It's official: Australians are the heaviest drinkers on the planet.
Alcohol consumption is higher, according to WHO studies, than in most European countries and several Central Asian and African countries, although consumption is just as high in Australia as in North America.
Australia was above the OECD average for litres per capita of alcohol available for consumption by people aged 15 and over, at 9.5 compared with 8.4 litres per capita in 2021 (OECD 2022).
Belarus, a country that drinks the most liters of pure alcohol than any other country in the world, was also classified as having one the riskiest pattern of drinking.
Alcohol is an intrinsic part of Australian culture and it plays a central role in most people's social lives. Heavy drinking is seen as acceptable in almost all social situations, from weddings to sports matches, and even at funerals or baby showers.
Approximately 84 per cent of Australians drink alcohol at least once in a 12-month period, compared to 83.9 per cent in the UK and 68.9 per cent in the US. However, the UK leads the way with alcohol abuse problems.
Australian drinking culture
Drinking is arguably a big part of Australian culture.
Australian Capital Territory – permanent alcohol-free places (legislation) New South Wales – Sydney alcohol restrictions (for other areas, find the council it's in and go to their website) Northern Territory – where you can't drink in the NT and about dry areas.
Men are far more likely to drink heavily than women, with 42% of men reporting heavy drinking levels compared to 25% of women.
Which Race Has The Highest Alcohol Tolerance? There is no particular race that has the highest alcohol tolerance, only races that may be circumstantially predisposed to higher rates of alcoholism than others.
Alcohol Consumption in the United States
Globally, the United States ranks 25th for alcohol consumption, with about 8.7 liters of pure alcohol consumed per person per year. This is above the global average of 8.3 liters.
Afghanistan. According to the World Health Organization, pure alcohol consumption in Afghanistan is almost non-existent, with a record of 0.013 liters in 2019. Men consumed at least 0.022 liters, while women almost had an insignificant consumption of 0.003 liters.
The country that drinks the most beer per capita is the Czech Republic. It has topped the list for almost 30 years straight, since 1993. The Czechs drink on average 181.7L of beer per year per person.
Variant alleles of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH1B) genes are prevalent in individuals of Asian heritage and have been associated with an increased level of response to alcohol and a decreased risk for alcohol dependence.
They found that the ratio of DUI convictions compared to alcohol-impaired driving was 1.66 times higher for Latino/Hispanic men compared to white men. The data did not show significant differences for Blacks/African Americans, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders or Native Americans/Alaska Natives.
Australia's national alcohol guidelines use the 'standard drink' as a measure of alcohol consumed. One standard drink is defined as containing 10 grams of alcohol. The number of standard drinks in a serving of alcohol varies between type, size, brand, packaged or poured drinks. If you are unsure, read the label.
You can get: up to eight penalty units for being drunk in a public place. up to 20 penalty units or three days in jail if it is the first time you are drunk and disorderly. up to 20 penalty units or one month in jail if you have been found to be drunk and disorderly before.
Drink driving is a factor in about one in every seven crashes in NSW where someone is killed so if you are wondering about how much alcohol you can drink and still be safe to drive the simple and safe answer is, zero. Legally, NSW has three blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits: zero, under 0.02 and under 0.05.
After a big night out you may still be over your legal alcohol limit for much of the next day. After a heavy night of drinking, it can take more than 18 hours for your blood alcohol concentration to get back to zero.
The United States driving limit is also 0.08% and the offence of driving under the influence of alcohol is known as a DUI.