[Calculation of the alcohol per capita consumption in Brazil: using national dataCálculo del indicador del consumo de alcohol per cápita en Brasil: uso de datos nacionales].

Abstract

Objective: To calculate the alcohol per capita consumption (APC) in Brazil (Brazil APC) using national data and to establish the Brazil APC as gold standard for the country, replacing the indicator previously calculated by the World Health Organization (WHO) based on international data.

Method: The Brazilian public data sources necessary for calculating the recorded APC were selected, and the alcohol concentration was defined by beverage category. For the variables of tourist APC and unrecorded APC, which are unavailable in Brazil, estimates from the United Nations (UN) and the WHO were used. The Brazil APC indicator was calculated and compared to the indicator produced by the WHO through analysis of the medians obtained for the period from 2005 to 2020.

Results: The national alcohol consumption indicator was 9.2 liters per capita in 2005, reaching 9.8 in 2020. The WHO indicator showed a consumption of 8.4 liters per capita in 2005, decreasing until 2016 and slightly increasing to 7.8 in 2020.

Conclusion: The Brazil APC was calculated based on national sources and showed a distinct trend compared to the WHO indicator, which showed a decrease. The regular and transparent provision of this indicator through government channels will support the development of policies to address alcohol consumption in the country.