Health Fewer and fewer people in Switzerland are drinking alcohol every day

Four out of five people in Switzerland aged 15 and over consumed alcohol in 2022. This proportion has remained stable for 30 years. By contrast, the proportion of people who consume alcohol daily has fallen by almost two thirds.

Daily alcohol consumption increases with age: among 65-year-olds and older, one in three men and one in seven women consume alcohol daily, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) reported on Tuesday. Almost a third of men aged 65 and over consume alcohol every day.

Regular excessive consumption and binge drinking in particular are classified as health risks. In 2022, 4 percent of the population had a tendency towards chronic high-risk alcohol consumption. Since 1997, this has fallen more sharply among men than among women.

Binge drinking is on the rise

According to the FSO, binge drinking has increased since 2007. The increase is more pronounced among women (from 6 percent to 11 percent) than among men (from 16 percent to 19 percent). Here too, the difference between the sexes has narrowed. Binge drinking mainly affects adolescents and young adults, especially young men between the ages of 15 and 24: Almost a third of them got drunk at least once a month in 2022.

In 2022, wine was the most popular alcoholic beverage among the Swiss population: 49% of people consumed wine at least once a week, 38% beer, 16% spirits and 2% alcopops, according to the report.

Excessive alcohol consumption is one of the main causes of premature mortality and impairs physical, mental and social health. The FSO results are based on the Swiss Health Survey from 1992 to 2022.