The abuse of alcohol kills 3 million a year, most of them men – WHO

More than three million people died in 2016 due to excessive alcohol consumption, which means that one in 20 deaths worldwide was related to harmful alcohol consumption, said Friday the World Health Organization (WHO).

More than three-quarters of these deaths involved men, the UN health agency said. And despite evidence of the health risks involved, global alcohol consumption is expected to increase over the next decade.

"It is time to intensify actions to prevent this serious threat to the development of healthy societies," said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a report. "Too many people, their families and their communities are suffering the consequences of the harmful use of alcohol."

In its "Report on the World Status of Alcohol and Health 2018," the WHO said that 237 million men and 46 million women were problem drinkers or alcoholics. The highest prevalence is in Europe and the Americas, and alcohol-related disorders are more prevalent in the richest countries.

Of all alcohol-related deaths, 28% were due to injuries, such as road accidents, self-harm and interpersonal violence. 21% were due to digestive disorders and 19% to cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes.

An estimated 2.3 billion people worldwide consume alcohol, with an average daily intake of 33 grams of pure alcohol per day. This is roughly equivalent to two glasses of 150ml wine, one large bottle of beer (750ml) or two cups of 40ml spirits.

Europe has the highest per capita alcohol consumption in the world, although it has dropped by about 10% since 2010. Current trends point to a global increase in per capita consumption in the world. Next 10 years, especially in Southeast Asia. the Western Pacific and the Americas.

"All countries can do much more to reduce the health and social costs of harmful use of alcohol," said Vladimir Poznyak of the WHO Drug Enforcement Unit. He said proven and cost-effective measures included increasing taxes on alcohol, restricting advertising and restricting access to alcohol.

Worldwide, 45% of the total alcohol consumed is in the form of spirits. Beer is the second most popular product, accounting for 34% of consumption, followed by wine at 12%.

According to the report, almost all countries apply excise duties on alcohol, but less than half of them use other pricing strategies, such as prohibiting below-cost discounts on bulk purchases.