'There are no public health efforts to educate women on fetal alcohol syndrome,' Kathleen Mitchell, vice president and spokesperson for NOFAS said. Women in these countries may also not be aware of the dangers of drinking during pregnancy and the health risks of alcohol on infants in utero. This presents major health concerns for women who tend to be more vulnerable - physically and socially - to alcohol use. Moreover, 'Alcohol use among women has been increasing steadily in line with economic development and changing gender roles,' according to the WHO. The heaviest drinking countries overall include six nations where women consumed the most alcohol. While men in these countries drink much more than women, women in these countries are also heavy drinkers compared to women in other countries. In Russia and Ukraine the average life expectancy was below 72 years as well. In Romania, the average life expectancy was just 68.7 years.

The average life expectancy at birth in high income nations was 79.3 years as of 2012, far higher than in almost all of the heaviest drinking nations. Life expectancies in the nations with heavy alcohol use are also shorter. Similarly, more than one quarter of all cases of pancreatitis and various types of mouth cancer are attributable to alcohol use. Half of all deaths due to liver cirrhosis are attributable to alcohol. In five of these nations, 30% of deaths in 2012 were alcohol related, compared to 5.9% of deaths worldwide.Ī number of serious diseases are largely caused by alcohol. Various types of cancer, gastrointestinal diseases, and intentional self-harm were also common causes of deaths related to alcohol. Unintentional injuries accounted for 17.1% of alcohol-related deaths. Of the 3.3 million alcohol related deaths worldwide, a third were caused by cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. The three nations with the highest rates of alcohol use disorders, Hungary, Russia, and Belarus, were all among the 10 heaviest drinking nations. Such disorders lead to physical problems such as liver cirrhosis and mental illnesses such as depression. These include alcoholism and other forms of health-damaging use of alcohol. Five of the heaviest drinking countries also had among the 10 highest prevalences of alcohol use disorders. Residents in these countries were also often among the most likely to suffer from alcohol use disorders.

Alcohol consumption by country