The new OECD Health at a Glance 2025 report shows that alcohol remains a major driver of poor health, early death, and rising healthcare costs across countries. The report documents high and uneven levels of population-level alcohol use, widespread heavy episodic alcohol use patterns, and alarming trends among children and adolescents, alongside a clear link to cancer, mental ill-health, other chronic diseases, and 2.4% of all healthcare spending.
The new report also highlights growing but uneven adoption of evidence-based alcohol policies, underscoring the urgent need for accelerated and evidence-based population-level action to reduce the alcohol burden and advance health equity.

Health at a Glance 2025

A new OECD report, Health at a Glance 2025, provides a comprehensive set of indicators on population health and health system performance across OECD members countries, key OECD partner countries and accession candidate countries. These indicators cover health status, non-medical determinants and health risk factors such as alcohol, access to and quality of healthcare, health spending and health system resources. Analysis draws from the latest comparable official national statistics and other sources.

Alongside indicator-by-indicator analysis, an overview chapter summarises the comparative performance of countries and major trends. This edition also includes a thematic chapter on gender and health.

The new OECD report reveals that alcohol continues to be one of the most significant risk factors for poor health, inequality, and preventable death across OECD countries. The findings highlight high levels of adult heavy episodic alcohol intake, worrying trends of alcohol use among adolescents, and major impacts on cancer, other chronic disease, and health expenditures. The report underlines the urgent need for better, population-level alcohol policy measures.

Fundamental health challenges and historic low in prevention spending

In 2024, OECD countries allocated on average 9.3% of their GDP to health. This is down from the peak reached during the COVID‑19 crisis, but higher than pre‑pandemic levels. 

  • Life expectancy has recovered and is on an upward trajectory. Life expectancy averaged 81.1 years across OECD countries in 2023. However, it remained below pre‑pandemic levels in 13 OECD countries.
  • In total, there were over 3 million premature deaths in 2023 among people aged under 75 that could have been avoided through better prevention and healthcare interventions. Diseases of the circulatory system and cancer are the two leading causes of death, accounting for almost half of all deaths in OECD countries.
  • For men, external causes – including suicide, accidents and violence – is the leading cause of potential years of life lost.
  • For women the leading cause of potential years of life lost is cancer. Women live longer than men, but they also spend more years in poor health (6.3 years after age 60, compared to 5.0 years for men).
  • Amongst primary care users aged 45 and older, 82% reported having at least one chronic condition, and 52% two or more, on average across the OECD countries participating in the Patient-Reported Indicators Surveys (PaRIS).
  • Mental ill-health remains a concern, particularly amongst young people. On average, 52% of 15‑year‑olds reported multiple health complaints including feeling low, having repeated headaches or dizziness in 2022, up from 37% in 2014.

The Health at a Glance 2025 report clearly states that tackling health risk factors throughout life is key to achieving long-term health gains at low cost. Yet obesity rates continue to rise in most countries, and alcohol use and smoking remain major public health concerns, for adults and children alike.

Many preventive healthcare interventions are highly cost-effective, particularly in addressing risk factors to health, such as obesity, smoking and alcohol use, that drive up healthcare costs in the longer term. Yet despite spending on prevention increasing to 6% of total health expenditure during the COVID-19 pandemic, it returned to historical levels of 3% in 2023. 

Key findings on alcohol use

The OECD report provides a detailed and up-to-date picture of how alcohol harms population health across member countries.

Drawing on comparable data from 2023 and 2024, it outlines trends in consumption, heavy episodic use, cancer risks, and alcohol use among children and adolescents.

The findings show that alcohol continues to play a major role in disease, early death, and health system costs – and that many countries still face significant challenges in reducing the alcohol burden.

The OECD’s Health at a Glance 2025 report confirms that alcohol harm remains a major barrier to better health and equity across member countries. Despite declines in some places, population-level alcohol use – particularly heavy episodic alcohol and adolescent alcohol consumption – continues at levels that demand urgent and robust alcohol policy action.

The evidence presented underlines the need for comprehensive measures that lower alcohol affordability, availability, and marketing exposure, while supporting prevention and treatment.

Below are the most relevant insights from the report.

1. Alcohol consumption remains high and uneven across countries

Across the OECD, people consumed 8.5 litres of pure alcohol per capita in 2023 on average. Consumption ranged from below 2 litres in Indonesia and Türkiye to above 11.5 litres in Latvia and Portugal.

Nearly a third of OECD countries recorded per capita consumption of 10 litres or more.

Most countries saw declines in the past decade, but Mexico, Portugal, Spain, and Romania experienced increases of 2 litres or more per capita. 

Lithuania (32%), Belgium (32%), and Finland (23%) achieved the biggest reductions in population-level alcohol use. Partner country China also reported a large decline in alcohol consumption with a reductions of more than 2.5 litres.

Average consumption was lowest in Türkiye, Israel, Costa Rica and Colombia (under 5 litres).

2. Heavy episodic (binge) alcohol use is widespread

Heavy episodic alcohol use constitutes a highly risky way of consuming alcohol which corresponds to consuming large quantities of alcohol in a short period of time.

Hungary, Israel, and Slovenia as well as accession country Croatia reported the lowest rates (below 15%).

On average, 27% of adults reported heavy episodic alcohol use at least monthly. Rates exceed 40% in Greece, Ireland, and Sweden, making high-risk patterns of alcohol use a major public health challenge.  

The report categorizes alcohol use as a leading global cause of death and disability, particularly among working-age adults.  

3. Alcohol contributes substantially to cancer and chronic disease burden

The OECD highlights that alcohol use is linked to multiple cancers – mouth, throat, liver, colorectal, and breast cancer – with people who consume alcohol heavily facing significantly higher risks than people who do not consume alcohol.  

Reducing the cancer burden and premature deaths from cancer among women could benefit from a targeted approach across the life course.

The report identifies alcohol policy as a key priority to reduce the cancer burden: Priorities include cost-effective population-wide interventions to reduce smoking and alcohol consumption in men, and strengthening screening and early detection efforts.

4. Children and adolescents face significant exposure and harm

The findings on underage alcohol use are especially concerning:

  • 38% of 15-year-olds drank alcohol in the last month.
    • Among 15-year-olds Denmark, Italy, and Germany reported the highest rates with 55% or more indicating alcohol
      consumption in the last month. Between 2018 and 2022 the share of 15-year-olds who reported consuming alcohol in the last month decreased slightly from 39% to 38%.
  • Even among 11-year-olds, 5% consumed alcohol in the past month. The highest rates (10% or more) among the
    11-year-olds were observed in Czechia, France, Hungary, and the United Kingdom, as well as in accession countries Bulgaria and Romania.
    • The share of 11-year-olds who reported consuming alcohol in the last month increased slightly from 4% to 5% on average
      across OECD countries.
  • 22% of 15-year-olds had been alcohol inebriated more than once – above 35% in Denmark and Hungary.

These trends have severe consequences for mental health, cognitive development, injuries, and alcohol use in adulthood.

In 2022 across OECD countries, 60% of 15-year-olds reported having ever consumed alcohol in their lifetime.

Alcohol use at a young age has health consequences that can appear in the short, medium, and long term such as accidents, injuries, and diseases.

5. Alcohol’s role in mental health conditions growing pressure on health systems

External causes – including suicide accidents and violence – are the leading drivers of premature mortality among
men – particularly those of working age. Policies should prioritise early intervention through accessible stigma-free
mental health services and targeted efforts to prevent “deaths of despair” linked to alcohol, other drugs, and social isolation.

While men are more likely to die by suicide, women more often report suicidal thoughts and attempts. Prevention
efforts must close diagnosis and help-seeking gaps among men while also addressing the growing mental health
needs of young women through outreach peer support and crisis care.

Alcohol harm also causes a large economic burden, accounting for an estimated 2.4% of all healthcare spending across OECD countries.  

6. Countries are adopting – but unevenly applying – evidence-based alcohol policies

To address the alcohol burden in OECD countries a whole-of-society approach is required. A variety of measures ranging from population-wide initiatives targeting all alcohol consumers, to targeted interventions for people having alcohol use disorder or addiction, can have an impact on health outcomes.

The report documents a range of measures OECD countries are implementing to reduce alcohol harm:

  • Advertising limits and bans, including comprehensive digital marketing limits in Estonia and Finland.
  • Minimum unit pricing, now applied in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
  • Warning labels, with Ireland requiring them on all alcohol products from 2028.
  • Availability limits, such as bans on alcohol vending machines in Belgium.

OECD countries have implemented policies to reduce the affordability and availability of alcohol – such as advertising limits or bans in specific venues such as cinemas – or complete advertisement bans as in Norway.

To make alcohol less affordable some countries have introduced minimum unit pricing, fixing a minimum price per standard unit of alcohol in addition to taxation. For instance, in 2022 Ireland implemented a minimum unit price of EUR 1 per standard alcoholic drink, while Scotland and Wales (United Kingdom) introduced comparable minimum unit pricing on alcoholic beverages.

Additional measures such as public campaigns and warning labels aim to enhance risk awareness. Recently Ireland adopted a regulation requiring warning labels to be included on all alcoholic beverages from 2028.

The report briefly notes that some countries are using price measures to reduce alcohol affordability, including minimum unit pricing applied alongside existing alcohol taxation, but it does not provide new data or detailed analysis on alcohol tax levels or alcohol tax policy.

These examples show growing recognition of the need for evidence-based and comprehensive population-level alcohol policies, although application and ambition vary widely.

To address underage alcohol use many countries have adopted regulatory and preventive strategies aimed at limiting availability of alcohol and limiting alcohol marketing. These typically include age restrictions for purchasing alcohol, limitations on sales outlets, fiscal measures, advertising bans, and educational programmes.

  • In 2018, Ireland introduced the Public Health Alcohol Act with the objectives of reducing alcohol consumption, delaying initiation in children and adolescents, and regulating supply and pricing. Since its introduction, alcohol advertising has been restricted around areas frequented by children and adolescents – such as schools, playgrounds, and train stations – as well as on television during certain hours of the day in order to reduce their exposure.
  • Estonia and Finland have legal measures in place that limit alcohol advertising in digital media.
    • Finland’s Alcohol Control Act (2015) prohibits alcohol marketing on social media using user-generated content and requires that alcohol marketing does not target or depict minors.
    • In Estonia alcohol advertising is banned on social media through the amended Advertising Act of 2018 with the exception of websites and official social media accounts of alcohol handlers.
  • More recently Belgium adopted a new Alcohol Action Plan 2023-2025 aimed at reducing the availability of alcohol. Taking a holistic approach towards alcohol prevention the plan includes regulatory measures, such as banning alcohol sales through vending machines, strengthening prevention activities, and improving access to alcohol-related treatment and care.

A renewed focus on value-for-money is essential for healthy populations and sustainable health systems, with preventive interventions playing a key role

Tackling risk factors for health throughout the lifecycle is key to long-term health gains at low cost. Yet obesity rates continue to rise in over four-fifths of OECD countries, with 54% of adults overweight or obese, and 19% obese, on average.

The OECD report calls out alcohol as another major concern, with 27% of adults reporting binge alcohol use at least once per month.

These risk factors extend to children. Amongst 15-year-olds, 20% were overweight or obese; 38% consumed alcohol in the last month; 15% smoked and 20% vaped at least monthly, on average across OECD countries. This makes alcohol the biggest risk factor among 15-year-olds in OECD countries.

Some risky behaviours start even earlier in life: on average, 15% of 13-year-olds and 5% of 11-year-olds reported drinking alcohol in the last month.

Solutions are available and effective, according to the report: Many preventive and primary healthcare interventions are highly cost-effective in addressing these risk factors. Yet prevention spending only accounted for 3%, and primary healthcare spending 14%, of total health spending in 2023. The priority given to both prevention and primary healthcare spending is largely unchanged since a decade ago, with increases in prevention spending during the pandemic proving to be temporary.

Why this OECD report matters

The Health at a Glance series is the OECD’s flagship global health monitoring report. It shapes international policy debates by tracking countries’ progress on key health indicators. This edition provides updated, comparable data across 38 OECD countries and partner countries, and identifies where governments are succeeding – and where urgent gaps remain – in addressing major health risks, including alcohol.

The report shows that alcohol use is high and widespread, costly, and deeply intertwined with chronic diseases, gender inequalities, and preventable mortality. It also documents which policy measures countries are using to lower the alcohol burden, providing important accountability and guidance for governments.

Source Website: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)