Alcohol consumption per person - Top 10 countries (1960 - 2016)

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. Globally alcohol consumption causes 2.8 million premature deaths per year.

This entry looks at the data on global patterns of alcohol consumption.

The annual global average alcohol consumption is 6.4 liters per person older than 15 (in 2016). 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 the 6.4 liter average more understandable we can express it in bottles of wine. Wine contains around 12% of pure alcohol per volume. so that one liter of wine contains 0.12 liters of pure alcohol. The global average of 6.4 liters of pure alcohol per person per year therefore equals 53 bottles of wine per person older than 15 (6.4l / 0.12l). Or to make it more memorable, around 1 liter of wine per week.

Source : WHO, Our world in data