South West: addiction and mortality statistics
Third-highest regional drug-poisoning rate in England, driven by opioid deaths in coastal towns.
How South West compares to England
The South West drug-poisoning mortality rate is 4% above the England average of 82.2/100k. Alcohol-specific mortality is 3% above the England rate of 14.5/100k.
Opiates account for 67% of drug-poisoning deaths in South West; cocaine accounts for 20%. The remainder are predominantly polydrug fatalities involving benzodiazepines, methadone or novel synthetics.
Local rehab options in South West
Common questions
How many people died from drug poisoning in the South West in 2023?▾
The ONS registered 528 drug-poisoning deaths in the South West in 2023, an age-standardised rate of 85.3 per 100,000. Opiates were involved in 356 of these; cocaine in 108.
Is alcohol mortality higher in the South West than the rest of England?▾
The alcohol-specific death rate in the South West is 14.9 per 100,000 (age-standardised), compared with an England average of 14.5. Alcohol-related hospital admissions (narrow definition) run at 570 per 100,000.
How many adults are in structured addiction treatment in the South West?▾
OHID recorded 20,200 adults in structured treatment in the South West in 2022/23. That includes people in community drug and alcohol services, prescribing programmes, and residential detox.
Where does this data come from?▾
Drug-poisoning deaths are from ONS 2023 registrations. Alcohol mortality and admissions are from OHID's Local Alcohol Profiles for England (Fingertips profile 87). Treatment numbers are from OHID's Adult substance misuse treatment statistics 2022–23. All three are published under the Open Government Licence.
Sources: ONS Deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales: 2023 registrations; OHID Local Alcohol Profiles for England; OHID Adult substance misuse treatment statistics 2022–23. Data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.