Cited by 272Substance Abuse Treatment and OutcomesMental Health Treatment and AccessAlcohol Consumption and Health Effects

The epidemiology of alcohol use disorders cross-nationally: findings from the World Mental Health Surveys

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Glantz, Meyer D., Bharat, Chrianna, Degenhardt, Louisa, Sampson, Nancy A., Scott, Kate M., Lim, Carmen C.W., Al-Hamzawi, Ali, Alonso, Jordi +28 more·2020·Addictive Behaviors

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Prevalences of Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs) and Mental Health Disorders (MHDs) in many individual countries have been reported but there are few cross-national studies. The WHO World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative standardizes methodological factors facilitating comparison of the prevalences and associated factors of AUDs in a large number of countries to identify differences and commonalities. METHODS: Lifetime and 12-month prevalence estimates of DSM-IV AUDs, MHDs, and associations were assessed in the 29 WMH surveys using the WHO CIDI 3.0. RESULTS: Prevalence estimates of alcohol use and AUD across countries and WHO regions varied widely. Mean lifetime prevalence of alcohol use in all countries combined was 80%, ranging from 3.8% to 97.1%. Combined average population lifetime and 12-month prevalence of AUDs were 8.6% and 2.2% respectively and 10.7% and 4.4% among non-abstainers. Of individuals with a lifetime AUD, 43.9% had at least one lifetime MHD and 17.9% of respondents with a lifetime MHD had a lifetime AUD. For most comorbidity combinations, the MHD preceded the onset of the AUD. AUD prevalence was much higher for men than women. 15% of all lifetime AUD cases developed before age 18. Higher household income and being older at time of interview, married, and more educated, were associated with a lower risk for lifetime AUD and AUD persistence. CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of alcohol use and AUD is high overall, with large variation worldwide. The WMH surveys corroborate the wide geographic consistency of a number of well-documented clinical and epidemiological findings and patterns.

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  • Clinical levels of PTSD and alcohol use were also elevated in both samples compared to the general population, though to a lesser magnitude than depression.

    “This pattern of elevation, though to a lesser magnitude, was also observed in clinical levels of posttraumatic stress disorder (25.9% [international], 26.5% [U.S. based]) and clinical levels of alcohol use (18.3% [international], 10.5% [U.S. based]) compared to the general population (0.2% - 8.4% past 12-month PTSD; 0.1% - 5.9% past 12-month alcohol use disorder; Glantz et al., 2020; Koenen et al.”

    From I've Seen Enough: Measuring the Toll of Content Moderation on Mental Health (2025) · cites this paper as Glantz et al., 2020

  • Drinking heavily in young adulthood is a risk factor for alcohol use disorder and most people who develop this condition do so by age 40 years.

    “Drinking heavily in young adulthood is a risk factor for alcohol use disorder and most people who develop this condition do so by age 40 years.48”

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  1. [8]Helzer JE, Canino GJ. Alcoholism in North America, Europe, and Asia. New York: Oxford University Press; 1992.

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Authors
Glantz, M. D., Bharat, C., Degenhardt, L., Sampson, N. A., Scott, K. M., Lim, C. C. W., Al-Hamzawi, A., Alonso, J., Andrade, L. H., Cardoso, G., De Girolamo, G., Gureje, O., He, Y., Hinkov, H., Karam, E. G., Karam, G., Kovess-Masfety, V., Lasebikan, V., Lee, S., Levinson, D., McGrath, J., Medina-Mora, M.-E., Mihaescu-Pintia, C., Mneimneh, Z., Moskalewicz, J., Navarro-Mateu, F., Posada-Villa, J., Rapsey, C., Stagnaro, J. C., Tachimori, H., Ten Have, M., Tintle, N., Torres, Y., Williams, D. R., Ziv, Y., & Kessler, R. C.
Affiliations
  • National Institutes of Health (US)
  • UNSW Sydney (AU)
  • Harvard University (US)
  • University of Otago (NZ)
  • The University of Queensland (AU)
  • University of Al-Qadisiyah (IQ)
  • Universitat Pompeu Fabra (ES)
  • Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (BR)
  • University College Hospital, Ibadan (NG)
  • Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
  • National Center of Public Health and Analyses (BG)
  • University of Balamand (LB)
  • University of Ibadan (NG)
  • Chinese University of Hong Kong (HK)
  • Israel Ministry of Health (IL)
  • University of Michigan (US)
  • Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology (PL)
  • Universidad de Buenos Aires (AR)
  • National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (JP)
  • Dordt University (US)
  • Universidad CES (CO)
Corresponding author
Glantz, Meyer D.
Venue
Addictive Behaviors
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2020-03
Volume
102
Pages
106128
ISSN
0306-4603 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2974146820
Cited by
272
References
65
Citations by year
2026: 31 · 2025: 71 · 2024: 61 · 2023: 41 · 2022: 43 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 10
FWCI
12.94
Type
journal article
Language
en
Update notices
erratum (2020-07-01)
Open access
Locations
  • Addictive Behaviors (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Dordt Digital Collections (Dordt College) (submittedVersion)
  • HAL (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse
  • Ministry of Health, New Zealand
  • Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
  • Pfizer Foundation
  • Ministerio de Sanidad, Consumo y Bienestar Social
  • Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
  • Ministry of Public Health
  • Regione Piemonte
  • University of Michigan
  • GlaxoSmithKline
  • John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
  • National Health and Medical Research Council (APP1081984)
  • Fogarty International Center (R03 TW006481-01)
  • Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz (INPRFMDIES - 19 - 4280)
  • John W. Alden Trust (1135991)
  • Eli Lilly and Company
  • Public Health Agency
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Health Research Council of New Zealand
  • Departament de Salut, Generalitat de Catalunya
  • Pan American Health Organization
  • Ministerstwo Zdrowia
  • Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT-G30544- H)
  • Generalitat de Catalunya (2017 SGR 452, 2014 SGR 748, CB06/02/0046, RETICS RD06/0011 REM-TAP)
  • U.S. Public Health Service (R01-MH069864, R01 DA016558, R13-MH066849)
  • Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (03/00204-3)
  • Danmarks Grundforskningsfond (APP1056929)
  • European Commission (SANCO 2004123, QLG5-1999-01042, EAHC 20081308)
  • Ministerio de Salud (PL 0256)
  • Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (044708)
  • Instituto de Salud Carlos III (FIS 00/0028)
  • Fundação Champalimaud
  • Department of Health and Ageing, Australian Government
  • World Health Organization
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R01-MH059575, R01 MH070884, U01-MH60220)
  • National Insurance Institute of Israel (H14-TOKUBETSU-026, H13-SHOGAI-023, H16-KOKORO-013, H25-SEISHIN-IPPAN-006)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Alcohol Consumption and Health Effects
Keywords
alcoholism, prevalence, cross-national comparison, mental illness, comorbidities, lifetime prevalence, 12-month prevalence, risk factors, gender differences, age of onset, household income, educational attainment, marital status
MeSH terms
Population Health, Alcohol Drinking, Alcoholism, Mental Disorders, Female, Health Surveys, Humans, Male, World Health Organization, Comorbidity, Prevalence, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

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