Alcohol use: global target to reduce harm is likely to be missed as intake rises

The World Health Organization’s target to cut the harmful use of alcohol by 10% by 2025 is unlikely to be met, researchers have warned, after finding that the total volume consumed worldwide each year increased by 70% from 1990 to 2017.1

Alcohol intake rose by 0.6 L of pure alcohol per adult per year over that period (up from 5.9 L to 6.5 L), and this is predicted to rise by a further 1.1 L to reach 7.6 L by 2030, in a study reported in the Lancet. Although alcohol consumption in the UK dropped from 12.3 L in 2010 to 11.4 L in 2017, other countries saw increases.

Consumption rose by 34% …