Carbon monoxide is colourless, odourless and tasteless — the reason it is so often called the silent killer, and the reason the numbers around it deserve more attention than they usually get. This page brings together the latest UK carbon monoxide poisoning statistics in one place: deaths, fire and rescue service incidents, hospital cases, alarm ownership and the legal rules on CO alarms. The figures come from official sources — the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), the English Housing Survey and the Gas Safe Register — and every number is linked to its source at the end of the page.
Key facts and figures
- 60 deaths from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning were registered in England and Wales in 2024.
- 77 accidental CO poisoning deaths were registered in 2023 — with deaths peaking in December.
- 3,177 carbon monoxide incidents were attended by fire and rescue services in England in 2024 — roughly four times the 786 recorded in 2012.
- ~4,000 people attend A&E in England each year with carbon monoxide poisoning, and around 440 are admitted to hospital.
- 60% of homes in England had a carbon monoxide alarm in 2023, up from 44% in 2019 — leaving roughly 4 in 10 homes unprotected.
- 1 in 6 of around 120,000 homes inspected by Gas Safe registered engineers had at least one unsafe gas appliance.
- £5,000 is the maximum fine for landlords in England who fail to fit required CO alarms under the October 2022 regulations.
- 116 deaths involving carbon monoxide from all causes were recorded in 2020, down from 177 in 2010.
These figures are the latest available as of July 2026, and this page is updated as new data is released — the ONS publishes its annual carbon monoxide deaths analysis each winter, and MHCLG refreshes its CO incidents tables every January.
How many people die from carbon monoxide poisoning in the UK?
60 deaths from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning were registered in England and Wales in 2024, according to the ONS release published in December 2025. That is a fall from the 77 accidental CO poisoning deaths registered in 2023, of which 35 had accidental poisoning by gases or vapours recorded as the underlying cause of death.
The ONS produces these figures as an annual analysis of death registrations, with editions covering 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2024 — so the year-to-year picture is well documented. The deaths cluster in the colder months, and December is the peak month in the ONS series: the season when boilers, fires and heaters work hardest, windows stay shut and ventilation is at its lowest.
A wider measure tells the longer story. When deaths involving carbon monoxide from all causes are counted — not just accidents — ONS mortality data records 116 deaths in 2020, down from 177 in 2010. The long-term trend is downward, and the decline has coincided with safer modern appliances, the spread of CO alarms and decades of gas-safety campaigning.
The official series count deaths where carbon monoxide poisoning is recorded on the death certificate. The charity CO-Gas Safety has also compiled its own record of deaths and injuries from unintentional CO poisoning every year since 1995, and is a useful companion to the official figures.
How many carbon monoxide incidents do fire services attend?
3,177 carbon monoxide related incidents were attended by fire and rescue services in England in 2024 — roughly four times the 786 recorded in 2012, when the series began. Across the whole series, fire and rescue services attended 23,142 CO incidents between 2012 and 2024, according to MHCLG’s carbon monoxide incidents statistics, most recently updated on 29 January 2026.
The four-fold rise needs careful reading. It does not mean English homes have become four times more dangerous — over the same period, CO alarm ownership has risen sharply, and a sounding alarm generates a callout that would once have gone undetected. More detection means more recorded incidents, and more early warnings before anyone is seriously harmed. What the series does show unambiguously is that carbon monoxide callouts are now a routine part of fire and rescue work in England, averaging nearly nine incidents every day in 2024.
How many people go to hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning?
Around 4,000 people attend A&E in England each year with carbon monoxide poisoning, and around 440 are admitted to hospital. The figures come from an analysis for the Chief Medical Officer published on GOV.UK in 2011, and they remain the canonical estimates — the UK Health Security Agency continues to cite them in its current guidance.
The true toll may well be higher. The early symptoms of CO poisoning — headache, nausea, dizziness and tiredness — are easy to mistake for flu or food poisoning, so lower-level cases can go unrecognised entirely, never reaching an A&E record. That diagnostic difficulty is one of the main reasons public-health bodies push alarm ownership so hard: an alarm detects what a GP appointment can miss.
The burden also falls unevenly. Nearly 50% of all mortality from unintentional non-fire-related CO poisoning in England and Wales between 1998 and 2019 occurred in the two most socioeconomically deprived quintiles, according to peer-reviewed analysis cited by UKHSA — a pattern consistent with older appliances, poorer housing and lower alarm ownership in lower-income homes.
The table below puts the main UK measures side by side.
| Measure | Latest figure | Period & trend |
|---|---|---|
| Accidental CO poisoning deaths (England & Wales) | 60 | Registered in 2024; 77 in 2023 |
| Deaths involving CO, all causes (England & Wales) | 116 | 2020; down from 177 in 2010 |
| CO incidents attended by fire and rescue services (England) | 3,177 | 2024; ~4x the 786 in 2012 |
| A&E attendances for CO poisoning (England) | ~4,000 a year | Chief Medical Officer estimate, still cited by UKHSA |
| Hospital admissions for CO poisoning (England) | ~440 a year | Chief Medical Officer estimate, still cited by UKHSA |
| Homes with a CO alarm (England) | 60% | 2023; up from 44% in 2019 |
| Inspected homes with an unsafe gas appliance | 1 in 6 | ~120,000 Gas Safe engineer inspections, 2023/24 report |
| Maximum landlord fine for missing CO alarms (England) | £5,000 | In force since 1 October 2022 |
How many UK homes have a carbon monoxide alarm?
60% of dwellings in England had a carbon monoxide alarm in 2023, up from 44% in 2019, according to the English Housing Survey 2023-24 housing quality findings. That is a 16-percentage-point jump in four years — and it still leaves roughly four in ten homes with no CO protection at all.
The gap with smoke alarms is striking. In the year ending March 2024, 92% of households in England reported a working smoke alarm — a figure covered in detail on our smoke alarm statistics page. Smoke detection is near-universal; carbon monoxide detection is still catching up, despite CO being undetectable by human senses in a way smoke is not.
The recent rise coincides with two forces: the October 2022 alarm requirements for rented homes in England (covered below), and sustained awareness campaigning, including Gas Safety Week each September. The direction of travel is right, but on the 2023 figure four in every ten English dwellings still lack an alarm for a gas that gives no other warning.
What causes carbon monoxide poisoning in UK homes?
1 in 6 of around 120,000 homes inspected by Gas Safe registered engineers had at least one unsafe gas appliance, according to the Gas Safe Register’s 2023/24 At a Glance report. That single inspection statistic explains most of the CO story: the danger sits quietly inside ordinary household equipment.
Carbon monoxide is produced whenever a carbon-based fuel — gas, oil, coal, wood, petrol, charcoal — burns without enough oxygen. In UK homes, the recurring culprits are:
- Faulty or poorly maintained gas boilers, fires, water heaters and cookers
- Blocked, leaking or unswept flues and chimneys
- Solid-fuel stoves and open fires without adequate ventilation
- Portable generators, engines or fuel-burning tools run in garages or enclosed spaces
- Barbecues brought inside tents, awnings, caravans or homes to cook or for warmth
The prevention playbook follows directly: have gas appliances serviced annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer, sweep chimneys and flues regularly, never use outdoor combustion equipment indoors, and fit an audible CO alarm in every room with a fuel-burning appliance. Against a gas the body cannot sense, the alarm is the only reliable early warning.
What are the rules on carbon monoxide alarms for landlords?
Since 1 October 2022, landlords in England — private and social — must fit a carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation that contains a fixed combustion appliance, excluding gas cookers. The requirement was introduced by the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022, which also require landlords to repair or replace any alarm reported as faulty as soon as reasonably practicable.
Enforcement sits with local authorities, which can issue remedial notices and fines of up to £5,000 for non-compliance. The Government’s Q&A booklet for landlords and tenants sets out the detail, including the parallel requirement for a smoke alarm on every storey of a rented home.
The same combustion risks exist beyond housing. Workplaces with gas boilers, LPG heaters, commercial kitchens or fuel-burning plant carry CO risk too, and staff who understand alarms, fire classes and evacuation respond faster when one sounds — exactly the ground covered by our online fire safety awareness training course for every UK employee.
Frequently asked questions
How many people die from carbon monoxide poisoning in the UK each year?
The two most recent ONS releases recorded 60 deaths from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning registered in England and Wales in 2024, and 77 in 2023. Counting deaths involving CO from all causes, ONS data shows 116 deaths in 2020, down from 177 in 2010.
How many carbon monoxide poisoning cases are there per year in the UK?
Around 4,000 people attend A&E in England each year with CO poisoning and around 440 are admitted to hospital, on the Chief Medical Officer’s canonical estimates. Fire and rescue services separately attended 3,177 CO incidents in England in 2024. Because mild poisoning is easily mistaken for flu, recorded cases are likely to understate the true number.
How many UK homes have a carbon monoxide alarm?
60% of dwellings in England had a carbon monoxide alarm in 2023, up from 44% in 2019, according to the English Housing Survey. That still leaves roughly four in ten homes without one — compared with 92% of households reporting a working smoke alarm.
Do landlords have to provide carbon monoxide alarms?
Yes. Since 1 October 2022, landlords in England must fit a CO alarm in any room used as living accommodation with a fixed combustion appliance (excluding gas cookers), and must repair or replace faulty alarms promptly. Local authorities can fine non-compliant landlords up to £5,000.
When are carbon monoxide deaths most common?
Winter. Accidental CO poisoning deaths peak in December in the ONS series — the months when boilers, fires and heaters are working hardest and homes are least ventilated.
Are carbon monoxide incidents rising or falling?
Deaths are trending down over the long term — 177 deaths involving CO in 2010 against 116 in 2020 — while recorded fire service CO incidents in England roughly quadrupled between 2012 (786) and 2024 (3,177). The two trends are consistent: more alarms detect more leaks earlier, generating more callouts and fewer tragedies.
Related guides
- Smoke Alarm Statistics UK: Ownership, Failures & Lives Saved
- Candle Fire Statistics UK: Fires, Deaths & Seasonal Trends
- UK Fire Classes Explained: A, B, C, D, F (and L)
- Who Is Responsible for Fire Extinguishers in the UK?
- Types of Fire Extinguisher: The Complete UK Guide
Sources & references
- Office for National Statistics — Accidental poisoning by carbon monoxide, deaths registered in England and Wales, 2024
- Office for National Statistics — FOI: Carbon monoxide deaths and poisonings, 2010 to 2020
- Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government — Carbon monoxide incidents attended by fire and rescue services, 2012 to 2024
- Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government — English Housing Survey 2023 to 2024: headline findings on housing quality, Chapter 1
- Department of Health & Social Care — Carbon monoxide poisoning sends 4,000 people to A&E each year (Chief Medical Officer analysis)
- Gas Safe Register — At a Glance report 2023/24
- legislation.gov.uk — The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022
- GOV.UK — The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations: Q&A booklet for landlords and tenants
- CO-Gas Safety — Statistics of deaths and injuries from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning
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Mark writes about workplace health & safety, fire safety awareness and accredited online training for Fire Safety Awareness Training, part of Online CPD Academy.