The World Health Organization’s new "Global report on the use of alcohol taxes 2025" finds that alcohol is becoming more affordable in most countries because taxes are too low, poorly designed, and rarely adjusted - despite rising deaths, diseases, injuries, and pressure on public budgets. Drawing on data from more than 150 countries, the report shows that inadequate alcohol tax systems protect industry profits while shifting health and economic costs onto families, communities, and governments, even though public support for raising alcohol taxes is high across regions. Speaking at WHO’s first media briefing of 2026, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus underscored that raising and redesigning alcohol taxes is a proven, evidence-based solution to save lives, finance public goods, and strengthen countries’ transition toward sustainable health systems financing.