Key Points

Daily Alcohol Consumption

• In 2021, 5.1% of adults aged 18–75 reported drinking alcohol daily: since 2014, the proportion of daily alcohol consumers has remained stable. This proportion is significantly lower than the national average (8%).

• In 2021, a significant decrease in the proportion of people reporting daily alcohol consumption was observed among those aged 46 to 60.

Heavy episodic drinking

• In 2021, 15.5% of adults aged 18–75 reported having monthly heavy drinking episodes. This proportion is not significantly different from the national level (16.5%). This proportion has not changed significantly since 2014.

• In 2021, the proportion of women reporting monthly heavy drinking episodes increased significantly between 2014 (5.6%) and 2021 (10.4%).

Exceeding low-risk consumption guidelines

• In 2021, 14.3% of adults aged 18 to 75 reported exceeding the safe drinking guidelines. This proportion is significantly lower than the national average (22%).

• This proportion was significantly higher among men and varied by income level and age.

Emergency room visits directly related to alcohol

• In 2023, 5,327 emergency room visits directly related to alcohol were recorded, compared to 7,104 in 2017. An overall decrease in the proportion of emergency room visits directly related to alcohol was observed between 2017 and 2023.

These data reveal that there are fewer alcohol consumers in Réunion compared to the national situation. However, it is also known that the amounts consumed are higher at the local level than at the national level, as are the health consequences.