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Alcohol use remains one of the most serious and preventable public health risks in Europe, according to new data released by WHO Europe.
As alcohol consumption tends to rise during the holiday season, health officials warn that the risks of injury, violence, and premature death increase sharply across the region.
A new WHO Europe factsheet shows that alcohol is responsible for one in every three deaths caused by injury and violence in the European Region.
The findings are based on 2019 data, the most recent year with complete regional figures.
In 2019, nearly 145,000 injury-related deaths in the European Region were attributable to alcohol, according to WHO data.
The largest categories linked to alcohol were self-harm, road injuries, and falls. WHO Europe says no other psychoactive substance contributes as heavily to both unintentional and intentional injuries.
“Alcohol is a toxic substance that not only causes seven types of cancer and other noncommunicable diseases, but also impairs judgment and self-control, slows reaction times, reduces coordination and promotes risk-taking behavior,” said Carina Ferreira Borges, regional adviser for Alcohol, Illicit Drugs and Prison Health at WHO Europe.
She said these effects explain why alcohol is involved in so many preventable injuries and deaths.
The European Region continues to record the highest alcohol consumption levels in the world. WHO estimates that alcohol use causes around 800,000 deaths every year across the region, accounting for roughly one in 11 deaths overall.
Alcohol plays a major role in violence across Europe as WHO data show that around 26,500 deaths in the region in 2019 were caused by interpersonal violence, with more than 40% linked to alcohol use.
Alcohol also contributed to over one-third of all self-harm deaths.
Health officials stress that the impact of alcohol extends beyond the person drinking. Alcohol is a major risk factor for intimate partner violence, increasing both its frequency and severity.
WHO Europe notes that women and children are disproportionately affected and that official figures likely understate the true scale of alcohol related violence due to stigma and under-reporting.
“Evidence shows that men’s harmful use of alcohol is a risk factor in the perpetration of intimate partner violence,” said Melanie Hyde, technical officer for gender, equity and human rights at WHO Europe.
She said the risk is preventable and added that women who experience intimate partner violence are twice as likely to develop alcohol use disorders, highlighting the need for survivor-centred and gender responsive health care.
Young people face particularly high risks. Although adolescents and young adults may drink less often than older adults, WHO Europe says they are more vulnerable to heavy episodic drinking, which involves consuming large amounts of alcohol in a short time.
This pattern sharply increases the likelihood of road injuries, drowning, falls, violence, and self-harm. Alcohol can also disrupt brain development in young people, affecting memory, learning, and long-term mental health.
Alcohol related injury deaths vary widely across Europe.
Age-standardized death rates are highest in Eastern European countries. In many of these countries, alcohol is linked to more than half of all injury deaths.
In contrast, alcohol accounts for less than 20% of injury deaths in many western and southern European countries.
WHO Europe says these disparities reflect differences in drinking patterns, levels of heavy episodic drinking, and the strength of alcohol control policies.
To reduce harm, the organization recommends several cost-effective measures with proven results:
WHO Europe says sustained action on these measures could prevent tens of thousands of premature deaths each year, reduce alcohol related injuries, and help close health gaps between countries.
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