Assessing progress toward the World Health Organization’s Global action plan alcohol reduction target in Sub-Saharan Africa 2010-2019
Research article
Highlights
- First interim regional assessment of progress toward the WHO 10% alcohol reduction target.
- Indicators of alcohol consumption increased slightly between 2010 and 2019.
- Central Africa was the only subregion showing declines in alcohol consumption, alongside a small reduction in alcohol use prevalence.
- One-third of countries met reduction targets, but nearly half saw increases.
What the Study Did and Why
The study assessed whether sub-Saharan Africa was making progress toward the WHO NCDs Global Action Plan target of a 10% relative reduction in per capita alcohol use by 2025.
Using WHO data on alcohol per capita consumption (APC) and heavy episodic alcohol use across 45 sub-Saharan African countries from 2010 to 2019, it is the first study to systematically examine this question at the regional, subregional, and country level.
The study fills a critical evidence gap: prior to this, no one knew whether the region, its subregions, or individual countries were on track to achieve the 10% reduction target of population-level alcohol use.
Key Insights, Findings, and Conclusions
Sub-Saharan Africa is off-track to meet the WHO target.
At the regional level, both APC and heavy episodic alcohol use per capita increased slightly between 2010 and 2019. Only one-third of countries met or exceeded the 10% reduction target in APC per alcohol user, while 44% saw increases.
Heavy episodic alcohol use remains widespread – among the highest globally – and unevenly distributed across the region.
Central Africa was the only subregion to show meaningful, statistically significant declines in both APC and heavy episodic alcohol use per capita, though it continues to report the highest heavy episodic alcohol use levels in the region.
Eastern Africa recorded the largest increases.
The study identifies the alcohol industry’s expansion into Africa – investing heavily in marketing, retail, and corporate social responsibility – as a likely contributing factor to rising consumption, alongside inadequate and unevenly enforced alcohol policies across most countries.
Alcohol industry interference in policy development is documented in South Africa and Nigeria specifically.
Added Value
This study provides the first rigorous, systematic, country-by-country evidence base for holding governments and the international community accountable on alcohol reduction commitments in sub-Saharan Africa.
It makes the alcohol industry’s role in the region explicit by naming Africa as a priority growth market for multinational alcohol producers.
The study directly connects inadequate alcohol policy environments and alcohol industry interference to the failure to meet the WHO alcohol consumption reduction targets.
The study provides unimpeachable evidence for why comprehensive, evidence-based, public health-focused alcohol policies with protection from industry interference are urgently needed across the African region.
Abstract
The World Health Organization (WHO) Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases calls for a 10% relative reduction in the per capita use of alcohol by 2025.
The researchers assessed progress across 45 sub-Saharan African countries between 2010 and 2019 using WHO data on alcohol per capita consumption (APC) and heavy episodic alcohol use.
Trends were analysed for both the total population and past-year alcohol consumers, using population-weighted averages and non-parametric methods.
Regionally, both total APC (+6.6%) and heavy episodic alcohol use per capita (+4.0%) increased slightly between 2010 and 2019.
Among alcohol consumers, APC also rose (+4.9%), while heavy episodic alcohol use prevalence remained stable at around 51%.
Central Africa was the only subregion to show meaningful declines in both APC and heavy episodic alcohol use per-capita, although it continued to report the highest levels of heavy episodic alcohol use per capita (around 30%).
One-third of countries met or exceeded the 10% reduction target in APC per-alcohol consumer, while 44% saw increases.
Sub-Saharan Africa is not on track to have met the alcohol consumption reduction target, but trends vary markedly by country, with some signs of progress in Central Africa.
High-risk and heavy alcohol use remains widespread and unevenly distributed, underscoring the need for stronger, context-specific alcohol policy and targeted interventions, particularly where consumption is rising or heavy episodic alcohol use remains high.