In 2024, around 19 percent of Canadian adults were considered heavy alcohol drinkers. Males who consumed five or more drinks, or females who consumed four or more drinks, on one occasion at least once a month in the past year were considered heavy alcohol drinkers. Alcohol health risks Heavy or excessive alcohol use can lead to a number of health problems. Long-term health risks from excessive alcohol use include high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, and certain cancers. Liver disease is also a well-known health risk that can result from alcohol abuse. Long-term alcohol abuse can cause the liver to become swollen and inflamed, which can lead to scarring called cirrhosis. The death rate for chronic liver disease in Canada has increased steadily over the last couple of decades, with around 11 deaths per 100,000 population in 2023.

Number and percentage of persons being heavy drinkers, by age group and sex.

As of July 2018, Quebec is the province where Canadians consume alcohol most frequently – some ** percent of survey respondents stated that they drink alcohol at least once a week. In comparison, ** percent of respondents, less than half of those in Quebec, claimed that they drank alcohol at least once a week in Atlantic Canada.

Other factors impacting alcohol consumption

It is clear from the given statistic that alcohol consumption frequency varies quite widely between provinces. The same survey compared Canadians’ drinking habits based on their political party, income and education level. The main takeaways from the survey were that Liberal voters, high earners and/or university graduates were more likely to consume alcohol more often.

Provincial per capita consumption

Despite Quebecois claiming to drink alcohol most frequently out of all the provinces, consumers in the Northwest Territories bought the most alcohol in the 2017/18 fiscal year - Canadians spent, on average, ******* Canadian dollars per capita on alcoholic beverages there in that year. Comparatively, consumers in Quebec spent ***** Canadian dollars per capita on alcohol.

Volume from spirits-based ready-to-drink alcohol beverages in Canada declined in 2022 for the first time after growing year after year since 2016. In 2023, sales volume increased to nearly 30 million cases.

This statistic shows the most common alcohol drinking occasions among consumers in Canada as of May 2015. During the survey, it was found that ** percent of alcoholic beverages were consumed while respondents were having an every day meal.

Alcohol consumption in Canada - additional information

Alcohol consumption in Canada is both a cultural norm and a large contributor to the Canadian economy. The average annual household expenditure on alcoholic beverages in Canada from 2010 to 2014 shows that the average Canadian household spends between *** and *** Canadian dollars a year on alcohol. Among these purchases, beer was the most popular choice. In May 2015, ** percent of Canadians said they drank beer while ** and ** percent said they drank wine and spirits respectively.

Of the Canadian provinces, Ontario was the biggest beer consumer, purchasing over 8000 hectoliters in 2015 compared with the population of Quebec in second who collectively drank around 5940 hectoliters of beer. Consumption also varies across the age and gender groups in Canada. Men across all age groups drink more than their female counter-parts, with men aged 19 to 34 being the biggest consumer of any age gender group.

Regardless of one’s choice of alcohol beverage, alcohol consumption has the potential to be harmful to a person’s health when consumed in large quantities. Therefore health professionals and policy-makers will welcome the fact that from 2013 to 2014 the percentage of Canadians considered heavy alcoholic drinkers decreased from **** percent to **** percent.

This table contains 18480 series, with data for years 1994 - 1998 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years). This table contains data described by the following dimensions (not all combinations are available): Geography (11 items: Canada; Prince Edward Island; Nova Scotia; Newfoundland and Labrador ...), Age group (14 items: Total; 12 years and over; 15-19 years; 12-19 years; 12-14 years ...), Sex (3 items: Both sexes; Males; Females ...), Frequency of having 5 or more drinks on one occasion (5 items: Total population for the variable population reporting drinking;5 or more drinks on one occasion; 12 or more times a year;5 or more drinks on one occasion; less than 12 times a year; Never 5 or more drinks on one occasion ...), Characteristics (8 items: Number of persons; High 95% confidence interval - number of persons; Coefficient of variation for number of persons; Low 95% confidence interval - number of persons ...).

This table contains 1410 series, with data for years 1990 - 1998 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years), and was last released on 2007-01-29. This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (30 items: Austria; Belgium (Flemish speaking);Belgium (French speaking);Belgium ...), Sex (2 items: Males; Females ...), Age group (3 items: 11 years;13 years;15 years ...), Activity (2 items: Tasted an alcoholic beverage; Been really drunk ...), Frequency (8 items: Yes;2 to 3 times;Once;4 to 10 times ...).

The value of total per capita sales of all alcoholic beverages in Canada saw a decrease in 2024 in comparison to the previous year and dropped to around 774.1 Canadian dollars. The value of total per capita sales had reached its highest value in the observed period in 2023.

This table contains 406 series, with data for years 1950 - 31-MAR-13 not all combinations necessarily have data for all years), and was last released on 2015-05-04. This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (15 items: Canada;Prince Edward Island;Nova Scotia;Newfoundland and Labrador ...), Type of sales (2 items: Total sales;Total per capita sales ...), Type of beverage (4 items: Total alcoholic beverages;Spirits;Wines;Beer ...), Value and volume (2 items: Value in dollars;Volume in litres ...), Type of product (3 items: Total products;Import products;Canadian products ...).

This public use microdata file (PUMF) is from the Canadian Alcohol and Drugs Survey and includes information about the use of substances, including alcohol, cannabis and other drugs. This product is for users who prefer to do their own analysis by focusing on specific subgroups in the population or by cross-classifying variables that were not the focus of our release in The Daily.

Sales and per capita sales of alcoholic beverages by liquor authorities and other retail outlets, by value, volume, and absolute volume, annual, 5 most recent time periods.

This statistic shows the results of a survey conducted by Cint on the average alcohol consumption in a week in Canada between 2016 and 2018. In 2018, ***** percent of respondents of Canada stated they have * to * drinks a week.

This table contains 3970 series, with data for years 1990 - 1998 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years). This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (30 items: Austria; Belgium; Belgium (Flemish speaking);Belgium (French speaking) ...), Sex (2 items: Males; Females ...), Age group (3 items: 11 years;13 years;15 years ...), Activity (5 items: Smoke tobacco; Drink liquor; Drink wine; Drink beer ...), Frequency (8 items: Do not smoke; Every week (alcohol only);Every day; Never drink ...).

Alcoholic beverage retailers have historically enjoyed little volatility, benefitting from consumers' unique relationship with alcoholic beverages: Consumers celebrate good times with a drink and commiserate during the bad times over drinks. However, even alcoholic beverage sales were not immune to the pandemic's volatile touch. Retailers experienced swift shifts in sales, with consumers flocking to their stores during nonessential business closures and social distancing measures, and then ditching them as on-premise establishments reopened. In the pandemic's wake, retailers have contended with heightened competition and weakening alcohol consumption rates. As a result, sales have been trickling in much slower than before the pandemic. Over the past five years, revenue has been expanding at a CAGR of 0.6% and is expected to reach $28.3 billion in 2024, when it will climb just 0.4%. Province- and territory-run alcoholic beverage retailers largely dominate the landscape, benefiting from regulatory hurdles that limit small, niche retailers from entering the market. Stringent alcohol labeling requirements and interprovincial alcohol distribution regulations have prevented many privately operated alcohol retailers from entering the market. Also, each province and territory sets price floors that restaurants, bars, supermarkets and other alcohol retailers must charge for alcohol. The unique circumstances have enabled retailers to maintain astoundingly high profit, but they've also hindered the ability for national expansion, keeping concentration low. Over the next five years, alcoholic beverage retailers will contend with heightened competition as more external retailers, like supermarkets and convenience stores, gain permission to sell alcoholic products. More retailers will compete for fewer dollars as alcohol consumption steadily weakens in the coming years, prodded along by even greater health awareness. Weaker growth will attract fewer new entrants to the field, and the average shop will likely downsize further to manage costs. Revenue is forecast to expand at a tepid CAGR of 0.2% over the next five years, reaching $28.5 billion in 2029.

The main objective of this survey is to collect information on Canadians’ use of alcohol and drugs. Health Canada and other organizations will use the information to monitor changes in alcohol and drug use. The other objectives of the Canadian Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CADS) are the following: to measure frequency of alcohol use, to measure frequency of cannabis use, to measure frequency of use of other drugs and to measure potential harmful effects of using alcohol, cannabis and other drugs. The CADS is the only Statistics Canada survey that meets Health Canada’s need for continuous and detailed information on drug consumption and drinking prevalence by province, sex or age group, for age groups 15 to 19, 20 to 24 and 25 and over.

This table contains 49 series, with data for years 1993 - 31-MAR-13 not all combinations necessarily have data for all years), and was last released on 2015-05-04. This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (22 items: Canada;Australia;Chile;France ...), Value and volume (2 items: Value in dollars (Canada only);Volume in litres ...), Imports and exports (2 items: Imports;Exports ...), Type of beverage (3 items: Spirits;Wines;Beer ...).

In 2023, around ** percent of Canadians aged between 18 and 34 years were considered heavy alcohol drinkers, a significant increase from the previous year. Males who consumed **** or more drinks, or females who consumed **** or more drinks, on one occasion at least once a month in the past year were considered heavy alcohol drinkers.

In 2023, some **** percent of men and **** percent of women residing in Newfoundland and Labrador were considered heavy drinkers, the share was significantly higher than the average for men in Canada. Males who consumed **** or more drinks, or females who consumed **** or more drinks, on one occasion at least once a month in the past year were considered heavy alcohol drinkers.

Sales of alcoholic beverages of liquor authorities and other retail outlets, by value, volume, and beverage type

Percentage of adults (19 years and older) who reported alcohol use in the past year, binge drinking, exceeding weekly limits, and heavy drinking by sociodemographic characteristics, Ottawa, 2013–2014.