First publication of homeless death figures show 58 people died in NI last year

An estimated 58 homeless people died in Northern Ireland last year, statistics show.

The figure was reported by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, which has published figures on the deaths of homeless people for the first time.

Nisra has released figures for five calendar years, spanning 2020 to 2024. The agency intends to publish the data on a yearly basis going forward.

There were also an estimated 58 deaths in 2023.

In 2020, the first year for which data is available, an estimated 67 homeless people died in Northern Ireland.

The figures are also broken down on a regional basis, with the Belfast local government district recording the highest number of estimated homeless deaths in 2024, at 20.

The estimated rate of all homeless deaths across Northern Ireland last year was 4.11 per 100,000 population aged 15 to 74.

On a regional basis, the highest estimated mortality rate was in the Derry City and Strabane council area, at 11.41 per 100,000.

Almost three out of four (74.1%) deaths in 2024 were male and just under half (46.6%) of all those people who died were under the age of 45.

By comparison, the percentage of deaths under the age of 45 across the whole population of Northern Ireland (between ages of 15-74) was 11%.

Drug-related was the most common cause of death among homeless people, accounting for an estimated 27.6% of the deaths in 2024 and 25.9% in 2023.

Across the wider population, drug-related deaths accounted for 3% of all deaths in 2023.

The figures have been collated on a definition of homelessness that is based on the circumstances the individuals were experiencing at the time of their death, rather than if they were officially categorised by the state as being homeless.

The information has been derived from death registration records, which identify whether people were using emergency accommodation, such as homeless shelters and hostels, or whether they were sleeping rough.