Association between alcohol consumption per capita and suicide mortality rate across 30 European countries

Suicide was the cause of 86 000 deaths in Europe in 2021. Accordingly, the World Health Organisation (who) has designated suicide prevention as a serious public health concern. Alcohol use is a causal risk factor for suicide and may be a cost-effective target for prevention efforts. Globally, the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals have set a target of a 20% reduction in alcohol consumption per capita (APC). However, evidence on the utility of APC as a metric for preventing alcohol-attributable suicides is currently limited.
A study published in BMJ Mental Health evaluated the association between alcohol consumption per capita and the suicide mortality rate across 30 European countries.
Suicide mortality rates were obtained for 27 European Union countries, as well as the UK, Switzerland and Norway, for 1991-2021 from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation. Alcohol consumption per capita data were obtained from the WHO Global Information System on Alcohol and Health. The association between alcohol consumption per capita and the suicide mortality rate was examined. Tests of interaction were conducted to assess the impact of sex, country-level drinking patterns and the 2008 global economic recession.
On average, a 1 L increase in total APC was associated with a 0.39% increase in the suicide mortality rate (95% CI 0.03% to 0.76%) among males, and a 0.59% increase in the suicide mortality rate (95% CI 0.12% to 1.06%) among females. There was no evidence of a significant sex difference, nor was there evidence of a modifying effect of country-level drinking patterns or the 2008 global economic recession on the respective association.
National suicide prevention strategies should consider incorporating APC as an indicator for monitoring and assessing the impact of interventions targeting alcohol use on suicide.
Source: Guo, K., Jiang, H., Shield, K.D., Spithoff, S., & Lange, S. (2025) Association between alcohol consumption per capita and suicide mortality rate across 30 European countries. BMJ Mental Health, 28:e302114.