Countries that drink the least alcohol per capita, often near zero, include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Mauritania, Somalia, and Bangladesh, due to legal prohibitions and cultural/religious restrictions (like Sharia law) that ban or heavily restrict alcohol, with Libya, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Iran also reporting extremely low levels.
For reference, a standard drink is measured at 14 grams of pure ethanol alcohol in the United States. The data showed a four-way tie between Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Mauritania, and Somalia as the countries that consumed the least amount of alcohol per capita.
Russia and Australia have the highest prevalence of alcohol dependence overall, with 2.61 per cent and 2.58 per cent, respectively. According to the WHO, US has the lowest rate of alcohol dependence with only 1.92 per cent.
Pakistan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Mauritania, Libya, the Maldives, Iran, Kuwait, Brunei, and Bangladesh also have alcohol bans, as do some states in India (India is a Hindu-majority country but has a sizeable Muslim population).
The lowest rate of current drinking was among Hispanic women at 38.0% (95%CI= 34.1, 42.0), who also had a high rate of lifetime abstention at 40.8% (95%CI= 37.1, 44.6). Black women also had a low rate of current drinking at 44.2% (95%CI= 40.0, 48.5), but abstainers were more likely to be former drinkers in this group.
Whites and Native Americans have a greater risk for alcohol use disorders relative to other ethnic groups. However, once alcohol dependence occurs, Blacks and Hispanics experience higher rates than Whites of recurrent or persistent dependence.
A dry county is a designated area where the sale of alcoholic beverages is prohibited by local government regulations. This prohibition can apply to both off-premises sales (like liquor stores) and on-premises sales (such as bars and restaurants).
Currently, alcohol prohibition is enforced in many Muslim majority countries, in parts of India, and in some Indigenous American and Indigenous Australian communities and certain northern communities in the Canadian territories.
Drinking alcohol is legal in Dubai on two conditions: either you drink in an establishment with a valid alcohol license, or you obtain an individual license to consume alcoholic beverages in a private place. Keep in mind that it is prohibited to consume alcoholic drinks in public spaces!
A person who practises (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is known as a teetotaller (British English) or teetotaler (American English) and is said to be teetotal. Globally, in 2016, 57% of adults did not drink alcohol in the past year, and 44.5% had never consumed alcohol.
In 2019, the top 10 European countries with the highest alcohol consumption per capita were Czechia (14.3 litres), Latvia (13.2), Moldova (12.9), Germany (12.8), Lithuania (12.8), Ireland (12.7), Spain (12.7), Bulgaria (12.5), Luxembourg (12.4), and Romania (12.3).
List Of Countries That Drink The Most Alcohol
🥂 As Canadians, for many years, we have been told that the LCBO (the government run purchaser and distributer of alcohol beverages in Ontario) is the largest purchaser of alcohol in the entire world. It has even been repeated recently by Premier Ford publicly.
The 1-2-3 drinking rule is a guideline for moderation: 1 drink per hour, no more than 2 drinks per occasion, and at least 3 alcohol-free days each week, helping to pace consumption and stay within safer limits. It emphasizes pacing alcohol intake with water and food, knowing standard drink sizes (12oz beer, 5oz wine, 1.5oz spirits), and avoiding daily drinking to reduce health risks, though some health guidance suggests even lower limits.
In 2019, one in twelve people in the EU consumed alcohol on a daily basis. In 2019, among the EU population, almost one in five of those who drink alcohol had an episode of heavy drinking at least once a month. In 2019, slightly more than one quarter of the EU population did not drink any alcohol.
Drinking alcohol is illegal for Muslims. Non-Muslims are allowed to drink in Pakistan, but you must get a licence from the authorities. It is also illegal for non-Muslims to supply alcohol to Muslims. Public drinking and drunkenness are illegal and can lead to detention.
Alcohol and Intoxication: While pondering "Can you drink on your balcony in Dubai?", note that consuming alcohol on private balconies is permissible but should not disturb neighbors or public decorum.
Countries Where Alcohol is Illegal
There are no nationwide alcohol bans being enforced in the country, with the exception of Kelantan and Terengganu which is only for Muslims. The Islamic party respects the rights of non-Muslims and non-Muslim establishments like Chinese restaurants and grocery shops are excluded from such bans.
The Qur'an explicitly forbids drinking and a reliable hadith forbids even indirect association with alcohol; working from these principles, muftis have no choice but to tell some questioners that they must quit their jobs although they do not have to divorce their spouses or shun family members who drink.
Some religions — such as Mormonism, Islam, and some schools of Buddhism — consider any form of drinking to be a sin or an immoral behavior.
In Germany, the minimum age for consuming and purchasing beer and wine is 16 years old. However, for spirits and drinks containing spirits, the minimum age is 18 years old.
Alcohol laws and bans
The drinking and sale of alcohol is banned in Somalia.
Saudi Arabia stands out as one of the rare nations where the official ban on alcohol consumption remains in place. This stance aligns with Saudi Arabia's well-established commitment to upholding Islamic law and preserving its conservative cultural values.