Main Points
- There were an estimated 231 deaths of people experiencing homelessness registered in Scotland in 2024.
- This was a similar level to 2023 but higher than the start of the series in 2017.
- There were an estimated 55 homeless deaths per million population aged 15 to 74 in Scotland in 2024. The rate varied across Scotland and was highest in City of Edinburgh (95 deaths per million population aged 15 to 74).
- In 2024, 78% of homeless deaths were male and 22% were female.
- Around half (49%) of homeless deaths in 2024 were people aged under 45. For context, 9% of all deaths aged 15 to 74 in Scotland were under 45.
- Of the selected specific causes of death, drug misuse deaths were most common, accounting for around a third (34%) of homeless deaths in 2024. For context, 5% of all deaths aged 15 to 74 in Scotland in 2024 were drug misuse deaths.
The local authority in these statistics does not necessarily represent the area that a person died in. Deaths are allocated to a local authority based on the address of usual residence or, if no usual residence is recorded, the place of death.
Estimates of homeless deaths in other parts of the UK are not comparable with those for Scotland.
Introduction
This report provides Official Statistics in Development on deaths of people experiencing homelessness in Scotland. Figures are provided for deaths registered in each calendar year, with breakdowns by sex and age group, local authority and cause of death. Data for all deaths and population include only ages 15 to 74, to ensure comparability with the homeless deaths methodology which also covers this age range.
Official statistics in development are those that are undergoing development and will be tested with users. They have not yet been assessed against the rigorous quality standards of Accredited Official Statistics. They will remain official statistics in development for a period of evaluation of their suitability and quality, and feedback is invited from users and stakeholders. When interpreting the statistics, users should be aware of their limitations and read the methodology section for details on how they have been developed.
Deaths of homeless people were identified from death registration records. A statistical method called capture-recapture modelling was used to estimate the likely number of additional deaths which we were unable to identify as homeless using the information available. More information can be found in the methodology document.
Homeless deaths in Scotland
In 2024, there were an estimated 231 homeless deaths, with a 95% confidence interval of 217 to 245 estimated deaths.
This was statistically similar to 2023 when there were 242 estimated deaths, with a 95% confidence interval of 225 to 259.
Of the total 231 homeless deaths estimated in 2024:
- 208 were identified from death registration records.
- 23 additional deaths were estimated using the statistical model.
Figure 1: Homeless deaths were at a similar level to the previous year
Identified and estimated homeless deaths in Scotland, 2017-2024
Both of the identified and estimated number of homeless deaths were lower in 2024 than in 2023. However, the change over the latest year was not statistically significant as the confidence intervals around these estimates overlap.
The proportion of deaths identified through our different data sources and the level of overlap between the data sources has increased since the series began in 2017. This makes the model more confident in its estimated value. More information can be found in the methodology document.
Homeless deaths by sex and age group
The majority of estimated homeless deaths are males. This has been the case since the series began in 2017. Males accounted for 78% of estimated homeless deaths and females 22% of homeless deaths in 2024.
In 2024, around half of all homeless deaths were people aged under 45. For comparison, in 2024, 9% of all deaths aged 15 to 74 in Scotland were aged under 45.
The most common age group for both female and male deaths was 35 to 44. The distribution of deaths by age group was similar for both males and females in 2024.
Figure 2: Around half of all homeless deaths were people aged under 45
Estimated homeless deaths by sex and age group in Scotland, 2024
Homeless deaths by local authority
There were an estimated 55 homeless deaths per million population aged 15 to 74 in Scotland in 2024.
The rate of homeless deaths varied across Scotland. The rate was highest in City of Edinburgh (95 deaths per million population) in 2024.
These rates are based on the total population aged 15 to 74 in each local authority, not the population of people experiencing homelessness. Small numbers of deaths can result in higher rates for areas with small populations. For example, Clackmannanshire had one of the highest rates based on an estimated 3 deaths in 2024.
East Renfrewshire, Moray, and Orkney Islands had no identified homeless deaths in 2024.
Figure 3: The rate of homeless deaths varies across Scotland
Estimated homeless death rates by local authority in Scotland, 2024
It is important to note that the local authority used in these statistics does not necessarily represent the area that a person died in. The geographical basis of these statistics is the address of usual residence or, if no usual residence is recorded, the place of death. Local authorities may provide homeless applicants with temporary accommodation in a neighbouring area. In this case, if the person died while resident at that address, the death will be counted in the area they died in rather than the area in which they had applied.
Homeless deaths by cause
The underlying cause of death can be broken down by ICD-10 chapter. The most common cause of homeless deaths in 2024 were:
- External causes of morbidity and mortality (includes most drug misuse deaths, accidents, suicides, and assaults): 47% of homeless deaths
- Diseases of the circulatory system (includes heart disease and stroke): 13% of homeless deaths
In comparison, 10% of all deaths aged 15 to 74 registered in Scotland in 2024 were due to external causes while 23% were due to diseases of the circulatory system.
Figure 4: Around half of all homeless deaths were due to external causes
Estimated homeless deaths by cause of death in Scotland, 2024
Homeless deaths can also be considered by select specific causes of death: drug misuse deaths, alcohol-specific deaths, and probable suicides.
Around a third of homeless deaths were drug misuse deaths (34%, 79 deaths) in 2024. This has reduced from 41% in 2023. In comparison, 5% of all deaths aged 15 to 74 registered in Scotland in 2024 were drug misuse deaths.
Alcohol-specific deaths accounted for 10% of all homeless deaths in 2024 and probable suicides accounted for 9%. For context, 5% of all deaths aged 15 to 74 in Scotland in 2024 were alcohol-specific deaths, while probable suicides accounted for 3%.
It is important to note that due to an overlap in definitions, some deaths classified as probable suicides are also counted in our definitions of drug misuse deaths and alcohol-specific deaths. A single death may be counted in more than one of these causes. For this reason, the categories should not be added together.
Figure 5: Around a third homeless deaths were drug misuse deaths in 2024
Estimated homeless deaths by selected cause in Scotland, 2017-2024
Comparisons with UK countries
Estimates of homeless deaths in other parts of the UK are not comparable with those for Scotland. An article exploring the different sources of data used to estimate homeless deaths across the UK has been jointly produced by NRS, the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) and the Government Statistical Service (GSS) Homelessness Coherence Team. This concluded that estimates were not produced on a comparable basis across the UK and that they should not be compared.
Deaths of Homeless People in Northern Ireland is published by NISRA.
Deaths of Homeless people in England and Wales is published by the ONS.
NRS engage regularly with local authorities in Scotland throughout the process of estimating homeless deaths. Data on temporary accommodation is collected directly from the local authorities and extensive data quality assurance is carried out in partnership with them. This methodology and process is likely to identify proportionately more homeless deaths than some other parts of the UK, hence why it is concluded that the estimates for Scotland are not comparable with those for the rest of the UK countries.
Improvements to methodology
In the last four years, in addition to the data we usually receive, we requested extra data from councils to allow us to investigate improvements to the accuracy of our estimates. As well as asking councils for their list of temporary accommodation addresses for us to match to our deaths database, we also asked for details of deaths of homeless people who were known to local authorities.
This new stream of data is currently being used as a quality assurance resource to help us strengthen the confidence we have in each match identified across our five existing data sources. As we continue to improve the methodology, we will look to directly include this sixth source of homeless deaths in our estimation model. We will report on the impact on our estimates of including this additional data source in due course.
Limitations of these statistics
These statistics are official statistics in development and represent our best estimate of the number of deaths of people experiencing homelessness, but there are limitations which users should be aware of.
We rely on information which is provided to registrars by the informant when a death is registered. The informant is usually a family member or a friend, but in some cases the informant may be a police officer, a social worker, a funeral director or other person. In these cases, the informant may not have all of the information needed to determine whether the person was homeless at the time of their death. Even when the informant is a family member, they may not have been in touch with the deceased for some time and may be unaware of their circumstances, or they may not wish the fact that their relative was homeless to appear on the death certificate.
Although we have carried out multiple searches of our data sources to identify homeless people, there are a number of groups who we may have missed, or underestimated, in this process.
A small percentage of people present to their local authority as homeless but never take up an offer of homeless accommodation. They may be able to stay with friends or relatives until permanent accommodation is found for them. They are unlikely to be identified in the searches we have carried out.
A number of people who are sleeping rough may not present themselves as homeless to their local authority and are therefore not registered as homeless. If they die while sleeping rough, they may be picked up by our searches but only if the informant provides this information to the registrar when registering the death.
The capture recapture estimation technique we have used attempts to address this undercount, but the method used is known to produce conservative estimates - the actual number of homeless deaths may be higher.
The capture-recapture modelling is calculated at the Scotland level. This modelling method cannot be used to produce reliable estimates at lower geographies because of the low number of deaths. For subnational breakdowns, we assume the same ratio of identified deaths to estimated deaths as was calculated for Scotland.
Links to related statistics
Homelessness in Scotland statistics are published by Scottish Government and updated bi-annually. They contain statistics on homelessness applications, assessments and outcomes. They also provide data on the number of households in temporary accommodation.
Vital Events Reference Tables are published by National Records of Scotland and contain annual statistics on deaths.
NRS publish numbers of deaths due to other causes of death annually
Information about our statistics
These statistics are designated as Official Statistics in Development. More information about Official Statistics can be found on the Statistics governance and consultation page.
We also provide information about upcoming publications on our website.
If you would like receive updates on our statistics, you can register your interest on the Scottish Government ScotStat website.
