In 1984, the federal government passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act, which established the minimum legal drinking age at 21 to reduce traffic crashes involving young people who consume alcohol. The choice of minimum drinking age, whether it’s 18 or 21, has a significant impact on alcohol consumption patterns among youth. Countries with a higher minimum drinking age, such as 21, aim to discourage early and excessive alcohol consumption among young people. By delaying their exposure to alcohol until they are more mature, these countries hope to manage the quantity young people drink and reduce future reliance on alcohol.

The legal drinking age refers to the minimum age at which a young person is legally permitted to purchase or consume alcoholic beverages. These age limits are set by governments to balance individual freedom with the need to protect public health, especially among young people. Some allow alcohol consumption at 16 years old, while others have strict age limits or ban it altogether. Understanding the global landscape of age laws helps illuminate how culture, religion, and public health priorities shape national policy. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act mandates that the legal drinking age in all 50 U.S. states is 21.

Countries With The Most Blue-Eyed People

Without a legal minimum age limit for off-premise purchasing, kids as young as 13 are legally able to get their hands on alcoholic beverages. This increase in youth drinking can have both immediate and long-term consequences, including higher risks of drunk driving, addiction, and negative effects on brain development. Policies that delay the age at which young people can legally purchase alcohol also contribute to better long-term public health outcomes. The change to a national minimum drinking age of 21 was a direct result of the 1984 Minimum Drinking Age Act. The act was motivated by alarming statistics linking youth drinking to drunk driving fatalities and other public health concerns. Nations with no legal drinking age limit include Armenia, Cambodia, and Morocco.

Wines of Centre Loire

The rule means Americans can vote, marry and serve in the military at 18, but cannot legally buy alcohol for another three years. South Korea similarly uses 19 (now measured by international age following a recent reform), ensuring most citizens have completed secondary school before legal drinking. The philosophy is that early supervised exposure reduces risky, unsupervised drinking. In Denmark, for example, teenagers may buy drinks under 16.5% ABV at 16 but must wait until 18 for anything stronger. Similar approaches exist in Burundi, Palestine and (historically) Barbados, which has since raised its age to 18.

Wine contains around 12% pure alcohol per volume1 so that one liter of wine contains 0.12 liters of pure alcohol. So, a value of 6 liters of pure alcohol per person per year is equivalent to 50 liters of wine. The 21st Amendment is really clear about states having control over this kind of thing. So they got creative, and wrote a law that said that if a state had a drinking age below 21, it would get docked a bunch of highway money. South Dakota quickly sued (you had to be 21 to get most booze in SD, but if you were 19+ you could buy 3.2 beer). The state claimed a violation of the 21st Amendment and the Taxing and Spending Clause of the Constitution.

• The repeal of prohibition by the 21st Amendment on December 5, 1933, allowed each state to set its own alcohol consumption laws.
• The top ten countries in this category are the Czech Republic, Ireland, Austria, Botswana, Poland, Croatia, Romania, Spain, Bulgaria, and Germany.
• In the chart, we see data across some countries on the share of people with an alcohol use disorder who received treatment.
• So they got creative, and wrote a law that said that if a state had a drinking age below 21, it would get docked a bunch of highway money.

Countries that Consume the Most Alcohol

Most opted to go with 21 — the age of “majority” — when you become an adult, though a few were a bit more adventurous. Mississippi on the other hand was quite regressive, prohibiting the sale of all alcohol on the state level until 1966. Understanding the legal drinking age across different countries can be eye-opening. These laws aim to reduce alcohol-related harm and promote responsible drinking. Ignorance of the law isn’t an excuse and can lead to serious consequences. Always check local regulations before consuming alcohol in a new country.

The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) believes that the change of this law has saved around 32,000 lives over the past few decades. Out of all deaths from DUI car accidents, 50% of the teenagers who die in these accidents are passengers, not drivers or motorcyclists. This means that the majority of people who die aren’t even the ones deciding to drive drunk, but the ones getting into cars with drunk drivers. Alcohol consumption could be less taboo for adults between ages 18 to 20, as it becomes an integral part of American culture. According to UNEWS, lowering the drinking age to 18 allows 18 to 20 year olds to consume alcohol safely in regulated environments, with supervision.

Alcohol Consumption by Country 2025

• If you want to dig in further than that, do help yourself to the sources list below.
• Many Americans contemplate whether or not Europe’s legal drinking age would be beneficial if copied.
• Before getting your license back, you may have to attend driving school specifically for people convicted of DUIs.
• This data is based on estimates of prevalence and treatment published by the World Health Organization (WHO).

They are also allowed to purchase alcohol if it’s for law enforcement purposes. Both possession and consumption of alcohol are wholly prohibited for those under 21, with no exceptions. Several countries have no national minimum drinking age, an omission rather than a philosophical endorsement.

We lose sight of what a revolutionary move Prohibition was, but I think it reveals something about the way our country feels about drinking. Burkina Faso is the country with the youngest drinking age at 13 years. 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.

The map shows DALYs per 100,000 people, which result from alcohol use disorders. The breakdown of alcohol use disorders by gender for any country can be viewed here; the majority of people with alcohol use disorders – around drinking age in every country three-quarters – are male. 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.

Further discussion on these risk factors can be found on our topic page on drug use. In the chart, we see the relationship between average per capita alcohol consumption – in liters of pure alcohol per year – versus gross domestic product (GDP) per capita across countries. The charts show global consumption of spirits, which are distilled alcoholic drinks, including gin, rum, whisky, tequila, and vodka.

Central African Republic

For example, underage drinking is allowed in some states if done on private premises with parental consent or for religious purposes. Some states also allow prosecutorial exceptions if a minor who has consumed alcohol is reporting an assault or medical emergency for themselves or another person. Ensuring compliance with drinking age laws is crucial in preventing underage alcohol consumption. European countries have various measures in place to enforce these regulations, including ID checks, penalties for serving minors, and educational campaigns on responsible drinking. Several factors contribute to the establishment of drinking age laws in Europe. These include social norms, cultural practices, public health considerations, and the impact of alcohol on young individuals.

If it weren’t for precious highway money, one of America’s most intense rites of passage wouldn’t exist. Consider this the next time you see a 21st birthday girl with a birthday checklist hanging from her neck, or an overly inebriated bro passed out in the street after way too many birthday shots. Military refers to the armed forces and their role in protecting national security and interests. This category includes metrics such as military spending, troop strength, equipment and technology, and readiness for combat. Getting a DUI in Canada is pretty similar to getting one in the United States. Before getting your license back, you may have to attend driving school specifically for people convicted of DUIs.