How many Australians die each year from alcohol-related causes?
Alcohol-related deaths include those that arise from:
- alcohol-related injuries
- diseases that are associated with alcohol use
- diseases that are directly caused by alcohol use.
In 2019, 1,287 Australians died from alcohol-caused diseases. Many more died from illnesses and injuries where their own or another person's alcohol use played a contributory role.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Causes of Death, Australia 2019.
Please note: The number of deaths reported in this FAQ underestimates the true number of Australia’s who die from alcohol-related causes. Data were not available for all alcohol-caused diseases. The number of deaths reported are due to the following alcohol-caused diseases: mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol use; alcoholic liver disease; accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol; intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to alcohol; poisoning by and exposure to alcohol, undetermined intent; evidence of alcohol involvement in morbidity/mortality determined by blood alcohol level; evidence of alcohol involvement in morbidity/mortality determined by level of intoxication.
Alcohol-Caused Disease: A disease, disorder or condition which was directly caused by the individual’s own alcohol consumption.
Diseases classified as directly caused by alcohol use include: mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol use; alcohol-induced pseudo-Cushing’s syndrome; degeneration of nervous system due to alcohol; special epileptic syndromes; alcoholic polyneuropathy; alcoholic myopathy; alcoholic cardiomyopathy; alcoholic gastritis; alcoholic liver disease; alcohol-induced acute pancreatitis; alcohol-induced chronic pancreatitis; maternal care for (suspected) damage to fetus from alcohol; fetus and newborn affected by maternal use of alcohol; fetal alcohol syndrome (dysmorphic); finding of alcohol in blood; alcohol toxicity; accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol; intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to alcohol; poisoning by and exposure to alcohol, undetermined intent; evidence of alcohol involvement in morbidity/mortality determined by blood alcohol level; evidence of alcohol involvement in morbidity/mortality determined by level of intoxication.