The institute announces that last year at least one diagnosis directly related to alcohol consumption was registered for 27 thousand people, which is 2.3 percent less than in 2024.
Most commonly registered were alcohol dependence, toxic effects of alcohol, alcoholic liver disease, and alcohol-induced polyneuropathy. Last year, compared to 2024, alcohol-induced polyneuropathies increased by 11.3 percent, while specific epileptic syndromes decreased by 13.4 percent.
The morbidity of men due to diseases directly related to alcohol consumption exceeds that of women by more than threefold. According to the Institute of Hygiene, the highest morbidity among men was in the 50–54 age group, and among women, in the 45–49 age group.
Meanwhile, the morbidity of rural residents due to diseases directly related to alcohol consumption exceeds that of urban residents by 1.3 times.
According to the Institute of Hygiene, in 2025, 672 people died due to diseases directly related to alcohol consumption, which is five fewer people than in 2024. The most common diseases directly caused by alcohol consumption were alcoholic liver disease (51.8%), accidental alcohol poisoning (21%), and alcoholic cardiomyopathy (6.8%).
Last year, compared to 2024, alcohol consumption in Lithuania slightly decreased, with 8.7 liters of absolute alcohol per inhabitant, and 10.2 liters per inhabitant aged 15 and older.
Brigita Rašimaitė, advisor to the SAM Mental Health Department, told BNS that the ministry positively assesses the trends of decreasing legal alcohol consumption, but the harm caused by alcohol consumption to health must be evaluated cautiously.
“One-year changes do not necessarily reflect long-term trends – many health problems related to alcohol consumption develop over a longer period,” the official stated.
“Although alcohol consumption is decreasing, it is too early to talk about positive changes in health indicators; for example, we do not yet see a decrease in the number of deaths from diseases directly related to alcohol consumption or morbidity rates. Today, we still see the consequences of previous harmful consumption habits, and the positive impact on public health may only be visible much later,” emphasized the SAM representative.
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According to the Department of Informatics and Communications, in 2025, 25.8% (7.3 thousand) of investigated criminal offenses were committed by intoxicated persons. The number of such criminal offenses decreased by 269 cases (3.6%) compared to 2024.
Last year, 16 people died and 152 were injured due to road traffic accidents caused by intoxicated drivers. According to the State Labor Inspectorate, in 2025, 22 people died due to accidents at work, five of whom were intoxicated (29 and one respectively in 2024).
Slightly different trends, according to statisticians, are recorded for smoking. Indicators of more common diseases associated with tobacco use – circulatory and respiratory system diseases – worsened last year, but new cases of some malignant tumors decreased. A rather significant decrease in newly diagnosed malignant tumors is also observed.
The SAM representative stated that the indicators of smoking-related diseases and trends in tobacco product consumption are concerning.
“Although the number of new cases of some malignant tumors is decreasing, the indicators of other smoking-related diseases remain unfavorable. The harm to health caused by tobacco use also often manifests only after many years, so current indicators reflect trends from previous years,” affirmed B. Rašimaitė.
The Ministry, taking into account the latest data, emphasizes its intention to implement addiction prevention measures, strengthen public awareness, promote early intervention services, and provide assistance to individuals with addictions.
“Considering the trends of consequences caused by alcohol, the ministry is assessing the need for regulatory measures, one possible direction being to increase consumer awareness by improving the labeling of alcoholic beverages, while also evaluating other evidence-based measures that can contribute to improving public health,” states SAM.
“Regarding the consumption of tobacco, tobacco products, and related products, especially among children and youth, there is a visible need to apply control measures more intensively, and stricter regulatory measures are not ruled out to protect the health of children and youth,” the ministry states.
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