Alcohol Use and Attributable Burden of Disease in the World Health Organization Western Pacific Region

AI Summary

2019: ~500,000 deaths and >22 million DALYs in the Western Pacific attributable to alcohol, 3.5% of deaths, 4.4% of DALYs.
Average per-capita consumption 6.06 litres, above global 5.45; China rose until 2016 then declined after anti-corruption measures; other Asian countries rose pre-COVID.
Alcohol use remains high and normalised; strengthen robust alcohol control policies, particularly in Asian countries with largest consumption increases between 2000 and 2024.

AI Summary

INTRODUCTION: This article provides an overview of alcohol exposure and attributable mortality and burden of disease in the World Health Organization Western Pacific Region, and trends in alcohol exposure over the past two decades.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Overall, alcohol use remains high and normalised in the region, necessitating robust alcohol control policies.

Basic summary

Drug Alcohol Rev. 2026 Jul;45(5):e70215. doi: 10.1111/dar.70215.

ABSTRACT

METHODS: We employed a comparative risk assessment and trend analyses to evaluate alcohol exposure patterns and attributable burden.

RESULTS: In 2019, almost half a million deaths and more than 22 million disability-adjusted life years lost were attributable to the consumption of alcohol in the Western Pacific Region, representing 3.5% (95% uncertainty interval 2.5, 4.8) of all deaths and 4.4% (95% uncertainty interval 3.6, 5.4) of all disability-adjusted life years lost. This was caused by an average consumption of 6.06 litres of pure alcohol per year (APC; 95% confidence interval 4.46-7.84), higher than the global average of 5.45 litres. Trends in APC have varied across subregions: China saw increasing consumption up to 2016, with a marked decrease since then, likely due to an anti-corruption campaign prohibiting consumption in public spaces and during official functions. In other Asian countries, consumption steadily increased until the COVID-19 pandemic, then decreased during it, and has now partially returned to pre-pandemic levels. APC in Oceania including Australasia was relatively stable between 2000 and 2020 and has decreased since.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Overall, alcohol use remains high and normalised in the region, necessitating robust alcohol control policies. Strengthening these efforts is particularly critical in some Asian countries that experienced the largest increases in levels of alcohol consumption between 2000 and 2024.

PMID:42503018 | DOI:10.1111/dar.70215

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