A Comparative Analysis of Deaths Due to Drug-Related Causes Between Rural and Urban Areas in the United Kingdom, 1997-2026

Drug Alcohol Rev. 2026 Nov;45(7):e70285. doi: 10.1111/dar.70285.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Multiple jurisdictions report disproportionately elevated rates of drug-related harm in urban settings, alongside unique treatment needs in rural populations. We examined differences in case characteristics, circumstances of death and implicated drugs among individuals dying from drug-related causes, stratified by rural or urban setting, and determined changes in the proportion of deaths between settings over time.

METHODS: Retrospective registry-based analysis of coronial records of individuals who died from drug-related causes, submitted to the National Programme on Substance Use Mortality in the UK, 1997-2026. UK Government Rural-Urban Classification methodology dichotomised cases using postcode at date of death.

RESULTS: Overall, 39,975 decedents died, 36,350 (90.9%) in urban settings. The urban percentage decreased significantly over the study period from 96.6% in 1999 to 92.3% in 2025 (AAPC -0.34%, 95% CI -0.47% to -0.15%, p = 0.002). Accidental poisoning was the most common direct cause of death in both rural (45.5%) and urban (54.8%) settings, while intentional self-poisoning was more common rurally (17.3% vs. 9.5%). Opioids were the most frequently implicated drug group in both rural (61.1%) and urban (65.4%) settings. The median number of drugs implicated did not differ significantly between settings (both 2, IQR 1-3), but rural decedents had a significantly higher median number of prescribed implicated drugs (1, IQR 0-2 vs. 0, IQR 0-2).

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Over three decades, approximately one in 11 UK drug-related deaths occurred rurally. Intentional self-poisoning was substantially more common in rural fatalities, and opioids were the leading implicated drug group across both settings.

PMID:42950888 | DOI:10.1111/dar.70285