounted for by accidental poisoning. A further 7.3 per cent were accounted for by intentional self-poisoning.
NISRA outlined how, ‘compared with 2014, drug-related deaths in more recent years were more likely to be caused by several drugs, rather than one specific drug.’
" In 2024, almost three quarters (72.8 per cent) of drug-related deaths had two or more drugs listed on the death certificate. In 2014 it was 68.2 per cent.”
Cocaine emerged as the predominant substance mentioned in deaths involving only one drug in 2024.
There were 50 drug-related deaths registered in 2024 where alcohol was also mentioned on the death certificate.
Of the 251 such deaths registered in 2024, 85 occurred in 2024, 128 in 2023, 29 in 2022, with the remaining nine having occurred in 2021 or earlier.
Over the last two years, the Southern HSCT and South Eastern HSCT have had the lowest number of drug-related and drug misuse deaths.
"This is a slight shift. Until 2022, the Western HSCT tended to have lower deaths than the South Eastern HSCT. These trends could be expected given the relevant population of each Trust area.”
For the full report, see https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/cause-death/drug-related-deaths