The number of people dying while homeless in the United Kingdom has reached a record high, with newly released figures showing 1,611 deaths in 2024—a 9% increase over the previous year. According to data compiled by the Museum of Homelessness (MoH), this harrowing statistic means that, on average, four people experiencing homelessness died every single day last year across the UK. The rise stands in stark contrast to a slight decrease in Wales and significant reductions in Scotland’s largest cities, but the overall trend underscores what many advocates are calling a deepening national crisis.
The MoH, which has been running the Dying Homeless Project since 2019, gathers its data from coroner’s courts, media coverage, family testimony, and Freedom of Information requests. Since the Office for National Statistics stopped publishing official data on homeless deaths in 2022, the MoH’s annual report has become the only comprehensive record of these fatalities in the UK.
Of the 1,611 deaths recorded in 2024, the majority were linked to suicide or drugs—particularly the synthetic drugs spice and nitazenes, which have become increasingly deadly. MoH’s report states that 55% of the deaths are now classed as ‘deaths of despair,’ a category that includes suicides and drug-related fatalities. The charity’s findings highlight the growing prevalence of psychoactive substances in towns and cities, with not nearly enough being done to address the issue.
“Our research shows that in the last three years the proportion of those dying in temporary accommodation, including hotels, or supported accommodation has increased,” the MoH’s annual report notes. In fact, two-thirds of those who died in 2024 were living in temporary or supported accommodation, while 169 people died while rough sleeping. The report also found that 11 children died while experiencing homelessness last year, though the true figure is likely higher due to underreporting—an admission the charity makes candidly in its own documentation.
Regional differences in the data are striking. England saw 1,142 deaths in 2024, a 16% jump from the previous year, with London recording the highest total. Some cities, such as Nottingham and Exeter, experienced dramatic surges; Nottingham’s homeless deaths doubled to 22, and Exeter’s more than doubled from eight to 21. Northern Ireland also saw a sharp rise, with deaths increasing by more than a third to 211. In contrast, Wales reported a decrease in homeless deaths—from 97 in 2023 to 90 in 2024, a 7% drop. Scotland saw an even more pronounced decline, with an 18% reduction overall and about 40% fewer deaths in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Cardiff’s numbers fell from 35 deaths in 2023 to 23 in 2024, though the MoH cautions this may be partly attributable to a reporting error the previous year. Meanwhile, Bridgend saw a troubling spike, with deaths rising from two to eleven. Swansea’s figures remained static, while some Welsh local authorities, such as Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf, saw decreases. The data also reveals that women accounted for 26% of homeless deaths in Wales, slightly higher than the UK average of 24%.
The stories behind the statistics are sobering. According to BBC News, Anthony Marks, a 51-year-old man, died in September 2024 after being assaulted while sheltering in a bin shed near London’s King’s Cross. He was released from hospital but suffered a seizure two weeks later and died; four people have since been charged over his death. In Sheffield, three homeless women died within just ten days in November 2024. One woman, known to local services but buried under her official name, had no one attend her funeral—a fact that Tim Renshaw, chief executive of the Archer Project in Sheffield, called “an absolute tragedy.”
“We shouldn’t be surprised that people are dying on our streets,” Renshaw told BBC News. “We have one of the worst systems in terms of making housing available to the poorest. We are looking at homelessness being related to health factors—trauma, depression, anxiety. And we’ve increasing levels of poverty.”
Another case, reported by BBC News, involved Richard Sanders, 56, who died in a homeless hostel in south London in early 2025. His mother, Debby Wakeham, described the painful aftermath: “I wouldn’t even know now [he’d died] if I hadn’t continued to ring.” Sanders had suffered from addiction and mental health issues for years, and Wakeham’s struggle to get information from the hostel after his death left her “livid.”
Children’s deaths, in particular, have been described as intolerable failures. Homelessness Minister Alison McGovern called the figures “heartbreaking” and said, “Every loss of a life, especially the death of a child is an abject failure that cannot be tolerated.” She added that the government was “expanding access to safe accommodation whilst also strengthening support services” and “accelerating efforts to tackle the root causes of homelessness.”
Yet many experts and advocates argue that progress has been slow, especially since the Labour government’s election last year. While Labour has pledged to build 180,000 homes for social rent over the next decade, those working on the front lines say consistent, multi-year funding to tackle homelessness remains lacking. The Supported Accommodation (Regularity Oversight) Act, passed by the previous government to address problems with ‘exempt accommodation,’ has not yet been implemented by the current administration.
Matthew Turtle, co-director of the Museum of Homelessness, did not mince words: “Angela Rayner and Rushanara Ali leaving their posts in 2025 lays bare the lack of leadership on homelessness and housing at all levels of government in the face of the worst homelessness crisis this country has ever seen. Our investigation shows how homeless people continue to be deeply failed. We are calling for urgent action from the government to alleviate this crisis.”
Some local areas offer glimmers of hope. The MoH report highlights that Glasgow and Edinburgh have seen significant reductions in deaths since 2023, attributing these improvements to more effective local responses and partnership working. However, the overall UK picture remains grim, especially as the number of people rough sleeping in England rose by 20% to 4,667 in 2024, according to official statistics.
In response to the growing crisis, MoH and several frontline organizations—including the Simon Community, Streets Kitchen, and The Outside Project—planned a vigil outside Downing Street on October 9, 2025. The event, running from 6pm to 7:30pm, invited people to light a candle in memory of those who died, whether at the vigil or at home, sharing their tributes online with the hashtag #MakeThemCount.
As the UK grapples with record levels of people living in temporary accommodation and rising deaths among its most vulnerable, the statistics and stories collected by the Museum of Homelessness serve as a somber call to action. The challenge remains not just to count the dead, but to build a society where such losses are no longer inevitable—or accepted.
