Beer contains around 5% of pure alcohol per volume1 so that one liter of beer contains 0.05 liters of pure alcohol. Both are measured in terms of pure alcohol/ethanol intake rather than the total quantity of the beverage. Sweden, for example, increased the share of wine consumption and, therefore, reduced the share of spirits. Here, we see particularly high levels of alcohol abstinence across North Africa and the Middle East.
Delaware’s alcohol-related death rate has skyrocketed over the last few years. Arizona has a high number of alcohol-related deaths compared to its population. Over the long term, the statistics outlined here emphasize that while alcohol misuse remains widespread, the capacity for positive change is equally significant. Expanding access to evidence-based care – particularly for vulnerable and underserved populations – can reduce the substantial health and economic costs tied to alcohol misuse. Different life stages – such as adolescence, young adulthood, mid-life, and older adulthood – are marked by unique stressors, social norms, and patterns of behavior that influence drinking habits.
North Carolina Alcohol Abuse Statistics
We see that the proportion of deaths attributed to alcohol consumption is lower in North Africa and the Middle East and much higher in Eastern Europe. When we look at national averages in this way, there is no distinct relationship between income and alcohol consumption. In the chart, we see the relationship between average per capita alcohol consumption – in liters of pure alcohol per year – versus gross domestic product (GDP) per capita across countries. Find up-to-date statistics on lifetime drinking, past-year drinking, past-month drinking, binge drinking, heavy alcohol use, and high-intensity drinking. Binge-drinking is a significant problem in Wisconsin, and alcohol-related deaths are more likely to involve older, long-term users. South Dakota has an elevated rate of alcohol-related deaths per capita and a high rate of under-21 deaths.
- South Carolina has more alcohol-related deaths per capita than the average state, and those deaths are 18.1% more likely to involve underage drinkers.
- In most countries in this region, the majority of adults have never drunk alcohol.
- When we look at national averages in this way, there is no distinct relationship between income and alcohol consumption.
- Pennsylvania’s alcohol-related deaths are less likely to be due to chronic causes.
Nebraska Alcohol Abuse Statistics
Alcohol-related deaths in Tennessee are much more likely to involve acute causes. Alcohol-related deaths in North Dakota are among the most likely to be due to chronic causes. Alcohol-related deaths are more likely to involve older, female, and chronic users.
Accessibility of Treatment
Binge drinking is the act of drinking large quantities of alcohol in one sitting. This category includes metrics such as life expectancy, infant mortality rate, disease prevalence, and access to healthcare. Only nine states have alcohol consumption per capita less than the 2.1-gallon goal.
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New Jersey has the second-lowest number of alcohol-related deaths per capita (Utah has the lowest). Mississippi has a high rate of under-21 alcohol-related deaths and the second-highest rate of deaths from acute causes. Alcohol-related deaths in Kansas are slightly more likely to involve males and underage drinkers. Florida has an elevated alcohol-related death rate but one of the lowest rates of under-21 deaths. Alabama has the third-highest rate of under-21 deaths related to excessive alcohol use.
At the end of this topic page, we provide a number of potential sources of support and guidance for those concerned about uncontrolled drinking or alcohol dependency. Taking 2016 data in the UK as an example, we see that people within higher income brackets tend to drink more frequently. However, when we look at consumption data within given countries, we sometimes do see a clear income correlation. The first map shows this in terms of spirits as a share of total alcohol consumption.
This category includes metrics such as population growth rate, age structure, gender balance, and urbanization. This category includes metrics such as literacy rates, enrollment rates, teacher-to-student ratio, and educational Alcohol stats attainment. This category includes metrics such as gross domestic product (GDP), inflation, unemployment, and international trade. This category includes metrics such as homicide rate, robbery rate, incarceration rate, and police-to-citizen ratio.
More Americans have used alcohol in the past year than any other drug or tobacco product. Statistics reveal its impact on public health and who is most vulnerable. Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is the most prevalent substance use disorder in the U.S. More on alcohol This category includes metrics such as transportation infrastructure, accommodation quality, and natural and cultural attractions. This category includes metrics such as research and development spending, patent applications, ease of doing business, and access to finance.
Family History and Genetic Risk
We send two regular newsletters so you can stay up to date on our work and receive curated highlights from across Our World in Data. In North America, a unit is typically taken as 14 grams of pure alcohol. For example, a value of 3.6 for bipolar disorder indicates that illicit drug dependency became more than three times more likely in individuals with bipolar disorder than those without. Following the ten-year period, they re-assessed such individuals for whether they had either nicotine, alcohol, or illicit drug dependency. The ‘disease burden’ – measured in Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) – considers mortality and years lived with disability or health burden.
In a related chart, you can see the share who drink alcohol by gender and age group in the UK. Again, the prevalence of drinking across North Africa and the Middle East is notably lower than elsewhere. 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. Explore how many people ages 18 to 25 engage in alcohol misuse in the United States and the impact it has. Research-based information on drinking and its impact.
Long-run data on alcohol consumption from the United States gives us one perspective of drinking since 1850. The comparison of this map with the previous maps makes clear that heavy drinking is not necessarily most common in the same countries where alcohol consumption is most common. This topic page looks at the data on global patterns of alcohol consumption, patterns of drinking, beverage types, the prevalence of alcoholism, and consequences, including crime, mortality, and road incidents. Social drinking or moderate alcohol consumption for many is pleasurable. Wyoming has one of the nation’s highest rates of alcohol-related deaths per capita.
Montana Alcohol Abuse Statistics
Heavy episodic drinking is defined as the proportion of adult drinkers who have had at least 60 grams or more of pure alcohol on at least one occasion in the past 30 days. This pattern of drinking is often termed ‘binging,’ where individuals consume large amounts of alcohol within a single session versus small quantities more frequently. 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.
Alcohol Use in the United States: Age Groups and Demographic Characteristics
While men are more likely to abuse alcohol, women who abuse alcohol have the added complication of potential pregnancy. However, we often assume that nearly everybody drinks alcohol—but statistically, that just isn’t true. Global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol There are also articles covering factors such as migration, fertility rates, and healthcare.
- This means that 5 liters of pure alcohol equals 100 liters of beer.
- New Hampshire had the highest consumption of alcohol, with alcohol consumption per capita of 4.76 gallons.
- North Carolina has a low rate of alcohol-related deaths per capita and a low rate of under-21 deaths.
- Targeted prevention efforts can reduce the prevalence of alcohol misuse and delay or avert progression to full-blown alcohol dependence.
Washington Alcohol Abuse Statistics
The charts show global consumption of spirits, which are distilled alcoholic drinks, including gin, rum, whisky, tequila, and vodka. As we see, following prohibition, levels of alcohol consumption returned to similar levels as in the pre-prohibition period. It’s estimated that at the beginning of Prohibition, alcohol consumption decreased to approximately 30 percent of pre-prohibition levels but slowly increased to percent by the end of the period.3 However, there is evidence that alcohol consumption continued through the black market and illegal sales, particularly in the sales of spirits. Since the statistics here reflect reported sales and consumption statistics, they assume zero consumption of alcohol over this time. Data on the prevalence of binge drinking by age and gender in the UK can be found here, and trends in heavy and binge drinking in the USA can be found here.
A century ago, some countries had much higher levels of alcohol consumption. The chart shows alcohol consumption since 1890 in a number of countries. Global trends on alcohol abstinence show a mirror image of drinking prevalence data. When we look at gender differences, we see that in all countries, men have a higher alcohol consumption than women. As the map shows, the average per capita alcohol consumption varies widely globally.
With the change country feature, it is possible to view the same data for other countries. In France in the 1920s, the average was 22.1 liters of pure alcohol per person per year. Data on the share who don’t drink alcohol by gender and age group in the UK is available here. In most countries in this region, the majority of adults have never drunk alcohol. An intake of 60 grams of pure alcohol is approximately equal to 6 standard alcoholic drinks. Alcohol consumption – whilst a risk factor for a number of health outcomes – typically has the greatest negative impacts when consumed within heavy sessions.