Nowhere in the world is as much alcohol consumed as in Europe. According to the WHO, Germany is one of the ten countries with the highest consumption in the world. There are clear differences between men and women.
In most European countries, people drink far too much alcohol. In many EU countries in particular, alcohol consumption among citizens over the age of 15 is far above the global average. This is the conclusion reached by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its global status report on alcohol.
According to the report, in 2019, every woman and man over the age of 15 consumed an average of 9.2 litres of pure alcohol. The global average is 5.5 litres. “The European Region continues to hold the unenviable record for the highest alcohol consumption and related harm worldwide, as well as for the lowest number of abstainers,” said WHO Special Advisor Gauden Galea.
The WHO counts 53 countries in the European region. In addition to the 27 EU countries, this also includes numerous countries further east, as far as Central Asia.
Men drink significantly more than women
According to the WHO, alcohol consumption is decreasing on average in only a few European countries – for example in Turkey, Ukraine and Russia. However, seven of the ten countries in which the most alcohol is consumed in the world are in the EU, including Germany.
In Germany, in the age group over 15, each resident consumed an average of 12.2 liters of pure alcohol in 2019. Men drink significantly more than women. The average for men is 19.2 liters, while for women it is 5.5 liters.
This distribution is also reflected in other European countries: According to WHO Europe, men in the countries concerned drank an average of 14.9 liters, almost four times as much as women at 4.0 liters.
Risk to health and social life
For 2019, the WHO estimates that there were more than 470 million current drinkers in the European Region. These are people who have consumed alcohol in the past 12 months. According to estimates, 11 percent of adults in Europe suffered from an alcohol use disorder and 5.9 percent of adults were alcohol dependent.
In light of its findings, the WHO warns of the high risks associated with regular and excessive drinking. Alcohol can lead to cardiovascular disease, cancer and liver cirrhosis. The WHO estimates that around 2,200 people die every day in Europe from alcohol-related causes – more than anywhere else in the world.
But according to the WHO, drinking can also have social consequences. Excessive drinking is also often the cause of domestic violence, injuries, accidents and the breakup of families.
