Eurostat: In 2020, alcohol caused 3.6 deaths per 100.000 population in the European Union

In 2020, there were 193 893 deaths in the EU resulting from mental and behavioural disorders, representing 3.7% of all deaths in the EU.

Mental and behavioural disorders include dementia, schizophrenia, and also disorders related to psychoactive substance use, such as alcohol or drug dependence.

The EU’s standardised death rate for mental and behavioural disorders was 39.1 deaths per 100 000 people in 2020 (from 28.6 deaths in 2011), with a higher death rate among males (40.1) than females (36.8).

When it comes to deaths due to disorders related to alcohol use, in 2020, the EU’s standardised death rate was 3.6 deaths per 100 000 people, up from 3.2 deaths in 2011.

This rate was notably high in some EU countries: Slovenia (17.3 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants), Poland (10.1), Denmark (7.3), Croatia (6.5), Austria and Latvia (both 6.2). At the other end of the scale, the rate was at its lowest in Greece, Italy, Malta (all with 0.4 deaths per 100 000 people), Spain and Cyprus (both 0.5).

Dementia death rates on the rise in the EU

Dementia stands out in the total number of deaths related to mental and behavioural disorders. In 2020, among all deaths due to mental and behavioural disorders, dementia was responsible for 32.6 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants, a notable uptick when compared with 2011 (23.3 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants). This is influenced by age, with dementia being the leading cause of death due to mental and behavioural disorders among people aged 65 and older. Among the EU members, the standardised death rate due to dementia was significantly high in Malta (80.1 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants), the Netherlands (68.0), Sweden (57.5), Denmark (53.3) and Germany (52.3). Conversely, the lowest death rates due to dementia were recorded in Romania (0.03 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants), Slovenia (0.5), Bulgaria (1.0) and Poland (1.2).

Source: Eurostat