Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages is overburdening the national health system and worsening the prevalence of mental and behavioral disorders in the country, with a particular impact on adolescents and young people. This observation comes from the Health Observatory, which, in its weekly publication of October 22, 2025, considers alcoholism a public health problem with devastating consequences, both clinically and economically.
According to the document, “in the first half of 2025 alone, more than 18,000 people were treated in the country’s health facilities for diseases classified as Mental and Behavioral Disorders (MBD).” The report emphasizes that most cases involve the consumption of psychoactive substances, especially high-strength, low-cost alcoholic spirits.
Over the past 20 years, the number of alcohol consumers in Mozambique has risen alarmingly. The consumption rate increased from 45.2% in 2005 to 76.5% in 2024, representing a growth of 31%. For the Observatory, this increase has had a direct impact on public health indicators. “Mortality from non-communicable diseases rose from 8% in 2005 to 29% in 2025, with alcohol being one of the key contributing factors to this deterioration,” the organization notes.
In response to the growing threat posed by alcoholic beverage consumption, the government approved on September 3, 2025, at the Council of Ministers, the new Regulation on the Control of Production, Marketing, and Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages. The regulation was published on September 11 in the Official Gazette as Decree No. 31/2025 and came into effect on the same date.
However, the Health Observatory questions the effectiveness of the new legal instrument, citing structural and financial limitations that may compromise its implementation. “The laboratory designated for beverage analysis does not have sufficient technical capacity to accurately assess the quality parameters required by the regulation,” the document warns.
The publication also highlights budgetary constraints faced by the Ministry of Health (MISAU) in addressing the effects of excessive alcohol consumption. “Although the Decree on the Specific Consumption Tax provides, in its Article 31, paragraph a), for a transfer of funds from the Tax Authority to MISAU, this contribution has not been made,” the Observatory reports.
According to the same source, the absence of these funds is limiting the state’s capacity to adequately respond to the physical, mental, and social damage caused by alcoholism, further increasing public health costs.
