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Mortality attributable to youth drinking in 194 WHO member countries/territories, 1990-2021
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Mortality attributable to youth drinking in 194 WHO member countries/territories, 1990-2021

Dan Tian, Jie Li, David C Schwebel, Cifu Xie, Tongyan Wang, Ruisha Peng, Li Li, Peixia Cheng, Zhenzhen Rao, Peishan Ning, …
Scientific reports
04/05/2026
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-47098-1
PMID: 41936613
url
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-47098-1View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Youth drinking is known to be a leading and avoidable risk factor of mortality. However, recent evidence on mortality attributable to youth drinking on a global scale is limited. Using risk-attributable mortality data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021, we conducted a longitudinal analysis to examine trends in deaths and mortality attributable to youth drinking among individuals under 20 years across 194 WHO member countries/territories from 1990 to 2021. Mortality differences were assessed by sex, socio-demographic index (SDI) levels, and countries/territories. Average annual percentage changes (AAPCs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) estimated by Joinpoint regression were used to quantify significant mortality changes. A total of 417,198 deaths attributable to youth drinking were reported from 1990 to 2021, primarily from transport injuries (36.1%) and interpersonal violence (17.7%). The number of total deaths attributable to youth drinking declined from 13,346 in 1990 to 10,563 in 2021 (AAPC = -0.73%, 95% CI: -0.77% to -0.68%). Mortality among males was 5.8-7.5 times that of females. Large mortality decreases occurred over time in countries/territories with high (AAPC=-2.71%, 95% CI: -2.78% to -2.67%) and high-middle SDI (AAPC=-2.06%, 95% CI: -2.26%% to -1.87%%), while those with lower SDI levels showed relatively stable or slightly increasing mortality trends. The percent change in mortality varied greatly across the 194 WHO countries/territories from 1990 to 2021, ranging from - 96.8% (Seychelles) to 772.8% (Libya). Increases occurred in 30.4% of countries (59/194), all in low or middle SDI levels. Despite a substantial decline in mortality, therefore, youth drinking remains a global health challenge that disproportionally affect males and young adults in countries with low or middle SDI levels. Implementation of actions outlined in the WHO Global Alcohol Action Plan 2022-2030 should be accelerated and enhanced, especially in those countries with high attributable mortality rates as well as those experiencing large increases in mortality during between 1990 and 2021.
 Burden of disease Youth drinking Health disparities

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