3. Alcohol-related causes of death in 1969 to 2010 1)
Alcohol-related causes have been for several years among the most common causes of death for both men and women, and the figures are high for the whole population as well. Alcohol-related deaths include both alcohol-related diseases and accidental poisoning by alcohol.
Figure 9a. Age-standardised mortality from alcohol-related diseases and accidental poisoning by alcohol and total consumption of alcohol in 1969 to 2010
The most significant reason for high alcohol mortality is increased consumption of alcohol over the past decades. Changes in alcohol-related mortality follow fairly regularly the graph for total consumption of alcoholic beverages. As the alcohol tax was lowered in 2004, consumption of alcohol increased distinctly. At the same time, alcohol deaths increased considerably.
Figure 9b. Age-standardised mortality from alcohol-related diseases and accidental poisoning by alcohol in 1969 to 2010 per 100,000 persons of the mean population
Men die from alcohol-related causes clearly more often than women do. Male mortality also follows more closely changes in total consumption of alcohol. However, female mortality has risen evenly along with men over several decades.
In 2010, 1,962 persons died from alcohol-related causes, 1,556 of whom from alcohol-related diseases and 406 from alcohol poisonings. Seventy-five per cent of whose dying from alcohol poisonings were men. Most of those dying were at working age. The number of deaths from alcohol-related causes has been falling since 2009. The fall is mainly caused by decreasing alcohol deaths of men.
Alcohol can also be a contributing factor to death. The share of intoxication in accidents will be discussed in the following section.
1) Comparable data on alcohol-related causes of death are available only starting from 1969.
Source: Causes of death, Statistics Finland
Inquiries: Marja-Liisa Helminen (09) 1734 3273, Helena Korpi (09) 1734 3605, Irmeli Penttilä (09) 1734 3253, kuolemansyyt@stat.fi
Director in charge: Jari Tarkoma
Updated 16.12.2011
Official Statistics of Finland (OSF):
Causes of death [e-publication].
ISSN=1799-5078. 2010,
3. Alcohol-related causes of death in 1969 to 2010 1)
. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 22.12.2024].
Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/ksyyt/2010/ksyyt_2010_2011-12-16_kat_004_en.html