The World Health Organization (WHO) Tuesday reported that alcohol kills nearly three million people each year, a figure it deems “unacceptably high” despite a slight decline in recent years.
According to the latest WHO report, alcohol causes nearly one in 20 deaths globally each year through drunk driving, alcohol-induced violence, and various diseases.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the severe health risks posed by alcohol, noting some global reductions in consumption since 2010 but stressing that the overall health and social burden remains high.
The report highlighted that the highest proportion of alcohol-attributable deaths in 2019 was among individuals aged 20 to 39.