The number of people who died due to drug misuse in Scotland has risen.

National Records of Scotland data for 2023 revealed that 1,172 people died – an increase of 121 on the previous 12 months.

However the figures represent the second lowest number of drug misuse deaths since 2017.

1,051 people died in 2022, which marked the first significant drop in Scotland for several years.

It means Scotland continues to have a far higher rate of recorded drugs deaths than other European nations, including England and Wales.

Opiates/opioids – such as heroin, morphine and methadone – were the most common drugs connected to deaths, being implicated in 937 deaths – 80% of the overall total.

The report also confirms psychoactive substances such as benzodiazepines are posing significant dangers.

The number of deaths involving bromazolam rose from 54 in 2022 to 426 last year.

These types of drugs are used to treat anxiety disorders, insomnia and seizures.

Deaths involving synthetic opioids known as nitazenes rose from just one to 23 in 12 months.

There has been a sharp rise in cocaine overdoses with the drug a factor in 479 deaths in 2023 – an increase from 371 deaths in 2022.

NRS says cocaine was a factor in 41% of deaths — up from 6% 15 years ago.

Figures hit a record overall deaths high of 1,339 in 2020.

The data revealed that people living in the most deprived areas of Scotland were more than 15 times as likely to die from drug misuse than in the least deprived areas, while the age that people die from drug misuse has increased over the past two decades.

Those aged 35-54 were most likely to die from drug misuse in 2023 and men were twice as likely to have a drug misuse death as women.

After adjusting for age, Glasgow and Dundee had the highest rates of drug misuse deaths while East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire had the lowest.

For the period 2019-2023 Glasgow had the highest rate of drug misuse deaths with 44.6 deaths per 100,000 people.

The rate of drug misuse death was above the Scotland average in Glasgow, Dundee, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, West Dunbartonshire, East Ayrshire, Renfrewshire and North Lanarkshire.

88% of the deaths were classified as accidental poisonings, with 7% classed as intentional self-poisonings.

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