Some 4.5 million Italians indulge in binge drinking, and 79,000 of them are under 18, according to a new report out Wednesday.

In 2024, there were 36 million alcohol consumers in Italy, equal to 77% of men and 57% of women, and approximately 8.2 million people over the age of 11 consumed alcoholic beverages in quantities and frequency harmful to their health.

Binge drinking, or drinking to get drunk, affects 4.45 million people, 79,000 of whom are under 18, and has almost doubled in a decade among women, said the report from the National Alcohol Observatory (ONA) of the Italian National Institute of Health.

According to the analysis, which will be discussed Thursday at the Higher Health Institute (ISS) by leading international experts during the “Alcohol Prevention Day” workshop, looking only at the 11-24 age group, there are 1.27 million at-risk consumers, 580,000 of whom are under 18.

Binge drinking has seen a significant increase, especially among women of all age groups, particularly those of childbearing age, despite the well-known risks of alcohol for the fetus, with an 84% increase in a decade (from 2.5% in 2014 to 4.6% in 2024).

There are also 730,000 frequent drinkers who already suffer from alcohol-related physical or mental impairment and require clinical treatment, but only 8.3% are being treated by services.

“Particularly critical,” emphasizes Claudia Gandin of the ISS National Alcohol Observatory, “is the situation of the elderly population, one of the least reached targets by prevention efforts.

“This age group has the highest proportion of harmful consumers, often undetected by the National Health Service.”