WHO Reports Slow Decline in Worldwide Alcohol Consumption

Global alcohol consumption is decreasing, but the World Health Organization (WHO) cautions that the reduction is occurring too slowly.

The WHO reported from Geneva on Tuesday that its goal of reducing alcohol consumption by 20% by 2030, compared to 2010 levels, is now unattainable.

According to the WHO, global per capita alcohol consumption fell from 5.7 liters of pure alcohol in 2010 to 5.5 liters in 2019.

The WHO urges countries to implement stronger measures to reduce alcohol consumption, such as advertising bans, sales restrictions, and higher taxes.

Germany remains one of the top consumers of alcohol globally. In 2019, the average alcohol consumption for individuals over 15 years old in Germany was 12.2 liters of pure alcohol.

The WHO does not provide exact country rankings due to margins of error in the data. The organization also refrains from defining a safe level of alcohol consumption.

“There is no such thing as risk-free alcohol consumption,” said Vladimir Poznyak, head of the relevant WHO department. The WHO notes that consuming two glasses of wine or two bottles of beer daily is excessive.

The data shows that 22% of 15 to 19-year-olds worldwide consume alcohol. In 2019, alcohol consumption was responsible for 2.6 million deaths, with 209 million people addicted to alcohol and another 200 million experiencing problematic drinking.

Poznyak mentioned that data more recent than 2019 cannot be reliably analyzed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.