Expert comment: New figures on drug deaths reveal 'growing inequalities'

Dr James Morgan warned that the poorest regions of England and Wales are falling behind

Date: 4 November 2026

Dr James Morgan, course leader for Addiction and Mental Health MSc at London Metropolitan University, analyses some of the key findings from new Office for National Statistics figures on deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales in 2025.

- The number of deaths registered fell for the first time since 2012

“While we should celebrate the fact that there has not been a sharp rise, what we are seeing is increasing polarisation and growing inequalities, where the poorest regions are falling behind, and more affluent regions doing better.  

“While this was the first year since 2012 without an increase in deaths, the numbers remain objectively high. The figure of 92.4 deaths per million is tragically high and approximately double the figure from 2012."

- Cocaine was the most frequently mentioned specific substance involved in deaths, overtaking heroin or morphine

“The small decline in deaths related to cocaine should not be over-interpreted. Most important is that deaths relating to cocaine remain roughly quadruple what they were in 2015 and are now more frequent than deaths relating to heroin or morphine.   

“Deaths related to cocaine use must be examined carefully, as this will include people who snort powder cocaine, for example in the night-time economy, but also people who inject cocaine or smoke crack cocaine, often in combination with opioids and diverted or counterfeit pharmaceutical drugs."

- Ketamine was mentioned in 115 deaths in 2025, almost double the year before

“Death relating to ketamine have continued to increase, relating to lower prices, higher use and greater normalisation. Reports of young people experiencing dependency to ketamine and often acute health difficulties such as bladder damage are growing. 

“While this relates to a growing harm, I would not support upgrading to Class A since there has never been evidence that higher classifications reduce use. Especially when ketamine dealers often already sell Class A drugs such as cocaine and MDMA.”  

- 167.8 deaths per million of the population were from the North East, compared to 58.3 deaths per million in London

“There is a grim regional aspect to this phenomenon, with the steepest increases found in formerly industrial areas with high levels of poverty and unemployment dating back to the 1980s: The North East, Wales, Yorkshire and the Humber, the North West and the East Midlands.   

“The tragic deaths are also concentrated among those from Generation X, who were born in the 1970s or early 1980s. The worst effected age group is those aged 41-50, and the majority of the deaths are among men. While the most recent data shows that between 2024 and 2025 the drug related death rate for women declined, the figure for men has increased to 130.0 deaths per million.

“This might relate to the cohort who were born in the 1970s and early 80s having been using drugs heavily for many years, while they are also the cohort who began using heroin when usage peaked in the 2000s. This group are now ageing, and many of them have been persistently using drugs for more than 20 years.”