Scottish cities

Mean weekly units of alcohol by gender across Scottish cities

Of those who had had an alcoholic drink in the past year when surveyed, people in Glasgow had drank on average 12 units of alcohol in the previous week – slightly lower than Scotland as a whole (13). Edinburgh had the highest average number of weekly units of alcohol (15). On average, males had higher weekly units of alcohol than females in Scotland and all Scottish cities.

Proportion of hazardous/harmful drinkers across Scottish cities

A fifth of adults in Glasgow (21%) had drank more than the recommended 14 units of alcohol per week – slightly lower than Scotland as a whole (24%). Similarly, men were more likely than women to report drinking more than 14 units a week across Scotland, with 30% of men in Glasgow exceeding the recommendation, and 14% of women. Edinburgh had the highest rate of people exceeding the recommendation, particularly for males with 43%. Figures for Dundee cannot be shown because the sample of respondents was too small.

Alcohol-specific deaths across Scottish cities

Glasgow has had by far the highest number of alcohol-specific deaths among Scottish cities over the last two decades. The number of alcohol deaths peaked in Glasgow in 2002-2006 at over 300 deaths per year, following a large increase that occurred from the early 1990s onwards. There were approximately half the number of deaths in 2017-2021 in Glasgow as there were in the early 2000s.

Alcohol-specific death rates per 100,000 population, Scottish cities

Glasgow has had the highest rate of alcohol-specific deaths among Scottish cities for over two decades. The rate of deaths peaked in 2002-2006 before declining in more recent years. Dundee has had the second highest rate of alcohol-related deaths since the 1990s.

Notes

Further more detailed information can be found in the NRS report on alcohol specific deaths.

This page was last updated in September 2022.