Russia entered the top ten most drinking countries in the world. But she did not lead it, but shared the seventh place with Hungary with an indicator of 11.1 liters of alcoholic beverages per capita per year. And only slightly ahead of Germany, in which 10.9 liters of alcohol is consumed annually for each inhabitant.
Such data are presented in the November report Health at a Glance, published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
The report is based on 2017 alcohol sales in 44 countries.
We present to you the full ranking of the most drinking countries in the world in 2019.
They still drink in Russia, but less
In 2007, our country was the leader in per capita alcohol consumption. Therefore, the Ministry of Health was only pleased with the OECD study, and said that it emphasizes the effectiveness of the measures taken by the Russian authorities to combat alcoholism among the population.
The press service of the Ministry of Health also noted that OECD experts worked with data for 2017. But if they had used the statistics of the past, 2018, Russia would not have ended up in the “drinking” top 10 at all. Indeed, last year there was only 9.3 liters of alcohol per one Russian.
The picture is also encouraging, according to WHO. From 2003 to 2018, male mortality from alcohol in Russia decreased to 39%, and female - to 36%. In addition, the consumption of alcohol, produced not under the watchful eye of the sovereign, but illegally, has decreased by 48%.
The most non-drinking countries in the world
According to a study by Health at a Glance, Indonesians drink least of all (0.3 liters per person per year) and Turkey (1.4 liters).
Indonesia, the fourth most populous country in the world, lags behind its peers in ASEAN in areas such as exports, attracting foreign direct investment, tourist numbers, education, innovation and research. But there is one area where Indonesia is dominant. It is the most sober country in Southeast Asia.
Indonesia, home to the largest Muslim population in the world, consumes the least alcohol in Southeast Asia, while its inhabitants on average drink less than one bottle of wine a year.
Beer, one of the oldest and most consumed drinks in the world after water and tea, is the most popular alcoholic beverage in Indonesia.
If you are going on vacation to Indonesia, please note that huge duties have been added to imported alcohol sold in shops and restaurants. This means that it will be difficult for you to find inexpensive imported wine or gin even in such a popular tourist destination as Bali. So, stock up in advance in duty-free.
As a result of additional taxes introduced in 2019, Turkey has become one of the countries with the most expensive alcoholic beverages in the world. Even taking into account the prices of 2018, Turkey is among the five countries in Europe with the most expensive alcohol. It's funny that you can buy Turkish raki vodka abroad at a much lower price than in Turkey.
However, the country does not have such strict restrictions on the sale of alcohol as in Indonesia. Those over the age of 18 can buy all kinds of alcoholic beverages in many supermarkets in all parts of Turkey. The only restriction on alcoholic beverages is the ban on their sale in supermarkets after 22 hours.
Top Drinking Countries
The country where most of the "collars are put" was Lithuania. There people consume 12.3 liters a year.
The capital of the country, Vilnius is a popular tourist destination, but locals doubt that this circumstance is to blame for the rampant green snake.
"The problem of alcoholism in the capital is not that big," says journalist Ziville Raskauskaite. "This is more (a problem) in rural areas, where people are unemployed and have nothing to do in their free time." The commission of the Lithuanian Business Confederation agrees with this opinion, which found that in the countryside of Lithuania there are almost twice as many people suffering from alcoholism than in cities.
Not far from the Lithuanians left the Austrians - residents of one of the the richest and most prosperous countries in the world... The average Austrian, according to OECD experts, consumes 11.8 liters of hot liquids per year. In third place are the French (11.7 liters), followed by the Czechs (11.6 liters) and the inhabitants of tiny Luxembourg (11.3 liters).