This equals 184 one-liter wine bottles per person per year.2 Note that in contrast to the modern statistics that are expressed in alcohol consumption per person older than 15 years, this includes children as well – the average alcohol consumption per adult was, therefore, even higher. Since 2020, the percentage of U.S. adults aged 21 and older who participated in Dry January has increased, with expectations that participation will grow. In December 2023, it was anticipated that 27% of adults aged 21 and older who drank alcohol would be “very likely” to participate in Dry January 2024, and an additional 18% were “somewhat likely” to do so. Of those intending to do so, 46% “rarely drink,” and 41% “drink between one to five alcoholic beverages weekly.”
Historical perspective on alcohol consumption
Vodka was the most popular base for spirits RTDs, followed by whiskey and tequila, then does alcohol affect gallbladder rum and gin. Global data on the prevalence and effectiveness of alcohol use disorder treatment is incomplete. 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. As we see, following prohibition, levels of alcohol consumption returned to similar levels as in the pre-prohibition period.
- The results in the chart show the increased risk of developing alcohol dependency (we show results for illicit drug dependency in our topic page on drug use) for someone with a given mental health disorder (relative to those without).
- While not exactly a “flavor,” packs of multiple flavors were the most popular, followed by iced tea-flavored hard seltzers and black cherry.
- Industry members should not rely solely on generation to build a likely buyer profile; rather, it is essential to consider a consumer’s attitudes (i.e., what they think) and behaviors (i.e., what they do) when developing a promotional strategy.
- American Addiction Centers offers an online calculator that can help you estimate just how much you can save over the course of your lifetime by seeking alcohol addiction treatment now.
- Overall, these groups drink less, but a higher percentage will drink heavily when they do.
Current statistics on this topic
The map shows heavy drinkers – those who had an episode of heavy drinking in the previous 30 days – as a share of total drinkers (i.e., those who have drunk less than one alcoholic drink in the last 12 months are excluded). Since 2003, mezcal and tequila “volumes have grown 273 percent – an average rate of 7.2 percent per year.” Another source indicates that mezcal volume and value will increase at an 18% compound annual growth rate between 2022 and 2026, while tequila will experience an 8% increase in volume and 11% in value during the same period. drinking age map Reasons as to why consumers participate in Dry January include “health benefits…whether that is about calorie control and weight management or just feeling better overall.” Other reasons for decreasing alcohol consumption are to save money and a change in social life. Beer industry has dedicated itself to preventing illegal underage drinking for more than three decades.” They go on to say that companies do their part to make sure advertising is aimed at adults, educate parents and college students about underage drinking and encourage stores to not sell alcohol to minors. The chart shows direct death rates (not including suicide deaths) from alcohol use disorders across the world.
Further reports
The scatter plot compares the prevalence of alcohol use disorders in males versus that of females. The prevalence of alcohol dependence in men is typically higher than in women across all countries. The first map shows this in terms of spirits as a share of total alcohol consumption. With the change country feature, it is possible to view the same data for other countries.
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. The chart shows the age distribution of those dying premature deaths due to alcohol. Alcohol consumption is a known risk factor for a number of health conditions, and potential mortality cases. Alcohol consumption has a causal impact on more than 200 health conditions (diseases and injuries). This pattern of drinking is often termed ‘binging,’ where individuals consume large amounts of alcohol within a single session versus small quantities more frequently. Industry members should not rely solely on generation to build a likely buyer profile; rather, it is essential to consider a consumer’s attitudes (i.e., what they think) and behaviors (i.e., what they do) when developing a promotional strategy.
It’s estimated that globally, around 1 percent of the population has an alcohol use disorder. At the country level, as shown in the chart, this ranges from around 0.5 to 5 percent of the population. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), in alcohol storage its Global Burden of Disease study, provides estimates of the number of deaths attributed to the range of risk factors.5 In the visualization, we see the number of deaths per year attributed to each risk factor. This chart is shown for the global total but can be explored for any country or region using the “Change country or region” toggle. When we look at national averages in this way, there is no distinct relationship between income and alcohol consumption.
Sweden, for example, increased the share of wine consumption and, therefore, reduced the share of spirits. Global trends on alcohol abstinence show a mirror image of drinking prevalence data. This is shown in the charts as the share of adults who had not drunk in the prior year and those who have never drunk alcohol.
According to SevenFiftyDaily’s State of Whiskey report, 39% of whiskey drinkers are “between the ages of 21 and 35, and only 17 percent are over the age of 55.” While unflavored whiskeys grew by 3% between 2017 and 2022, flavored whiskeys increased by 11% during that period. More recently, for the 52 weeks ending September 2023, flavored whiskey sales grew by 1.9%. One factor contributing to an increased interest in flavored whiskeys has to do with, “in general” they are “going to skew a bit younger,” with some brands noticing an increase in consumers from aged 21 to their mid-30s being “drawn” to the product compared to more mature consumers. Still, other data indicated that in 2023, 52% of consumers aged 18 to 34 felt that “drinking in moderation is bad for your health,” an increase from 34% reported in 2018 for this age group. Fifteen percent of this age group indicated that alcohol was “not too harmful/not at all harmful” to those who consume it. When asked about marijuana consumption, 52% of participants aged 18-to-34-years responded that marijuana was “not too harmful/not at all harmful.”