Chronic liver disease: deaths

Data on trends in chronic liver disease death rates in Scotland are presented below.

Table 1 (56KB) provides information on trends in European age standardised rates (EASRs) for chronic liver disease death rates in Scotland, by sex, for calendar years 1982 to 2023. Chart 1 shows:

• There were 18.4 chronic liver disease deaths per 100,000 population in Scotland in 2023.
• In general, chronic liver disease death rates decreased from a peak in 2003 (25.4 per 100,000 population) until 2015 (15.0 per 100,000 population). Since then it has increased slightly up to 2023 (18.4 per 100,000 population).
• In 2023, male death rates for chronic liver disease were 1.8 higher than those for females (23.5 compared to 13.3 per 100,000 population). 

Table 2 (56KB) provides information on trends in chronic liver disease death rates (EASRs) in Scotland, by age group, for calendar years 1982 to 2023. In summary, Chart 2 shows:

• In 2023, chronic liver disease death rates were highest for people aged 55-64 years (40.9 per 100,000 population). Apart from in 1991, this age group has consistently had the highest death rate for chronic liver disease.

Table 3 (56KB) provides information on trends in chronic liver disease death rates (EASRs) in Scotland, by condition, for calendar years 1982 to 2023. In summary:

• In 2023, the majority of chronic liver disease deaths were due to alcoholic liver disease (77.7%). The percentage of deaths associated with alcoholic liver disease increased from 1982, when it was 39.9%, to 88.4% in 2008. Since then the proportion of chronic liver disease deaths attributable to alcoholic liver disease has generally been trending downwards.
• The rate for alcoholic liver disease deaths peaked in 2003 (21.0 per 100,000 population) and then decreased to 12.1 per 100,000 population in 2015. The rate in 2023 was 14.3 per 100,000 population. 

Table 4 (56KB) provides information on trends in chronic liver disease death rates (EASRs) in Scotland, by deprivation deciles (Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation), for calendar years 1996 to 2023. In summary, Chart 4 shows:

• In 2023, chronic liver disease death rates were 4.5 times higher in the most deprived areas (41.5 per 100,000 population) compared to the least deprived areas (9.3 per 100,000 population).
• The largest gap between the death rates was in 2002, when the rate in the most deprived area was 11.1 times higher than in the least deprived area.

Table 5 (56KB) provides information on trends in chronic liver disease death rates (EASRs) in Scotland, by NHS Board, for calendar years 1982 to 2023. In summary:

• Chronic liver disease death rates in 2023 among mainland boards were highest in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde (23.6 per 100,000 population). The mainland board with the lowest death rate was NHS Grampian (13.5 per 100,000 population).
• From the peak chronic liver disease death rate for Scotland in 2003, the rate in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has had the largest fall, with a 47.4% reduction in annual death rates (from 44.9 per 100,000 population to 23.6 per 100,000 population in 2023). The reduction for Scotland for the same time period was 27.6% (from 25.4 per 100,000 population in 2003 to 18.4 per 100,000 population in 2023).