One person died while experiencing homelessness in East Renfrewshire last year, new figures show.

According to latest statistics from National Records of Scotland (NRS), this is the first recorded homeless death in the area since 2017.

Midlothian, Glasgow and Edinburgh had the highest rates of homeless deaths within Scotland last year, whilst the Western Isles, Orkney Islands, Perth and Kinross and Stirling council areas recorded none.

An estimated 250 people died across the country while experiencing homelessness in 2021, with the majority (81%) being male.

Six in 10 of those who died were aged under 45.

Julie Ramsay, head of vital events at NRS, said: “Drug misuse deaths of people experiencing homelessness fell in the past year for the first time, from 151 to 127, but it was still the cause of over half of all deaths for people experiencing homelessness in 2021.

“As in previous years, the death rate of males is much higher than that of females.

“The age profile of females was younger, with 72 per cent of those who died being under the age of 45.”