Countries where no youth aged 15 to 19 reported heavy episodic alcohol consumption in the past 30 days were Mauritania, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. In other words, of all the factors that could increase your risk of death or disability — such as smoking or physical inactivity — drinking too much was the leading global risk factor in this age group, according to a study published in The Lancet in August. The UK leads while alcohol consumption among teenagers is declining across Europe, but on the other hand, the youngest age of alcohol consumption on our list belongs to Germany. If a 14-year-old is accompanied by a parent or guardian, it is legal in Germany to consume or buy beer, wine and cider. Without a parent or guardian, you must be at least 16 years old to consume or purchase alcohol. However, when it comes to a high percentage, you must be 18 years of age or older to serve, sell or deliver. Violations of these rules are punishable by a fine of up to €50,000 or more than €60,000. Binge drinking among teens is declining, but 1 in 6 binge drinking, according to a CDC report In 2016, Luxembourg was the country with the highest percentage of 15- to 19-year-olds reporting heavy episodic drinking in the past 30 days, at 54 percent, according to the WHO. It was followed by Equatorial Guinea with 53.7 per cent and Lithuania with 53.2 per cent. Excessive or episodic excessive alcohol consumption can be measured as the consumption of at least 60 grams or more of pure alcohol at least once in the past 30 days.

According to the WHO, about 16% of drinkers aged 15 and older worldwide drink heavily episodic. The second most common minimum age for alcohol consumption is 18. In fact, 35% of the countries on our list follow this rule. The most common third age for drinking is listed as “illegal” and the fourth most common age is 21, just like in the United States. The U.S. is twinned with only seven other countries with a drinking age of 21 or four percent, making the U.S. a minority. Believe it or not, the United States is not a unique country for alcohol policy.

While the U.S. is known for its drinking age of 21, this strict limit of 21 is not the case for all states. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 withholds money from states that allow those under 21 to purchase alcohol. Before the law went into effect in 1984, each state had its own drinking age, which varied widely. British millennials drink less alcohol, according to a study: “Europe is generally very high, both for the adult population and for 15-19 year olds,” Rekve said. More than a fifth of the European population aged 15 and over reported heavy episodic use at least once a week, according to the WHO. But even after the law went into effect, only a few states explicitly prohibited minors from drinking alcohol in private. As of January 2010, 15 states prohibited alcohol consumption in public or private places and 17 states did not prohibit private use by minors. There are 18 states that allow underage drinkers to consume alcohol with their families or in certain places. Religious exceptions to the rule apply to all states. In the United States, rates of binge drinking among teens are also declining. Of the 190 countries, 61% have an alcohol consumption age of 18 or 19.

The United States and 11 other countries have an MLDA of 21, the highest MLDA of any country where it is legal to drink (although some parts of India have drinking ages of 25 and 30). Alcohol is banned in 16 countries, all Muslim, although some have exceptions for non-Muslims. Alcohol consumption varies considerably from country to country, as does the legal drinking age. In the United States, you must be at least 21 years of age or older to purchase or consume alcoholic beverages (with some exceptions in some jurisdictions). Surprisingly, this is one of the highest ages in the world to drink. To the north of the United States is Canada, which has a legal drinking age of 18 to 19, and the legal drinking age is much lower in many other countries. In fact, some countries don`t have a minimum drinking age (although there may be a minimum age to buy alcohol) – although the vast majority of these countries still have laws on the age you need to have to buy alcoholic beverages. Conversely, in some countries (usually under strict Muslim rule), alcohol consumption is completely prohibited. Take a look at the rest of the drinking age of every country in the world on the map above or read on for more information. At the same time, we know that nearly 60% of the world`s population currently does not drink under the age of 15 and older. This means that there could be many changes in the future that we need to be aware of,” Rekve said, noting that in 2016, 57% of men and women worldwide reported abstaining from alcohol in the past 12 months. Want to know more about the legal drinking age around the world? Check out the map below to find out the legal drinking age in countries around the world! Champagne often flows when you toast to the New Year, but at what age can most young people legally start sipping sparkling wine? In many countries, the age at which one can legally drink is considered an important stage of life.

This age has also been discussed for a long time. Should the minimum drinking age coincide with a country`s voting age, the age of conscription, the age at which you can buy a lottery ticket or rent a car? Or should it be an age in itself? The drinking age in the United States is 21, although this is not the case in all other countries or even in some states in the United States. Some countries even prefer not to impose such restrictions. The drinking age in Ireland, for example, does not exist in a private home. According to the report, in 2016, more than 50% of people in America, Europe and the Western Pacific (Japan, Australia, Oceania) drank alcoholic beverages. For comparison, in 2016, only 32.2% of people in Africa and 33.1% of people in Southeast Asia (India, North Korea, Sri Lanka, etc.) drank. In addition, 94.9% of the inhabitants of the Eastern Mediterranean (Egypt, Iran, Yemen, etc.) abstained from alcohol throughout their lives. Alcohol consumption is illegal in many Eastern Mediterranean countries, at least for Muslims. The minimum age to buy alcohol in India is 18 years old in Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Sikkim and Pondicherry.

The legal drinking age is 21 in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Haryana, Meghalaya, Punjab and Delhi. Alcohol is banned in Bihar, Gujarat, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Lakshadweep. In Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Pakistan, Maldives, Iran, Afghanistan and Kuwait, it is illegal to drink alcohol. Most of these countries prohibit alcohol for religious purposes. For example, alcohol in Bangladesh is illegal for Muslims, but legal privately for non-Muslim tourists. In Pakistan, non-Muslim citizens are allowed to possess alcohol if they consume it in a religious ceremony. In the Maldives, alcohol is legal for tourists over the age of 18, but selling alcohol to local Maldivians is a criminal offense. Alcohol is illegal in Iran, but minority religious groups can buy small amounts of alcohol from traders belonging to the same minority religion. So we have a culture of alcohol consumption that is very accepted, but slowly changing.

I think changes in attitude are partly responsible for why we see the declines,” she said.