Men still more likely to die alcohol-related death

Published on Tuesday 27 January 2009 20:59

MEN are still drinking more and dying of alcohol-related causes more often than women, official figures show.

The death rate among men has doubled since 1991, while rates among women have risen more slowly, the Office for National Statistics has found.

The rapid rise in deaths directly attributed to drinking too much has levelled out since the early 1990s but rates are still higher than they were just less than two decades ago.

In 2007 a total of 8,724 people died as a result of alcohol, fewer than in 2006 but more than the 4,144 in 1991.

The death rate has remained consistently higher among men and those aged 55-74. The average death rate for men has rocketed from 9.1 per 100,000 people in 1991 to 18.1 in 2007 while the female rate has risen from 5.0 per 100,000 to 8.7.

In 2007 there were 5,732 alcohol-related deaths in men and 2,992 in women.