Vodka is native to Russia, even though there are lots of countries on Earth that make vodka, so it should come as no surprise that Russia consumes more vodka than any other country on Earth.
Looking at the amount of alcohol consumed per person aged 15 years or older, the Seychelles is in first place with around 20.5 litres of alcohol drunk per person per year, according to Our World in Data; studies show that young male peer groups primarily drink high amounts of alcohol in the Seychelles.
The Vodka Belt is a region of the world where the largest amount of vodka is both produced and consumed. This region is located in Northern Europe and Asia and includes countries such as Poland, Scandinavia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, Belarus, and even parts of Russia.
The Russians drink some 17.3 shots of vodka per month on average, according to data from Euromonitor. That's easily the most in the world.
Key statistics
191.2 million litres of pure alcohol was available for consumption. This equates to 9.51 litres of pure alcohol available per person. 12.43 litres per person was consumed by the 77% of persons who consumed alcohol last year.
Caucasians have a higher rate of current alcohol use (at the time of the 2013 NSDUH) than any other race demographic, with 57.7% of individuals aged 12 and older reporting past-month alcohol consumption.
The national drink is an inseparable part of Russian social life. Vodka is drunk everywhere, with the intention of breaking down inhibitions and producing a state of conviviality Russians refer to as dusha-dushe (soul-to-soul).
Vodka is native to Russia, even though there are lots of countries on Earth that make vodka, so it should come as no surprise that Russia consumes more vodka than any other country on Earth.
Alcoholism has been a problem throughout the country's history because drinking is a pervasive, socially acceptable behaviour in Russian society and alcohol has also been a major source of government revenue for centuries. It has repeatedly been targeted as a major national problem, with mixed results.
Australian vodka has come a long way in recent years. No longer the humble, homemade spirit it once was, vodka produced Down Under is now worldwide. But given its rise, the competition is not more fierce than it used to be, so it can be challenging to distinguish between them and choose your favorite one.
Poland was technically the first country to create vodka, but it was pretty different from what consumers purchase today. There is proof that the Polish distilled vodka during the 8th century; however, they used wine instead of water. The result was similar to brandy or cognac.
The 2021 Global Drugs Survey, which accepts submissions via an anonymous online survey, found that Australians got drunk 26.7 times a year, far higher than the second-ranking country, Denmark, on 23.8 times. The global average for getting drunk was 14.6 times per year.
Q: What country has the most drunk driving accidents? South Africa has the highest rate of drunk driving fatalities globally, with 25.1 deaths per 100,000 total population. In the US, Wyoming is the state with the highest drunk driving crashes, with 7.60 fatalities per 100,000 people.
The top 10 countries that consume the least alcohol across the WHO European Region are Tajikistan (0.9 litres), Azerbaijan (1.0), Turkey (1.8), Uzbekistan (2.6), Turkmenistan (3.1), Israel (4.4), Armenia (4.7), Kazakhstan (5.0), Albania (6.8), and North Macedonia (6.4).
The "vodka belt" countries of Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe are the historic home of vodka. These countries have the highest vodka consumption in the world.
Smirnoff
Unsurprisingly, Smirnoff remains the world's biggest-selling vodka brand at 28.1m cases. The Diageo-owned brand's 6% increase prompted us to name it this year's Vodka Brand Champion. The brand maintained growth to deliver its best year to date – and it continues to be the category leader by volume.
Lead researcher Sir Richard Peto of Oxford University said the average Russian adult drinks 20 liters of vodka per year while the average Briton drinks about three liters of spirits.
The symbolic move is meant to show support for Ukraine, after Russia invaded. The governors of Ohio, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Utah ordered boycotts of Russian-style vodkas, products that account for a tiny fraction of the US vodka market.
It was introduced at the beginning of World War I with a belief that it would prevent the army from dealing with drunken soldiers. Other warring countries (e.g. the United Kingdom, France, and Germany) imposed certain restrictions on alcoholic drinks, but only Russia completely stopped the retail sale of vodka.
Russia: Kvass is a traditional fermented non-alcoholic beverage commonly made from rye bread, and while kvass is seen as the national non-alcoholic drink, it is vodka that most Russians identify as their national alcoholic beverage.
We observed ethnic, gender and age-specific differences in the alcohol consumption patterns. Asian respondents were consistently the least likely to engage in drinking behavior, and non-Hispanic white respondents the most likely.
Genetics of alcohol dehydrogenase indicate resistance has arisen independently in different cultures. In North America, Native Americans have the highest probability of developing an alcohol use disorder compared to Europeans and Asians.
Unsurprisingly, the most densely populated states in the U.S. consume the most alcohol by volume. California leads the pack with 85.7 million gallons consumed in 2020. Texas, Florida, New York, and Illinois round out the remainder of the top five. Conversely, Wyoming, Alaska, and South Dakota consume the least.