The alcohol consumption per capita ranking is led by Romania with ***** liters, while Georgia is following with ***** liters. In contrast, Bangladesh is at the bottom of the ranking with **** liters, showing a difference of ***** liters to Romania. Depicted is the estimated alcohol consumption in the country or region at hand.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in up to *** countries and regions worldwide. All indicators are sourced from international and national statistical offices, trade associations and the trade press and they are processed to generate comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).

The rating reflects how many liters of pure ethyl alcohol are drunk by residents of a particular country per year. Ethyl alcohol is accepted as the unit of assessment, but this is done for ease of comparison: in fact, any alcohol is taken into account in the rating, including beer, wine and others.

Total alcohol per capita consumption is defined as the total (sum of recorded and unrecorded alcohol) amount of alcohol consumed per person (15 years of age or older) over a calendar year, in litres of pure alcohol, adjusted for tourist consumption.

Statistical concept and methodology: The estimates for the total alcohol consumption are produced by summing up the 3-year average per capita (15+) recorded alcohol consumption and an estimate of per capita (15+) unrecorded alcohol consumption for a calendar year. Tourist consumption takes into account tourists visiting the country and inhabitants visiting other countries.

Variable time span 2000 – 2018

Link: https://ourworldindata.org/alcohol-consumption

This statistic compares the per capita consumption of alcohol worldwide in 2013, broken down by country. In that year, the United States ranked fifth with an alcohol consumption of **** liters per person annually.

Global Alcohol Consumption Per Capita by Country, 2023 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

In 2022, among the Nordic countries, Norway had the lowest alcohol consumption of *** liters per capita. That same year, the per capita consumption volume of alcohol amounted to *** liters in Sweden. In Finland, the corresponding volume was even higher. By comparison, Denmark had the highest per capita alcohol consumption of *** liters. In general, all Nordic countries except Denmark have strong restrictions on the sales of alcohol. This applies to all beverages with higher alcohol content; low alcohol drinks are thus available in regular supermarkets and convenience stores.  Norway and Sweden In Norway, beverages with an alcohol content higher than 4.75 percent are only allowed to be sold by Vinmonopolet, the government-owned alcoholic beverage retailer. In Sweden, even beverages with an alcohol content higher than 3.5 percent are only allowed to be sold by Systembolaget, which is the country’s government-owned chain of liquor stores.    Comparison: Denmark  Danish supermarkets, kiosks and other shops are allowed to sell all kinds of alcohol. The average annual sales volume of pure alcohol per person in the country declined overall since 2010 and amounted to *** liters sold in 2023.

Context

This dataset contains total per capita (15+ years) alcohol consumption (in liters of pure alcohol) collected by WHO for 2000-2019 (Indicator ID 465).

If you want to take a look at the more detailed consumption, aggregated by beverage type, I'd suggest taking a look either in one of other Kaggle datasets or WHO's alcohol, recorded per capita (15+) consumption indicator.

This dataset was necessary for my current project I'm working on which concerns suicide rates and different factors correlating with them.

Content

The data is broken up by geographic region, country, year and sex. The period covered is 2000-2019.

The total alcohol per capita consumption (APC) comprises both the recorded and the unrecorded APC, which together provide a more accurate estimate of the level of alcohol consumption in a country, and as a result, portray trends of alcohol consumption in the adult population (15 years of age and older) in a more precise way. Drinking alcohol can associated with developing alcohol use disorder or dependence and higher risk of mental and behavioral disorders. It is a major risk for liver cirrhosis, some cancers and cardiovascular diseases as well as injuries resulting from violence and accidents. Beyond health consequences, the harmful use of alcohol brings significant social and economic losses to individuals, their families and society at large.

Total APC is defined as the total (sum of three-year average recorded and three-year average unrecorded APC, adjusted for three-year average tourist consumption) amount of alcohol consumed per adult (15+ years) over a calendar year, in liters of pure alcohol. Recorded alcohol consumption refers to official statistics (production, import, export, and sales or taxation data), while the unrecorded alcohol consumption refers to alcohol which is not taxed and is outside the usual system of governmental control. Tourist consumption takes into account tourists visiting the country and inhabitants visiting other countries. Positive figures denote alcohol consumption of outbound tourists being greater than alcohol consumption by inbound tourists, negative numbers the opposite. Tourist consumption is based on UN tourist statistics.

Acknowledgements

The data is obtained from the World Health Organization Global Health Observatory that is issued under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Intergovernmental Organization (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO) licence. WHO collects and provides access to the huge amount of data that is used by analysts every day. The GHO data repository is WHO's gateway to health-related statistics for its 194 Member States. It provides access to over 1000 indicators on priority health topics.

Photo by Anastasia Zhenina on Unsplash

Inspiration

This dataset is better used with the combination with the other datasets that can help in getting additional insights. While detailed beverage type information is not present in this dataset, total alcohol consumption might be useful in analyzing alcohol consumption differences between countries and get interesting insights combining this data with mental health or tourist behavior, for example.

United States US: Total Alcohol Consumption per Capita: Liters of Pure Alcohol: Projected Estimates: Aged 15+ data was reported at 9.800 Number in 2016. United States US: Total Alcohol Consumption per Capita: Liters of Pure Alcohol: Projected Estimates: Aged 15+ data is updated yearly, averaging 9.800 Number from Dec 2016 (Median) to 2016, with 1 observations. United States US: Total Alcohol Consumption per Capita: Liters of Pure Alcohol: Projected Estimates: Aged 15+ data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Health Statistics. Total alcohol per capita consumption is defined as the total (sum of recorded and unrecorded alcohol) amount of alcohol consumed per person (15 years of age or older) over a calendar year, in litres of pure alcohol, adjusted for tourist consumption.; ; World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).; Weighted Average;

In 2020, the alcohol consumption per capita in Laos amounted to ***** liters per annum. In the same year, the alcohol consumption per capita in Indonesia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh amounted to less than *** liter per annum.

In 2022, Latvia consumed 11.9 liters of alcohol per capita, which was the highest among European countries. Spain had the second-highest alcohol consumption per capita, at 11.8 liters, with Turkey having the lowest at 1.6 liters.

Germany DE: Total Alcohol Consumption per Capita: Liters of Pure Alcohol: Projected Estimates: Aged 15+ data was reported at 11.840 l/Person in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 12.220 l/Person for 2019. Germany DE: Total Alcohol Consumption per Capita: Liters of Pure Alcohol: Projected Estimates: Aged 15+ data is updated yearly, averaging 12.410 l/Person from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2020, with 21 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13.820 l/Person in 2001 and a record low of 11.840 l/Person in 2020. Germany DE: Total Alcohol Consumption per Capita: Liters of Pure Alcohol: Projected Estimates: Aged 15+ data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Total alcohol per capita consumption is defined as the total (sum of recorded and unrecorded alcohol) amount of alcohol consumed per person (15 years of age or older) over a calendar year, in litres of pure alcohol, adjusted for tourist consumption.;World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).;Weighted average;This is the Sustainable Development Goal indicator 3.5.2[https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/].

Norway NO: Total Alcohol Consumption per Capita: Liters of Pure Alcohol: Projected Estimates: Aged 15+ data was reported at 7.500 Number in 2016. Norway NO: Total Alcohol Consumption per Capita: Liters of Pure Alcohol: Projected Estimates: Aged 15+ data is updated yearly, averaging 7.500 Number from Dec 2016 (Median) to 2016, with 1 observations. Norway NO: Total Alcohol Consumption per Capita: Liters of Pure Alcohol: Projected Estimates: Aged 15+ data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Norway – Table NO.World Bank: Health Statistics. Total alcohol per capita consumption is defined as the total (sum of recorded and unrecorded alcohol) amount of alcohol consumed per person (15 years of age or older) over a calendar year, in litres of pure alcohol, adjusted for tourist consumption.; ; World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).; Weighted Average;

Vietnam VN: Total Alcohol Consumption per Capita: Liters of Pure Alcohol: Projected Estimates: Aged 15+ data was reported at 8.300 Number in 2016. Vietnam VN: Total Alcohol Consumption per Capita: Liters of Pure Alcohol: Projected Estimates: Aged 15+ data is updated yearly, averaging 8.300 Number from Dec 2016 (Median) to 2016, with 1 observations. Vietnam VN: Total Alcohol Consumption per Capita: Liters of Pure Alcohol: Projected Estimates: Aged 15+ data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Vietnam – Table VN.World Bank: Health Statistics. Total alcohol per capita consumption is defined as the total (sum of recorded and unrecorded alcohol) amount of alcohol consumed per person (15 years of age or older) over a calendar year, in litres of pure alcohol, adjusted for tourist consumption.; ; World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).; Weighted Average;

Saudi Arabia SA: Total Alcohol Consumption per Capita: Liters of Pure Alcohol: Projected Estimates: Aged 15+ data was reported at 0.200 Number in 2016. Saudi Arabia SA: Total Alcohol Consumption per Capita: Liters of Pure Alcohol: Projected Estimates: Aged 15+ data is updated yearly, averaging 0.200 Number from Dec 2016 (Median) to 2016, with 1 observations. Saudi Arabia SA: Total Alcohol Consumption per Capita: Liters of Pure Alcohol: Projected Estimates: Aged 15+ data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Saudi Arabia – Table SA.World Bank: Health Statistics. Total alcohol per capita consumption is defined as the total (sum of recorded and unrecorded alcohol) amount of alcohol consumed per person (15 years of age or older) over a calendar year, in litres of pure alcohol, adjusted for tourist consumption.; ; World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).; Weighted Average;

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Alcohol has historically, and continues to, hold an important role in social engagement and bonding for many. Social drinking or moderate alcohol consumption for many is pleasurable.

However, alcohol consumption – especially in excess – is linked to a number of negative outcomes: as a risk factor for diseases and health impacts, crime, road incidents, and, for some, alcohol dependence.

This topic page looks at the data on global patterns of alcohol consumption, patterns of drinking, beverage types, the prevalence of alcoholism, and consequences, including crime, mortality, and road incidents.

Related topics:

Data on other drug use can be found on our full topic page here.

Drug use disorders are often classified within the same category as mental health disorders — research and data on mental health can be found on our topic page here.

Support for alcohol dependency

At the end of this topic page, you will find additional resources and guidance if you, or someone you know, needs support in dealing with alcohol dependency.

Alcohol consumption across the world today This interactive map shows the annual average alcohol consumption of alcohol, expressed per person aged 15 years or older. To account for the differences in alcohol content of different alcoholic drinks (e.g., beer, wine, spirits), this is reported in liters of pure alcohol per year.

To make this average more understandable, we can express it in bottles of wine. Wine contains around 12% pure alcohol per volume1 so that one liter of wine contains 0.12 liters of pure alcohol. So, a value of 6 liters of pure alcohol per person per year is equivalent to 50 bottles of wine per year.

As the map shows, the average per capita alcohol consumption varies widely globally.

We see large geographical differences: Alcohol consumption across North Africa and the Middle East is particularly low — in many countries, close to zero. At the upper end of the scale, alcohol intake across Europe is higher.

Share of adults who drink alcohol This interactive map shows the share of adults who drink alcohol. This is given as the share of adults aged 15 years and older who have drunk alcohol within the previous year.

In many countries, the majority of adults drink some alcohol. Across Europe, for example, more than two-thirds do in most countries.

Again, the prevalence of drinking across North Africa and the Middle East is notably lower than elsewhere. Typically, 5 to 10 percent of adults across these regions drank in the preceding year, and in a number of countries, this was below 5 percent.

Alcohol consumption by sex When we look at gender differences, we see that in all countries, men are more likely to drink than women.

Data on the share who drink alcohol by gender and age group in the UK is available here.

Heavy drinking sessions Alcohol consumption – whilst a risk factor for a number of health outcomes – typically has the greatest negative impacts when consumed within heavy sessions.

This pattern of drinking is often termed 'binging,' where individuals consume large amounts of alcohol within a single session versus small quantities more frequently.

Heavy episodic drinking is defined as the proportion of adult drinkers who have had at least 60 grams or more of pure alcohol on at least one occasion in the past 30 days. An intake of 60 grams of pure alcohol is approximately equal to 6 standard alcoholic drinks.

The map shows heavy drinkers – those who had an episode of heavy drinking in the previous 30 days – as a share of total drinkers (i.e., those who have drunk less than one alcoholic drink in the last 12 months are excluded).

The comparison of this map with the previous maps makes clear that heavy drinking is not necessarily most common in the same countries where alcohol consumption is most common.

Data on the prevalence of binge drinking by age and gender in the UK can be found here, and trends in heavy and binge drinking in the USA can be found here.

Share of adults who don't drink alcohol Global trends on alcohol abstinence show a mirror image of drinking prevalence data. This is shown in the charts as the share of adults who had not drunk in the prior year and those who have never drunk alcohol.

Here, we see particularly high levels of alcohol abstinence across North Africa and the Middle East. In most countries in this region, the majority of adults have never drunk alcohol.

Global beer co...

Trinidad and Tobago TT: Total Alcohol Consumption per Capita: Liters of Pure Alcohol: Projected Estimates: Aged 15+ data was reported at 8.400 Number in 2016. Trinidad and Tobago TT: Total Alcohol Consumption per Capita: Liters of Pure Alcohol: Projected Estimates: Aged 15+ data is updated yearly, averaging 8.400 Number from Dec 2016 (Median) to 2016, with 1 observations. Trinidad and Tobago TT: Total Alcohol Consumption per Capita: Liters of Pure Alcohol: Projected Estimates: Aged 15+ data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Trinidad and Tobago – Table TT.World Bank: Health Statistics. Total alcohol per capita consumption is defined as the total (sum of recorded and unrecorded alcohol) amount of alcohol consumed per person (15 years of age or older) over a calendar year, in litres of pure alcohol, adjusted for tourist consumption.; ; World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).; Weighted Average;

This statistic depicts annual per capita alcohol consumption worldwide from 2000 to 2016, broken down by world region. In 2016, per capita alcohol consumption in the European Region was about ** liters of pure alcohol, down from about ** liters in 2010.

Canada CA: Total Alcohol Consumption per Capita: Liters of Pure Alcohol: Projected Estimates: Aged 15+ data was reported at 9.896 l/Person in 2019. This records a decrease from the previous number of 9.917 l/Person for 2015. Canada CA: Total Alcohol Consumption per Capita: Liters of Pure Alcohol: Projected Estimates: Aged 15+ data is updated yearly, averaging 9.896 l/Person from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2019, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 10.213 l/Person in 2010 and a record low of 9.376 l/Person in 2000. Canada CA: Total Alcohol Consumption per Capita: Liters of Pure Alcohol: Projected Estimates: Aged 15+ data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Total alcohol per capita consumption is defined as the total (sum of recorded and unrecorded alcohol) amount of alcohol consumed per person (15 years of age or older) over a calendar year, in litres of pure alcohol, adjusted for tourist consumption.;World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).;Weighted average;This is the Sustainable Development Goal indicator 3.5.2[https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/].

Nigerians consumed over ** liters of alcohol per capita in 2019, making it the leading country in terms of alcohol consumption per capita that year. The Kingdom of Eswatini and South Africa ranked second and third respectively, with just under *** liters per person. Per capita consumption worldwide In 2018, Russia was the leading country and region in terms of alcohol consumption per capita. The average Russian person drank almost twice as many alcoholic servings as the average African person that year. The most sold alcoholic beverages in the Russian Federation in 2018 were beer and malt beverages: over * billion liters of these alcoholic drinks were sold to the population. Illicit alcohol market in Africa The production and consumption of unrecorded alcoholic beverages can be dangerous and, in some instances, lethal. However, it is quite common in Sub Saharan Africa and Asia. Producing alcohol at home is a deeply rooted tradition in certain countries and these locally produced beverages tend to be cheaper than the commercial equivalents. Over ** percent of Uganda’s alcohol market was illicit in 2018, making it the country with the largest illicit alcohol market in Africa.

GapMinder collects data from a handful of sources, including the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the US Census Bureau’s International Database, the United Nations Statistics Division, and the World Bank.

Variable Name & Description of Indicator: * country: Unique Identifier * incomeperperson: Gross Domestic Product per capita in constant 2000 US$. The inflation but not the differences in the cost of living between countries has been taken into account. * alcconsumption: Alcohol consumption per adult (age 15+), litres Recorded and estimated average alcohol consumption, adult (15+) per capita consumption in litres pure alcohol * suicideper100TH: Suicide, age adjusted, per 100,000 Mortality due to self-inflicted injury, per 100,000 standard population, age adjusted * employrate: Total employees age 15+ (% of population) Percentage of total population, age above 15, that has been employed during the given year. * urbanrate: Urban population (% of total) Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices (calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects)

More information is available at www.gapminder.org