Canadians drink more alcohol than the global average, says report
A new report from the World Health Organization looks at per capita alcohol consumption in close to 200 countries. Here’s how Canada ranks.
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau serves a beer to an attendee during an Oktoberfest celebration in Kitchener, Ont., on Tuesday, October 13, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
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Just how much do Canadians like their beer, wine and booze? More than Americans, it turns out, but we’re not lushes.
Canadians drink more alcohol per capita than the worldwide average, according to the World Health Organization. A report released this week found that Canadians aged 15 and older drank 10 litres of pure alcohol per capita in 2016—3.6 more than the world average. Of the nearly 200 countries include in the report, Canada ranked 40th.
Canada’s southern neighbour came in 44th place, drinking 9.3 litres.
Lithuanians were at the top of the list, drinking 18.2 litres per capita.
The rankings were part of the organizations yearly World Health Statistics report, which analyzes data from member states related to sustainable development goals. The number of litres are projected estimates based on previous data.
Here’s a look at how Canada compares to other countries by region when it comes to drinking alcohol:
(World Bank country classifications were used to determine high income countries and group them by region.)