There has been little or no progress in reducing alcohol consumption and harms in Europe, according to WHO. Based on the latest available data from 2019 in the recently published “Global status report on alcohol and health and treatment of substance use disorders”, the WHO European Region, covering 53 Member States across Europe and Central Asia, has the unfortunate distinction of consuming the highest amount of alcohol per capita in the world.
“When we look at the latest data on alcohol consumption and harms, one of the WHO regions stands out,” said Dr Gauden Galea, Special Adviser to the WHO Regional Director for Europe on NCDs (noncommunicable diseases) and Innovation. “The WHO European Region continues to hold the unenviable record of having the highest levels of alcohol consumption and related harms worldwide, as well as the lowest number of abstainers. The harms from alcohol can be devastating to health and well-being and reach far beyond the person drinking to include domestic violence, injuries, accidents, family break-ups, and mental health. Countries need to make a strong push towards implementing the policies we know are effective in reducing alcohol consumption.”
How much alcohol are people in the WHO European Region drinking?
According to the latest globally comparable data, men in the Region consumed almost 4 times more alcohol (14.9 litres) than women (4.0 litres) per year. There were over 470 million current drinkers (people who consumed alcohol in the past 12 months) in the Region in 2019, with an average of 2 out of every 3 adults consuming alcohol. One in every 10 adults (11%) in the Region are estimated to have an alcohol use disorder, and almost one in every 20 live with alcohol dependence (5.9%).
Despite these alarming statistics, only 12 out of 53 countries in the Region have made significant progress towards a 10% reduction in alcohol consumption since 2010 in line with the agreed targets of the NCD global monitoring framework and the European framework for action on alcohol 2022–2025.
Although the Region as a whole appears to be on track towards achieving the target, this is primarily due to substantial reductions in alcohol consumption in a few of the most populous countries, such as the Russian Federation, Türkiye and Ukraine, where decisive action was taken to increase alcohol excise taxes and limit the availability of alcohol. In EU countries, however, there have been no significant changes in alcohol consumption levels for over a decade. This lack of progress indicates that European countries need to accelerate action looking ahead to the Fourth High-level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in 2025 when countries will come together to track progress and set a vision to prevent and control NCDs.
Dr Carina Ferreira-Borges, Regional Adviser on Alcohol, Illicit Drugs and Prison Health, emphasized, "The high levels of alcohol consumption and the associated harms in Europe are a clear indication that we are not doing enough. We are paying a heavy price for our inaction, with alcohol causing hundreds of thousands of cardiovascular diseases and injuries, cancers and liver cirrhosis in our Region."
How serious are the harms from alcohol in the Region?
Alcohol harms individuals, families, and communities, affecting not only those who drink, but also those around them. In Europe, alcohol is a leading cause of death with almost 800000 deaths every year. Every day, around 2200 people die from alcohol-related causes in the Region. Deaths due to alcohol represent almost 9% of all deaths occurring in the Region, the highest contribution of alcohol to all-cause mortality globally.
NCDs, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases, account for 90% of all deaths in the Region and 85% of years lived with disability. The majority of deaths due to alcohol in the Region were from NCDs (over 600 000 deaths per year) and approximately half of these were from cardiovascular diseases (i.e. heart diseases), the leading cause of death due to alcohol. The report also notes a particularly high incidence of alcohol-related cancers. European countries have some of the highest incidences of alcohol-related cancers globally due to high alcohol consumption and an ageing population.
This is only exacerbated by very low awareness of the fact that alcohol is one of the most important risk factors for cancer. Although alcohol has been classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), meaning that there is undeniable evidence that alcohol can cause cancer in humans, this fact is not widely known.
Are countries doing enough to reduce alcohol consumption and harms?
Despite the clear evidence of the harms caused by alcohol, many European countries have yet to make significant progress in implementing the WHO-recommended policies, including the most cost-effective interventions that are known as the WHO "Best Buys." These are: 1) increasing excise taxes on alcoholic beverages; 2) implementing comprehensive restrictions on alcohol marketing; and 3) reducing the availability of alcohol.
While raising awareness of the risks associated with alcohol consumption and providing support services and other individual level interventions make a difference, to make significant reductions in consumption and harm at a population level, these “Best Buys” are the interventions that have been proven to work. An ongoing project in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, for instance, showed that, as soon as population-level alcohol control policies are implemented, people consume less alcohol, the harms from alcohol go down, and overall life expectancy increases, so even the most vulnerable groups live longer.
Dr Gauden Galea highlights the need for immediate action. "We have the tools and the knowledge to reduce alcohol consumption and related harms. What we need now is the political will to implement these evidence-based policies. As the 2025 deadline for the UN High-Level Meeting approaches, we must accelerate our efforts and commit to the necessary changes to protect the health and well-being of our populations."
WHO urges all countries to intensify their efforts to meet the targets of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By implementing the "Best Buys" and other effective population-level strategies, countries can significantly reduce the burden of alcohol-related diseases, deaths, disabilities, and injuries.
