The group analysed data collated by the World Health Organisation, which shows that Europeans drink an average of 11.2 litres of alcohol per year — the equivalent of just under two drinks a day — the threshold that significantly increases the risk of being diagnosed with either bowel or oesophageal cancer.
The UK, alongside Latvia, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary typically have 2.1 drinks a day, which equates to 12.3 litres of pure alcohol per year.
Lithuania holds the crown of Europe’s heaviest drinkers, with average consumption of 3.2 drinks a day (18.2 litres of alcohol), followed by the Czech Republic and Romania, whose citizens have 2.4 drinks daily (13.7 litres of alcohol).
Russian per capita drinking rates have fallen from 12.4 litres per year in 2007 to 10.1 litres in 2014.
The WHO attributes almost one in every four deaths from gastrointestinal diseases to alcohol consumption, according to a 2014 report.
Thursday, June 04, 2026
