New WHO study

Austrians drink a lot of alcohol compared to other EU countries

Compared to the rest of Europe, Austrians drink a lot of alcohol - specifically 12.2 liters of pure alcohol per year (symbolic image).

(Bild: PheelingsMedia - stock.adobe.com)

Austrians drink more alcohol than people in other European countries. This is according to figures from the World Health Organization (WHO). Austria is ahead of Romania, the Czech Republic and Germany.

In 2019, every person aged 15 and over in Austria drank an average of 12.2 liters of pure alcohol. Less was drunk in Italy and Sweden, among others, and more in Romania and the Czech Republic (see chart below). Worldwide, more than one in five people (22%) between the ages of 15 and 19 drank alcohol. According to the WHO, the reason why the data is still from 2019 is that more recent data could not be reliably evaluated due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Here you can see a graphic on alcohol consumption in Europe.

At that time, there were 2.6 million deaths worldwide due to alcohol consumption and 209 million people suffering from alcoholism. Almost as many (200 million) had at least one problematic drinking behavior. At the same time, according to the WHO, per capita consumption has fallen from 5.7 liters of pure alcohol in 2010 to 5.5 liters of alcohol in 2019.

Two bottles of beer a day "too much"
In Austria, people mainly drink beer. Two bottles of beer or two glasses of wine a day are already too much, said Vladimir Poznyak, head of the responsible WHO department. But it also depends on the circumstances. A glass of wine in your free time could mean a low risk, but a high risk for someone who has to operate a complicated machine. In general, there is no such thing as "risk-free alcohol consumption".

In order for people to drink less, governments need to do more. According to the WHO, this could include advertising bans and sales restrictions as well as high prices.