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A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals the substantial impact of alcohol and drug use on global mortality rates.
The report indicates that alcohol consumption is responsible for approximately 2.6 million deaths each year, accounting for 4.7% of global deaths. Additionally, psychoactive drug use results in 0.6 million deaths annually.
The data shows that men are disproportionately affected, with 2 million deaths linked to alcohol and 0.4 million to psychoactive drugs.
The WHO’s Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health and the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders provides a comprehensive update using data from 2019, highlighting the significant public health consequences of alcohol and drug use worldwide.
According to the report, around 400 million people globally are affected by alcohol and drug use disorders. Specifically, 209 million people suffer from alcohol dependence, demonstrating the widespread prevalence and impact of these conditions.
Addressing the issue, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated, “Substance use severely harms individual health, increasing the risk of chronic diseases, mental health conditions, and tragically resulting in millions of preventable deaths every year. It places a heavy burden on families and communities, increasing exposure to accidents, injuries, and violence.”
“To build a healthier, more equitable society, we must urgently commit to bold actions that reduce the negative health and social consequences of alcohol consumption and make treatment for substance use disorders accessible and affordable,” Dr. Tedros added.
The report emphasizes the urgent need to accelerate global efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 3.5 by 2030, which involves reducing alcohol and drug consumption and improving access to quality treatment for substance use disorders.
Despite a decrease in alcohol-related death rates since 2010, the total number of deaths due to alcohol consumption remains alarmingly high, reaching 2.6 million in 2019. The European and African regions reported the highest numbers of fatalities, and death rates per litre of alcohol consumed are significantly higher in low-income countries compared to high-income countries.
In 2019, alcohol accounted for an estimated 1.6 million deaths from noncommunicable diseases, including 474,000 from cardiovascular diseases and 401,000 from cancer. Additionally, alcohol contributed to 724,000 deaths from injuries, such as traffic accidents, self-harm, and interpersonal violence, and 284,000 deaths from communicable diseases due to increased risks of HIV transmission and tuberculosis infections.
Young adults aged 20–39 years represented the highest proportion (13%) of alcohol-related deaths in 2019.
Alcohol Consumption Trends
Total Alcohol Consumption
Global per capita alcohol consumption decreased from 5.7 litres in 2010 to 5.5 litres in 2019.
Regional Patterns
In 2019, the highest per capita alcohol consumption levels were in the WHO European Region (9.2 litres) and the Region of the Americas (7.5 litres), both exceeding the global average of 5.5 litres.
Average Consumption Among Drinkers
The average daily consumption among drinkers is about 27 grams of pure alcohol, roughly equivalent to two glasses of wine, two bottles of beer, or two servings of spirits.
Heavy Episodic Drinking
In 2019, 38% of current drinkers engaged in heavy episodic drinking, defined as consuming at least 60 grams of pure alcohol on one or more occasions in the past month, with men showing higher prevalence.
Alcohol Consumption Among Adolescents
In 2019, 23.5% of 15–19-year-olds globally were current drinkers, with the highest rates in the European region (45.9%) and the Americas (43.9%).
Although effective treatment options for substance use disorders exist, coverage remains limited. In 2019, treatment service access ranged from less than 1% to a maximum of 35% across reporting countries. Many countries lacked specific budget allocations or documented governmental expenditures for treating substance use disorders. Additionally, nearly half of the surveyed countries indicated the absence of mutual help and peer support groups for individuals with substance use disorders.
Challenges such as stigma, discrimination, and misconceptions about treatment effectiveness, coupled with low prioritization by health and development agencies, contribute to these gaps.
To expedite progress towards SDG target 3.5, governments and partners are urged to intensify efforts in strategic areas:
– Enhance awareness through coordinated global advocacy campaigns.
– Strengthen prevention and treatment capacities of health and social care systems.
– Scale up health professional training.
– Recommit to implementing the Global Alcohol Action Plan 2022-2030, focusing on the SAFER package.
– Accelerate international efforts on capacity-building and knowledge transfer.
– Engage civil society organizations, professional associations, and individuals with lived experience.
– Improve multi-level monitoring systems and corresponding research capacity.
– Increase resource mobilization, allocation, and innovative funding mechanisms to bolster health and social system capacities.
By focusing on these areas, governments and partners can work towards reducing the health and social burdens associated with substance use and contribute to achieving SDG target 3.5 effectively.
