Why Are More People Dying From Alcohol?

About the Data Insights

Deaths related to alcohol more than doubled between 1999 and 2017 – and that only counts alcohol-related deaths documented in death certificates, which means the actual numbers could be much higher. While adults aged 45-74 had the highest rates of death related to alcohol, young adults aged 25-34 showed the biggest increases over time.

Women also saw an 85% jump in alcohol-related deaths over the study period, compared to a 35% increase for men - closing what was once a large gap in alcohol use and harms between men and women. While many of the deaths resulted from liver disease, researchers attribute the raise in deaths among middle-aged adults to “deaths of despair,” including overdoses and suicides.