Chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes could increase by 70% in Luxembourg by 2050, driven by an ageing and growing population, the country’s health observatory said on Wednesday.

The burden of disease in Luxembourg dominated by chronic conditions, the National Health Observatory said in a report, citing conditions including cardiovascular disease, depression, dementia and obesity. Chronic diseases account for 83% of disease in the country, according to the report.

“This situation calls for a strengthening of the prevention of chronic diseases,” the body that monitors healthcare in the Grand Duchy added.

It suggested an increase in tobacco prices could lead to a “rapid and significant relative reduction in the burden of chronic diseases”.

The report also looked at how a healthy diet, physical activity and alcohol consumption could affect the number of people likely to develop a chronic ailment.

“Luxembourg has low excise duties, does not impose minimum prices for alcoholic beverages and does not limit the hours of sale,” the report said. “As a result, alcohol is readily available and inexpensive.”

The health observatory said that World Health Organisation recommendations aimed at limiting alcohol affordability, such as taxation and the introduction of a minimum price, “could have a significant impact on the burden of alcohol-related chronic diseases in Luxembourg”.