Insider Monkey

20 Countries with Highest Rates of Alcoholism

Sultan Khalid
9 min read

In This Article:

In this article, we are going to discuss the 20 countries with the highest rates of alcoholism. You can skip our detailed analysis of the economic cost of alcohol consumption, the effect of taxes on alcohol abuse, various CSR initiatives to promote responsible drinking, and the use of ketamine to treat alcohol use disorder, and go directly to 5 Countries with Highest Rates of Alcoholism. 

Alcoholism is the most severe form of alcohol abuse and involves the inability to manage drinking habits. The term ‘alcoholism’ is actually a mainstream expression used to describe a disease known medically as ‘alcohol use disorder’ – characterized by the abuse of and dependency on alcohol. 

Alcohol use disorder is organized into three categories: mild, moderate, and severe, depending on the number of symptoms expressed by the patient. There are several treatments available for alcoholism, including counseling, medications, and possibly medically assisted detoxification to help the individual safely stop drinking. 

Economic Cost of Alcohol Consumption: 

A recent worldwide overview showed that the economic costs of harm due to alcohol amounted to $1306 per adult, or 2.6% of the global GDP. About 38.8% of these are incurred as direct costs, while an approximate 61.2% were due to the losses in productivity. 

As we stated in our article – 30 Drunkest Cities in America in 2023 – excessive use of alcohol costs the U.S. economy almost $250 billion per year. The federal government picks up roughly $100 billion of the tab, largely through Medicare and Medicaid payments. 

The Effect of Taxes on Alcohol Abuse: 

Over the last two decades, a growing number of economists have examined the impact of alcohol beverage taxes and prices on alcohol consumption and heavy drinking. Several of these studies have focused on high-risk populations, such as youth and young adults, including college students. 

This research, using a variety of different data and empirical approaches, has generally found that an increase in the prices of alcoholic beverages led to reductions in drinking, heavy drinking, and the consequences of alcohol use and abuse. These findings indicate that a rise in alcoholic-beverage taxes could be a highly effective option for reducing alcohol abuse and its consequences. 

According to a study conducted by the NCD Advisory Council’s signature initiative working group, if countries of the WHO European Region were to introduce a minimum level of 15% tax on the retail price per unit of alcohol, regardless of the type of alcoholic beverage, it would save 133,000 lives each year. 

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