Europeans remain world’s biggest alcohol consumers, WHO says

An unenviable record. With an average annual consumption of 9.2 litres of pure alcohol per capita, Europeans remain the biggest drinkers in the world, according to a press release issued on Thursday 25 July by the European division of the World Health Organisation (WHO). In the countries of the European Union, “There have been no significant changes in alcohol consumption levels for more than ten years”deplores the WHO.

In detail, men have the highest alcohol consumption in Europe: 14.9 litres per year on average, four times more than women (four litres per year). One in ten adults (11%) in Europe suffers from an alcohol consumption disorder and nearly one in twenty lives with alcohol dependence (5.9%), underlines WHO Europe, which brings together 53 countries in Europe and Central Asia.

In Europe, alcohol is a major cause of death with around 800,000 deaths each year.

The World Health Organization

In a press release

Alcohol is responsible for many non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases. These diseases “are responsible for 90% of all deaths in the region (defined by the WHO) and 85% of years lived with a disability”according to the WHO. The organization urges European countries “to increase taxes on alcoholic beverages, implement comprehensive restrictions on the marketing of alcohol and reduce the availability of alcohol”.