Europe now leads the world in alcohol consumption
The figures revealed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its recent European Health Report , updated every three years, identify alcohol consumption as one of the major public health problems in the WHO European Region. In fact, Europe already leads the world in alcohol consumption , with an average of 8.8 liters of pure alcohol per person per year in 2020 (men drank on average four times more than women). It is, therefore, the WHO region where alcohol makes the greatest contribution to morbidity and mortality .
The report indicates that "we are on track to achieve the WHO European Framework for Action on Alcohol 2022-2025 target," since, in general, alcohol consumption has been decreasing, from 10.2 liters in 2010 to 8.8 liters in 2020. However, seven of the ten countries with the highest alcohol consumption are European Union member states. Although Spain is not among these countries, it is one of the states where consumption has increased the most in the last decade (2010-2019), along with Malta, Latvia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Directly and indirectly responsible for more than 800,000 deaths annually in Europe
The WHO estimates that alcohol consumption is responsible for 1 in 11 deaths per year in the European Region, representing 800,000 annual deaths , and is linked to more than 200 diseases and health problems.
More specifically, in 2019, alcohol was responsible for:
- 42% of all homicides.
- 37% of suicides
- 35% of road deaths
- 28.3% of all digestive diseases (mainly liver cirrhosis)
- 8.5% of all deaths from cardiovascular disease
- 5.7% of all cancer deaths.
Substance use, a risk factor for suicidal behavior
Regarding the link between alcohol and cancer, the WHO estimates that half of Europeans cannot correctly identify alcohol as a risk factor or cause of cancer , although few studies are available on this issue. The international organization itself has endorsed changes to alcohol labeling by 2025 through its report , "Alcohol Warning Labels: A Public Health Perspective for Europe . " This report lays the groundwork for implementing policy initiatives related to health advertising and alcohol labeling. This would involve providing information on packaging about alcohol content, ingredients, nutritional information, and health warnings.
Spain is one of the countries where consumption has increased the most in the last decade
Beyond the impact it has on individuals, alcohol consumption places a significant burden on the health system and causes major losses in the workplace due to premature deaths, absenteeism, and costs to legal systems and welfare services.
The most consumed psychoactive substance in Spain
Alcohol remains the most widely consumed psychoactive substance in Spain. According to the 2024 Key Indicators on Drugs and Addictions report from the National Drug Plan , 15.5% of adults (15-64 years old) engaged in binge drinking in the past month. Binge drinking is defined as consuming five or more alcoholic drinks (men) or four or more (women) on the same occasion, that is, consecutively or within a two-hour period.
In the case of adolescents (14-18), the figure jumps to 28.2%, which is especially critical given that this is a vital stage of growth and development. Alcohol interferes with the maturation of the Central Nervous System and significantly influences the development of problematic drinking patterns and addiction. Three out of four adolescents report having consumed alcohol at some point in their lives, with 1.5% consuming it daily (slightly higher than the 1.1% in 2021). Alcohol consumption is higher among girls and increases with age. Binge drinking also increases with age, rising from 19.5% among 14-year-olds to 59.8% at age 18, and is more frequent among girls (45.1% of girls and 39.3% of boys).
The elderly population is also a group at particular risk. According to the 2019/2020 ESDAM survey, alcohol consumption in this group is similar to that of the rest of the population aged 15 to 64. However, when looking at consumption data for the last 30 days, their consumption is lower (46.7% compared to 63% for the rest of the population). Regarding gender, alcohol consumption is more widespread among men than women, and this is observed both in the population aged 65 and over and in the 15-64 age group.
The social nature of alcohol consumption means that risk perception is not present in most of the population. Ethanol is the toxic substance in alcoholic beverages that causes the most harm, regardless of the type of drink consumed (for example, wine, beer, spirits). Alcohol consumption always involves risk, and in this sense, there is no safe level of consumption. In fact, there are life situations and everyday circumstances in which alcohol should not be consumed:
- Pregnant women (and those planning to become pregnant).
- Women who practice breastfeeding.
- Minors.
- Childcare workers.
- People who take medications or have illnesses for which zero consumption is recommended.
- Situations involving driving transport vehicles, precision work, and risky activities.
According to the Ministry of Health, the following is considered risky consumption:
- Starting at more than 40 grams/day (4 standard drinks/day) for men and more than 20-25 grams/day (2-2.5 standard drinks/day) for women. What is 1 standard drink? It corresponds to 10 g of pure alcohol: 1 glass of wine (100 ml), 330 ml of beer, or a 30 ml shot of liquor.
- Also when alcoholic beverages are consumed intensively, that is, when 60 grams (6 UBEs) or more are consumed on one occasion (4-6 hours) in men and 40 grams (4 UBEs) or more in women.
7% of the world's population lives with an alcohol use disorder
Risky drinking can lead to alcohol addiction . According to the WHO, an estimated 400 million people, or 7% of the world's population aged 15 and over, live with alcohol use disorders . Of these, 209 million people (3.7% of the world's adult population) live with alcohol dependence.
Enric Garrigues Talavera
To address alcohol-related harm , nearly 70% of WHO European Region Member States have developed national alcohol policies. The European report notes that some of these alcohol control policies were relaxed during the COVID-19 pandemic to allow for first-time remote alcohol purchases, although it also states that studies suggest consumption initially decreased in the general population during this period, except among the most vulnerable individuals with substance use disorders.
The WHO Global Action Plan on Alcohol 2022-2025 and the European Framework for Action on Alcohol 2022-2025 outline the way forward to reduce alcohol-related harm.
- Establish alcohol tax and pricing policies to reduce accessibility. Although these are the best-researched measures, they are the least implemented.
- Apply specific restrictions to the availability of alcoholic beverages on certain days and/or times of sale. A measure that virtually no state is currently implementing.
- Totally banning or partially restricting advertising of alcoholic beverages is a strategy that is also uncommon in Europe, especially in the case of wine advertisements.
- Promote awareness campaigns.
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