Trends in alcohol consumption in OECD countries

Abstract

Levels of alcohol drinking are relatively high in many OECD countries compared with countries in other parts of the world. An average of between 9.1 litres (recorded consumption) and 10.3 litres (including unrecorded consumption) of pure alcohol are consumed annually in OECD countries, compared with an estimate of 6.2 litres worldwide (recorded and unrecorded). Overall, consumption has slightly declined in OECD countries in the past 20 years, and very large relative falls in consumption have been observed in certain countries, but consumption as risen sharply in other OECD countries, as well as in major emerging economies. Alcohol use is very concentrated in the population, with the heaviest-drinking 20% drinking most alcohol, and high-risk drinking behaviours have become more common in recent years in certain population groups. Hazardous and heavy episodic drinking have rapidly gained in popularity among young people, especially women, in countries where they were traditionally less common. At the same time they have decreased in certain countries where they used to be more popular among young people. These trends are especially worrying because they are fuelled by an increasingly early initiation into drinking and drunkenness. The proportion of children who have experienced alcohol at age 15 increased significantly during the 2000s, even faster among girls than boys.