At our Scottsdale rehabilitation and treatment centers, we are dedicated to guiding individuals through the journey of overcoming addiction. In South Africa and Papua New Guinea, more than half of all traffic deaths are attributable to alcohol consumption. As we see, following prohibition, levels of alcohol consumption returned to similar levels as in the pre-prohibition period. Data on the share who don’t drink alcohol by gender and age group in the UK is available here. Here, we see particularly high levels of alcohol abstinence across North Africa and the Middle East. In most countries in this region, the majority of adults have never drunk alcohol.

Less underage drinking

Law is the system of rules and regulations that govern human behavior and interactions within a society. This category includes metrics such as the rule of law, judicial independence, and access to justice. Other factors such as legal framework, human rights protection, and enforcement capacity are also included. In most countries, men drink at least three times as much alcohol, on average, as women. For example, Czechia’s combined average is 14.6 liters, but the per-gender averages are 6.9 liters for women and 22.0 liters for men (both of which are global highs). In Turkmenistan, for instance, men drink 5.26 liters/year, more than five times as much as women (1.03 liters/year).

• Barbados is an eastern Caribbean island and part of an independent British commonwealth nation founded in November of 1966.
• The rates are higher in Washington, with $14.27 for distilled spirits, $0.26 for beer, and $0.87 for wine.
• A 2021 study found that the countries with the highest beer consumption per capita tend to have a minimum drinking age between 16 and 18.
• Crime and safety are important factors that can impact social, economic, and political stability.

What is the legal drinking age in Europe?

All visualizations, data, and code produced by Our World in Data are completely open access under the Creative Commons BY license. You have the permission to use, distribute, and reproduce these in any medium, provided the source and authors are credited. The total estimated number of deaths by country from 1990 to 2019 is found here. When we look at the variance in prevalence across age groups, we see that globally, the prevalence is highest in those aged between 15 and 49 years old.

Your well-being matters. Reclaim your peace from alcohol.

For example, one handle of vodka (1.75 liters) contains about 300 milliliters of pure alcohol, and the average 12oz beer or 5oz glass of wine contains roughly 0.6 oz (.0178 liters/17.8 ml) of pure alcohol. Legal drinking ages reflect a complex mix of cultural, social, and public health considerations. Some countries enforce strict laws prohibiting any alcohol consumption, while others have no formal age limits at all. Motivated by this understanding, a study by scientists posits that setting a lower minimum drinking age facilitates greater access to alcohol among adolescents.

Con 2: Alcohol consumption before age 21 is irresponsible and dangerous.

Drug use disorders are often classified within the same category as mental health disorders — research and data on mental health can be found on our topic page here. In this article, we will examine the drinking laws in the United States and compare them with those in other countries. Travellers would do well to check local regulations before purchasing alcohol – what is legal in Luxembourg at 16 may still be illegal in Texas at 21, and entirely forbidden in Riyadh. The range is striking – an eight-year difference between the youngest and oldest legal drinkers. Add in countries that ban alcohol entirely, and you have a picture of remarkable global divergence. The United States has enforced 21 nationwide since 1984, credited with reducing drink-driving fatalities but still debated domestically.

This article provides an overview of the legal drinking and consent ages across different parts of the world, drawing on a variety of examples. In the chart, we see data across some countries on the share of people with an alcohol use disorder who received treatment. This data is based on estimates of prevalence and treatment published by the World Health Organization (WHO). The chart shows direct death rates (not including suicide deaths) from alcohol use disorders across the world.

• And of course, in many of the nations with set minimum drinking ages, minors are able to purchase and drink alcohol very easily.
• This interactive map shows the annual average alcohol consumption of alcohol, expressed per person aged 15 years or older.
• This increase in youth drinking can have both immediate and long-term consequences, including higher risks of drunk driving, addiction, and negative effects on brain development.
• These rules were put in place to protect those of us with less than stellar impulse control and who might be prone to substance abuse.
• When we went to Spain in high school there was no drinking age, but now that my daughter will be traveling abroad this article is of no help to find out if things have changed.

The legal drinking age refers to the minimum age at which a young person is legally permitted to purchase or consume alcoholic beverages. These age limits are set by governments to balance individual freedom with the need to protect public health, especially among young people. Some allow alcohol consumption at 16 years old, while others have strict age limits or ban it altogether. Understanding the global landscape of age laws helps illuminate how culture, religion, and public health priorities shape national policy. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act mandates that the legal drinking age in all 50 U.S. states is 21.

When you’re arrested you’ll be given a court date to face your charges. You have the right to fight the charges in court, aided by an experienced DUI attorney. After your license is restored, you may have to deal with a variety of restrictions, like taking a breathalyzer before starting your car. After states raised their MLDA to 21 years in 1984, the percentage of people who drank before turning 21 went down. The Central African Republic is bordered by Chad which is to the north, Sudan in the northeast, and South Sudan in the southeast and holds a population of almost 4.83 million as of 2020.

Prevalence of alcohol use disorders

In many African nations, the drinking age is 18, but some countries like Angola, Mali, and Comoros do not have laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol to minors. A group of college and university presidents called the Amethyst Initiative started in 2008 to make it drinking age in every country known “that 21 is not working as well as the public may think,” according to the Amethyst Initiative website. Below find the legal minimum age for alcohol sales in 173 countries as found by the World Health Organization.

At the end of this topic page, you will find additional resources and guidance if you, or someone you know, needs support in dealing with alcohol dependency. Closing hours for bars and discotheques are appointed mostly by state legislation. Within the past ten years, many states have abolished the closing hours for licensed establishments.

Is it Okay to Drive After Only Two Drinks?

Most countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa have set the minimum drinking age at 18. However, there are a few countries where the minimum drinking age is as low as 16. Countries with a minimum drinking age between 16 and 18 tend to have higher alcohol consumption rates compared to those with a stricter minimum drinking age. The consumption of alcohol by people under 21 is generally illegal across the United States. However, some states have set exceptions that allow underage consumption of alcohol in certain circumstances.