Daily Alcohol Intake, By Country

The World Health Organization surveyed people around the world who consider themselves “drinkers”. The average daily intake in grams of “pure alcohol” per day varied widely by country. In some places, a greater proportion of men reported drinking — and in varying amounts — skewing the average totals attributed to “both sexes” by the organization.

Country
Region
Income
Men
Women
Both Sexes
Chad Africa Low-income 80.1 51.2 71.8
UAE Eastern Mediterranean High-income 74.3 37.7 70.9
Gambia Africa Low-income 70.6 47.8 64.1
India South-East Asia Lower-middle-income 70.2 22.4 62.7
Belize Americas Upper-middle-income 67.9 41.9 62.1
Nepal South-East Asia Low-income 78.2 12.0 61.8
Namibia Africa Upper-middle-income 73.4 39.3 59.7
Mali Africa Low-income 74.5 1.3 59.4
South Africa Africa Upper-middle-income 70.7 34.6 58.5
Gabon Africa Upper-middle-income 72.1 32.9 57.7
Ethiopia Africa Low-income 64.7 43.1 57.1
Tunisia Eastern Mediterranean Upper-middle-income 75.7 0.7 56.3
Grenada Americas Upper-middle-income 64.2 42.9 56.0
Moldova Europe Lower-middle-income 76.6 32.1 55.1
South Korea Western Pacific High-income 77.7 21.6 54.9
Côte d'Ivoire Africa Lower-middle-income 59.0 39.4 54.8
Kazakhstan Europe Upper-middle-income 67.1 35.7 53.8
Iran Eastern Mediterranean Upper-middle-income 57.7 33.3 52.1
Sudan Eastern Mediterranean Lower-middle-income 71.4 16.4 51.9
Thailand South-East Asia Upper-middle-income 66.0 11.6 51.9
Uganda Africa Low-income 55.9 42.8 51.7
Lebanon Eastern Mediterranean Upper-middle-income 66.5 23.8 51.5
Tajikistan Europe Lower-middle-income 53.4 46.6 51.5
Lithuania Europe High-income 71.9 29.3 51.0
Poland Europe High-income 67.8 28.4 50.7
Nigeria Africa Lower-middle-income 55.8 38.5 50.1
Djibouti Eastern Mediterranean Lower-middle-income 60.2 20.3 49.4
Qatar Eastern Mediterranean High-income 51.4 25.6 48.7
Russia Europe High-income 69.1 27.4 48.3
Belarus Europe Upper-middle-income 66.9 28.0 48.0
Burundi Africa Low-income 57.9 32.5 48.0
Rwanda Africa Low-income 59.5 31.3 48.0
Portugal Europe High-income 57.9 33.1 47.1
Lesotho Africa Lower-middle-income 55.6 28.9 47.0
Bahrain Eastern Mediterranean High-income 51.9 30.8 46.6
Romania Europe Upper-middle-income 66.1 24.0 46.3
Angola Africa Upper-middle-income 54.1 27.5 45.1
Estonia Europe High-income 65.4 23.8 44.6
Ukraine Europe Lower-middle-income 64.7 24.5 44.2
Ghana Africa Lower-middle-income 50.7 28.9 43.9
Botswana Africa Upper-middle-income 54.8 20.4 43.8
Sri Lanka South-East Asia Lower-middle-income 57.9 6.5 43.6
Saint Lucia Americas Upper-middle-income 51.9 31.0 43.4
Georgia Europe Lower-middle-income 47.7 33.4 43.3
Andorra Europe High-income 57.1 27.4 42.9
Slovakia Europe High-income 62.1 21.8 42.8
Sierra Leone Africa Low-income 55.1 22.6 42.4
Cameroon Africa Lower-middle-income 54.2 22.8 42.0
Saint Kitts Americas High-income 46.8 32.1 41.3
Kenya Africa Lower-middle-income 49.6 21.1 41.2
Serbia Europe Upper-middle-income 58.4 21.4 41.2
Tanzania Africa Low-income 47.8 27.3 39.9
Latvia Europe High-income 57.4 22.0 39.5
Burkina Faso Africa Low-income 49.4 22.0 39.2
Niue Western Pacific Low-income 52.0 17.1 39.2
Cabo Verde Africa Lower-middle-income 49.9 20.1 38.6
North Korea Western Pacific Low-income 51.7 7.1 38.5
Finland Europe High-income 50.8 24.7 38.4
Afghanistan Eastern Mediterranean Low-income 52.7 8.8 38.3
C. African Rep. Africa Low-income 39.8 33.1 37.8
Turkey Europe Upper-middle-income 42.7 19.5 37.8
Viet Nam Western Pacific Lower-middle-income 59.6 2.3 37.7
Slovenia Europe High-income 48.3 24.7 37.4
Bulgaria Europe Upper-middle-income 52.5 18.9 36.8
Morocco Eastern Mediterranean Lower-middle-income 47.0 7.8 36.6
Hungary Europe High-income 51.7 20.8 36.4
Equ. Guinea Africa High-income 43.2 22.2 36.0
Syria Eastern Mediterranean Lower-middle-income 47.0 5.1 35.3
Denmark Europe High-income 46.0 23.0 35.2
Spain Europe High-income 46.6 22.4 35.0
Liberia Africa Low-income 38.8 23.0 33.9
Croatia Europe High-income 41.7 22.8 33.3
Argentina Americas High-income 41.3 22.3 33.1
Brazil Americas Upper-middle-income 42.8 19.5 33.1
Greece Europe High-income 43.7 21.4 33.1
Laos Western Pacific Lower-middle-income 45.6 13.6 33.1
Venezuela Americas High-income 39.4 23.2 32.8
China Western Pacific Upper-middle-income 40.3 16.4 32.7
Ecuador Americas Upper-middle-income 40.2 20.2 32.6
Czech Rep. Europe High-income 43.9 20.4 32.5
Jordan Eastern Mediterranean Upper-middle-income 36.3 19.2 32.4
Mongolia Western Pacific Upper-middle-income 44.8 13.3 32.4
Oman Eastern Mediterranean High-income 34.3 25.5 32.4
World Average 40.5 17.8 32.1
Germany Europe High-income 44.1 19.4 31.7
Ireland Europe High-income 42.7 19.9 31.7
Peru Americas Upper-middle-income 40.1 18.6 31.5
Zimbabwe Africa Low-income 46.4 6.1 31.4
Australia Western Pacific High-income 42.5 19.4 31.3
Chile Americas High-income 40.8 19.7 31.1
Palau Western Pacific Upper-middle-income 42.4 13.2 31.1
Paraguay Americas Upper-middle-income 37.8 21.8 31.1
Cambodia Western Pacific Low-income 42.9 12.8 31.0
Cook Islands Western Pacific High-income 40.4 13.3 30.4
Guyana Americas Lower-middle-income 36.1 21.1 29.9
U.K. Europe High-income 40.9 18.4 29.8
Austria Europe High-income 40.9 18.2 29.6
New Zealand Western Pacific High-income 40.0 18.2 29.4
Congo Africa Lower-middle-income 31.9 22.4 29.3
Canada Americas High-income 40.8 16.3 28.9
Guinea-Bissau Africa Low-income 31.5 22.2 28.9
Panama Americas Upper-middle-income 34.6 20.7 28.9
Maldives South-East Asia Upper-middle-income 35.3 5.5 28.8
Trinidad/Tobago Americas High-income 33.7 21.2 28.8
USA Americas High-income 39.1 16.9 28.7
Zambia Africa Lower-middle-income 31.8 20.6 28.7
Sweden Europe High-income 36.9 18.5 28.4
Swaziland Africa Lower-middle-income 42.0 7.1 28.1
Dem. Rep. Congo Africa Low-income 30.4 21.8 28.0
France Europe High-income 39.9 16.6 27.9
Colombia Americas Upper-middle-income 32.9 20.2 27.8
Suriname Americas Upper-middle-income 32.4 20.7 27.8
Belgium Europe High-income 38.4 17.0 27.7
Luxembourg Europe High-income 38.3 16.9 27.6
Malawi Africa Low-income 34.3 10.1 27.6
Seychelles Africa High-income 34.2 16.0 27.6
Albania Europe Upper-middle-income 37.2 15.2 27.5
Mexico Americas Upper-middle-income 39.0 12.2 27.5
Bahamas Americas High-income 32.4 19.9 27.4
Madagascar Africa Low-income 29.2 21.2 27.2
Uruguay Americas High-income 34.3 18.1 27.2
Dominican Rep. Americas Upper-middle-income 31.8 20.1 27.1
Mozambique Africa Low-income 28.2 24.2 27.0
Nauru Western Pacific High-income 30.8 16.1 27.0
Philippines Western Pacific Lower-middle-income 36.1 11.0 26.5
Dominica Americas Upper-middle-income 31.6 18.9 26.4
Bosnia/Herzegovina Europe Upper-middle-income 41.0 6.3 26.2
Switzerland Europe High-income 35.7 16.4 26.2
Uzbekistan Europe Lower-middle-income 28.4 16.3 25.7
Haiti Americas Low-income 32.3 14.5 25.1
Macedonia Europe Upper-middle-income 32.1 14.5 24.9
Mauritius Africa Upper-middle-income 28.7 15.4 24.5
Bolivia Americas Lower-middle-income 31.4 14.0 24.4
Netherlands Europe High-income 32.6 15.6 24.4
Malta Europe High-income 29.3 17.0 24.0
Algeria Africa Upper-middle-income 25.7 17.4 23.5
Cyprus Europe High-income 29.2 15.9 23.3
Turkmenistan Europe Upper-middle-income 25.3 16.3 23.3
Kyrgyzstan Europe Lower-middle-income 28.8 14.3 23.2
Jamaica Americas Upper-middle-income 26.9 17.2 23.1
Malaysia Western Pacific Upper-middle-income 29.0 6.5 22.8
Costa Rica Americas Upper-middle-income 26.2 17.1 22.7
Japan Western Pacific High-income 29.2 14.6 22.4
Barbados Americas High-income 28.5 14.6 22.3
Iceland Europe High-income 28.6 14.6 22.1
Nicaragua Americas Lower-middle-income 31.1 8.4 22.0
Senegal Africa Lower-middle-income 23.0 13.7 21.7
Italy Europe High-income 25.6 14.4 20.7
Kiribati Western Pacific Lower-middle-income 27.7 4.5 20.6
Iraq Eastern Mediterranean Upper-middle-income 27.1 6.0 20.1
Guatemala Americas Lower-middle-income 30.1 3.4 19.5
Norway Europe High-income 25.1 12.9 19.5
Papua N. Guinea Western Pacific Lower-middle-income 23.6 9.7 19.2
Somalia Eastern Mediterranean Low-income 22.3 8.6 19.2
Cuba Americas Upper-middle-income 26.7 6.9 18.5
Myanmar South-East Asia Lower-middle-income 24.2 0.6 18.4
Honduras Americas Lower-middle-income 20.9 13.8 18.2
Armenia Europe Lower-middle-income 20.7 12.7 17.9
Guinea Africa Low-income 23.4 4.2 17.9
Antigua/Barbuda Americas High-income 22.9 11.6 17.8
Bangladesh South-East Asia Lower-middle-income 18.0 11.4 17.6
Samoa Western Pacific Lower-middle-income 25.7 3.8 17.6
Micronesia Western Pacific Lower-middle-income 25.7 3.5 17.4
Timor-Leste South-East Asia Lower-middle-income 19.6 6.9 16.8
Indonesia South-East Asia Lower-middle-income 20.8 4.5 15.9
El Salvador Americas Lower-middle-income 19.5 10.7 15.8
Fiji Western Pacific Upper-middle-income 23.3 3.4 15.8
Bhutan South-East Asia Lower-middle-income 17.0 5.2 14.9
Tuvalu Western Pacific Upper-middle-income 15.8 7.4 13.3
Yemen Eastern Mediterranean Lower-middle-income 16.0 7.8 13.2
Egypt Eastern Mediterranean Lower-middle-income 17.5 0.5 11.8
Benin Africa Low-income 15.0 6.5 11.7
Niger Africa Low-income 11.9 9.2 11.4
Solomon Islands Western Pacific Lower-middle-income 15.1 3.2 11.4
Azerbaijan Europe Upper-middle-income 13.1 7.6 11.1
Israel Europe High-income 14.4 5.5 10.8
Tonga Western Pacific Upper-middle-income 14.2 2.1 10.3
Mauritania Africa Lower-middle-income 13.4 1.3 9.3
Vanuatu Western Pacific Lower-middle-income 12.2 2.2 9.1
Saudi Arabia Eastern Mediterranean High-income 8.6 6.4 8.0
Togo Africa Low-income 12.0 3.4 8.0
Singapore Western Pacific High-income 10.0 4.4 7.9
Brunei Western Pacific High-income 13.9 0.9 7.6
Eritrea Africa Low-income 8.3 1.7 5.2
Libya Eastern Mediterranean Upper-middle-income 6.9 1.3 5.0
Comoros Africa Low-income 4.9 3.2 4.5
Pakistan Eastern Mediterranean Lower-middle-income 4.0 0.8 3.0
Kuwait Eastern Mediterranean High-income 3.2 0.6 2.9

Notes

Regions assigned by the World Health Organization. Data represent average daily intake of alcohol in 2010 among people who reported themselves as “drinkers”. View the metadata here.

Data: World Health Organization

Credit: Matt Stiles/The Daily Viz