New Delhi: The alcohol deaths rates of India are more than double that of China, a new report from the World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed.

The WHO report predicts a sharp rise in India’s per capita alcohol consumption over the next six years, reported Deccan Herald.

The number of alcohol-related deaths in India per 100,000 population is 38.5 (both sexes) as against China’s 16.1. The numbers increased sharply for Indian males (63.0) compared to China’s 29.6 while for Indian females the figure is is 13.5 as against China’s 3.3.

The WHO report, which highlights the overall global scenario when it comes to alcohol and substance abuse also reveals that that more than 31 per cent Indians are current drinkers, but alcohol consumption by the male population (40.9 per cent) is much higher than females (20.8 per cent).

"Substance use severely harms individual health, increasing the risk of chronic diseases, mental health conditions, and tragically resulting in millions of preventable deaths every year. It places a heavy burden on families and communities, increasing exposure to accidents, injuries, and violence," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director general said in a media statement, reported Deccan Herald.

One of the trends highlighted by the WHO report is that the tendency of binge drinking among Indian teenagers aged between 15-19 years. According to the report, 7.1 per cent of male youngsters resorting to heavy episodic drinking as against 5.2 per cent females.

India’s per capita alcohol consumption in 2019 stood at 4.9 litres, which is estimated to increase to 6.7 litres by 2030. In comparison, the global per capita consumption stands at 5.5 litres with the European region topping the chart at 9.2 litres followed by the Americas (7.5 lit), reported Decccan Herald.

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