Background Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is a common medical emergency with significant mortality. Despite developments in endoscopic and clinical management, only minor improvements in outcomes have been reported. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of patients with non-malignant UGIB emergency admissions in England between 2003 and 2015, using Hospital Episode Statistics. Multilevel logistic regression analysis examined the associations with mortality. Results 242 796 patients with an UGIB admission were identified (58.8 % men; median age 70 [interquartile range (IQR) 53 – 81]). Between 2003 and 2015, falls occurred in both 30-day mortality (7.5 % to 7.0 %; P 5, OR 2.94, 95 %CI 2.85 – 3.04; P 83 years, OR 6.50, 95 %CI 6.09 – 6.94; P Conclusions Between 2003 and 2015, 30-day mortality among emergency admissions with non-malignant UGIB fell by 0.5 % to 7.0 %. Mortality was higher among UGIB admissions at the weekend, with important implications for service provision. Patients with UGIB had a much greater risk of subsequently dying from cardiovascular disease and addressing this risk is a key management step in UGIB.