Ireland third in world for pubs per person, says HRB

Ireland ranks third in the world for number of pubs per capita despite an overall decline, with the drop being offset by a rise in off licences according to analysis from the Health Research Board.

In its latest report, the HRB says that three-in-four people in Ireland live within walking distance of a licenced premises.

The findings are part of a wider study which outlines that – while there was an overall decline in consumption per capita – the average person aged over 15 in Ireland last year consumed 9.9 litres of pure alcohol.

This, the HRB says, equates to 37 bottles of vodka (70cl), 104 bottles of wine or 400 pints of beer.

Almost one-in-three people aged over 15 do not drink at all according to the research, with the number of people abstaining from alcohol up 5% in the four years up to 2022.

The report states that harmful and hazardous drinking patterns are impacting on people’s health as well as health services.

It notes that alcohol-related illness is the 8th leading cause of death in Ireland, saying that one person dies every day due to alcohol-related liver disease, while one-in-five emergency department hospitalisations are due to alcohol.

The report’s lead author, Anne Doyle, says they found that there is a greater density of licenced premises in deprived communities.

“This is significant because evidence shows that people in deprived areas are more likely to experience alcohol-related harms, despite consumption being lower or equal to affluent areas,” she said.

HRB Chief Executive Dr Mairéad O’Driscoll said the increase in the number of people choosing not to drink and the decline in consumption per capita was positive.

“However, the way many people drink is harmful which is reflected in alcohol-related hospitalisations and deaths, as well as high numbers of people receiving treatment for problem alcohol use.”

The report has Ireland ranked 8th out of 30 countries in relation to proportion of household income spent on alcohol. It adds that although alcohol has increased in price, it has kept in line with inflation.