According to the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse of the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2004, there are an estimated 2 billion people in the world who consume alcoholic beverages and of these, 76.3 have alcohol use disorders (alcohol abuse and alcoholism). Of individuals ages 15 and older in countries that have total recorded alcohol per capita consumption, in terms of liters of pure alcohol, the countries with the average greatest consumption in 2004 were Uganda (19.47 liters per year), Luxembourg (17.54), the Czech Republic (16.21), Ireland (14.46), the Republic of Moldova (13.88), and France (13.54). Consumption in the United States was 8.51.

The countries with the least alcohol consumption, or zero, were Iran, Kuwait, the Libyan Arab Jamahirya, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and Bangladesh.

In considering beverage-specific consumption, the top consumers of beer were the Czech Republic and Ireland. The top consumers of wine were Luxembourg and France, and the top consumer of spirits was the Republic of Moldova. The United States did not make the top 20 list of consumption in any of these categories.

In terms of alcoholism (alcohol dependence), the WHO report used information from the years 1999-2002 on individuals in 34 countries. The countries with the highest percentage of individuals with alcoholism were Poland (12.2 percent), Brazil (11.2 percent), and Peru (10.6 percent). The rate for the United States was 7.7 percent.

In considering only males who were alcohol dependent, according to the WHO report, the greatest percentages were found in South Africa (27.6 percent), Poland (23.3 percent), and Peru (17.8 percent). The rate in the United States for males was 10.8 percent.

In considering only females who were alcohol dependent, the WHO researchers found the greatest percentages among women in South Africa (9.9 percent), Brazil (5.7 percent), and the United States (4.8 percent).

The WHO report also looked at heavy episodic drinking (between five and seven drinks on any one occasion) among youths in different countries, which varied by country. Very high rates were seen among males in Denmark (62 percent), Poland (41 percent), and the United Kingdom (33 percent). The rate for males in the United States was 11.4 percent.

Among females, high rates of heavy episodic drinking were found in Denmark (54 percent), Ireland (32 percent), and the United Kingdom (27 percent). The rate for females in the United States was 9.9 percent.

References:

Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse. Global Status Report on Alcohol 2004. Geneva: Switzerland: World Health Organization, 2004.

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