The World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted that alcohol consumption remains a significant global health challenge, claiming the lives of nearly three million people each year. While there has been a slight decline in the death rate attributed to alcohol in recent years, the WHO emphasized that the figures remain alarmingly high.
According to the WHO’s latest report on alcohol and health, alcohol is implicated in approximately one in 20 deaths worldwide annually. The causes range from alcohol-related accidents such as drunk driving, and violence fueled by alcohol abuse, to a spectrum of diseases and disorders exacerbated by alcohol consumption.
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In 2019, the most recent year for which comprehensive data is available, alcohol was responsible for 2.6 million deaths globally, accounting for 4.7 per cent of all deaths worldwide that year. The report underscored that nearly three-quarters of these fatalities were among men.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed concern over the persistent high toll of alcohol on global health, despite some reduction in consumption and related harm observed since 2010. He pointed out that younger populations are disproportionately affected, with the highest proportion of alcohol-related deaths occurring among individuals aged 20 to 39.
The health consequences linked to alcohol use are extensive, including liver cirrhosis, various cancers, and a range of cardiovascular diseases. The report highlighted that alcohol abuse also increases susceptibility to infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV, and pneumonia.
While global per capita alcohol consumption slightly decreased from 5.7 litres in 2010 to 5.5 liters in 2019, significant regional disparities persist. Europe recorded the highest levels of per capita alcohol consumption at 9.2 litres, followed by the Americas at 7.5 litres, while predominantly Muslim countries in Northern Africa, the Middle East, and Asia reported the lowest levels.
The report also identified concerning patterns of heavy episodic drinking, with 38 per cent of current drinkers admitting to consuming at least 60 grams of pure alcohol on one or more occasions in the preceding month. Among young adults aged 15 to 19, over 23.5 per cent were classified as current drinkers globally, with markedly higher rates observed in Europe and the Americas.
Dr Vladimir Poznyak, head of WHO’s unit for alcohol, drugs, and addictive behaviours, stressed the critical need for improving access to quality treatment for substance use disorders, citing significant gaps in treatment provision globally due to stigma, discrimination, and misconceptions about treatment efficacy.
The WHO report calls for enhanced global efforts to address alcohol-related harms effectively, urging comprehensive strategies to reduce alcohol consumption and mitigate its health and social impacts worldwide.
