What is the drinkingiest country in the world? Russia was in seventh place in the ranking of the “most drinking countries” in the world

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Lithuania has once again been named the country with the highest per capita alcohol consumption - each of its residents drinks an average of 12.3 liters of alcohol per year, according to the Health at a Glance Organization's report economic development and cooperation (OECD).

In second place were citizens of Austria, who drink 11.8 liters of alcohol per year. Third place went to France, where per capita there are 11.7 liters. In the Czech Republic this figure is 11.6 litres (fourth place), and in small Luxembourg - 11.3 liters (fifth place in the ranking).

Sixth place was shared by Ireland and Latvia, where each resident consumed 11.2 liters of alcohol.

And in seventh place of the “most drinking countries” is Russia with an indicator of 11.1 liters.

The “leaders” also included Hungary (11.1 liters), Germany (10.8), Portugal (10.7) and Poland (10.6).

Indonesia is recognized as the most non-drinking country (0.3 liters per capita). They drink little in Turkey (1.4 liters), Israel (2.6 liters), India (3.0 liters) and Costa Rica (3.8 liters).

The Ministry of Health also reported on a decrease in alcohol consumption in Russia the day before. According to the Deputy Minister of Health of the Russian Federation Oleg Salagai, between 2003 and 2017, mortality from alcohol poisoning in Russia decreased by more than 70%.

Have Russians started drinking less? Or is it the difficulty of counting...

In September 2019 World organization Health (WHO) published a report saying that Russians began to drink significantly less. Over the past 15 years, alcohol consumption per capita has steadily decreased and by 2016 had decreased by an average of 43%.

However, in fact, consumption decreased by 5-10%, notes Vadim Drobiz, head of the Center for Research of Federal and Regional Alcohol Markets. This discrepancy in data is due to calculation difficulties.

Until 2016, consumption accounting, that is, retail sales accounting, was handled by Rosstat. His data is very approximate because not every bottle was taken into account. Since 2016, every bottle sold in legal retail has been counted. And, of course, illegal sales are not taken into account. There is also one nuance: until 2010, illegal strong alcohol was sold in legal retail, and organizations also reported on it to Rosstat. All this leads to confusion in the calculations. In addition, according to Drobiz, at a certain period the Russian Ministry of Health significantly overestimated data on alcohol consumption.

“We have never had a consumption of 18 liters per capita, as the Ministry of Health and Mr. Onishchenko said about 2008-2009 (at that time the chief sanitary doctor of the Russian Federation). Even in those years, we had approximately 13.5 liters per capita. Then this figure - 18 liters - was taken out of thin air. There was a global socio-economic crisis, oil fell, gas prices decreased, it was necessary to get money from something, and the state decided to get it more actively from the alcohol market. declare that the country has drunk itself, and in this case there are WHO recommendations: increasing excise taxes on alcohol,” Drobiz said in an interview with Radio Liberty.

The illegal alcohol market in Russia is not reflected in the statistics, since it is impossible to calculate its volumes. And the main reason for the development of the illegal alcohol market is that in the legal sector it is approximately five times more expensive relative to the level of income of the population compared to Western Europe. Therefore, tens of millions of Russians consume illegal, handicraft, surrogate products.

MOSCOW, May 10 - RIA Novosti, Maxim Rubchenko. According to the Ministry of Health, since 2006, alcohol consumption in Russia has decreased by almost 40 percent. The World Health Organization, in turn, states that today the average Russian drinks 3.5 liters less alcohol per year than ten years ago. What is behind these indicators and in which countries they drink the most - in the RIA Novosti material.

Statistics games

The widely held belief that Russians are the world's heaviest drinkers is increasingly at odds with reality. Consumption of alcoholic beverages in the country has been declining for many years, and at a rapid pace. Data from different departments vary somewhat - WHO says about 13.9 liters per capita per year, the Ministry of Health and Rospotrebnadzor - about ten liters. In January, Russian Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova reported that alcohol consumption had been reduced by 80 percent over the past five to seven years. Be that as it may, everyone agrees that people in Russia drink less and less every year, and this trend has persisted for more than ten years.

In 2017 alone, alcohol consumption decreased by 0.3 liters - this is one and a half bottles of vodka (0.5 liters of alcohol), 4.5 liters of dry wine or 10 liters of light beer.

As a result, Russia is now not even among the top three drinking countries (Lithuania - 18.2 liters, Belarus - 16.4 liters, Moldova - 15.9 liters), occupying fourth place and quite a bit ahead of Romania, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Bulgaria .

According to WHO estimates, 13.9 liters of alcohol consumed in Russia per capita are equivalent to 34.75 liters of vodka. According to the Pricing portal, the average price of vodka today is 693 rubles per liter. This means that on average you spend 24,081 rubles on drinks. The average salary in 2017 was 35,845 rubles per month (430 thousand per year). This means that Russians spend 5.9 percent of their income on alcohol. That is, more than in the most problematic countries in terms of drunkenness in the European Union, and three times more than the average European.

On the other hand, the average salary in Estonia is 1,242 euros per month, so 5.6 percent is 835 euros.

However, the chief analyst of the Estonia Department of Statistics, Märt Leesment, claims that the average adult Estonian spends only 108 euros per year on alcohol, that is, seven times less. It is impossible to understand who is right, the Estonia Department of Statistics or Eurostat, but it is clear that such ratings should not be taken too seriously.

Unexpected conclusions

“For the first time, the population of several countries was studied in terms of lifestyle, health, and working conditions,” explained Andreas Eikem, professor of sociology at the Norwegian University of Natural Sciences and Technology, to the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten. “This has not been done before.”

Some results were quite unexpected. In particular, it turned out that the wealthy and educated drink more than people with low social status.

"Alcohol consumption in general appears to be associated with higher education, notes Eikemu. “This distinguishes alcohol, for example, from smoking, which is widespread exclusively in the lower strata of society. However, wealthy people drink “correctly”; problematic alcohol consumption is more typical for the lower strata.”

Another unexpected finding is that alcohol consumption begins to affect human health quite late compared to other factors. “Living conditions are more important and can tell us why we drink the way we do,” says Eikemu. “Problematic drinking is destructive to both the individual and his family, but is rarely the main cause of destruction.”

In addition, experts assure that bans (for example, on the sale of alcohol at certain times) are not The best way fight for healthy image life. “Our research has shown that for the vast majority of countries it is more important to improve the well-being of citizens and improve working conditions,” states Eikemu. “The fight against drunkenness is, of course, important, but first we must provide people with the opportunity to live in dignity. By doing so, we will create the preconditions for so that taking care of health becomes a habit among people.”

The Russian Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization are unlikely to agree with this conclusion, as they claim that the decrease in alcohol consumption in Russia is due precisely to restrictions.

The Russian Ministry of Health believes that the ban on the retail sale of alcohol from 23:00 to eight in the morning, as well as the ban on alcoholic drinks in children's, educational, medical institutions and sports facilities, played an important role in the positive statistical changes.

A question of culture

For obvious reasons, problems with drunkenness do not arise in countries and regions where Islam is widespread. Thus, according to WHO, citizens of Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania and Pakistan consume the least alcohol (0.1 liters per year per person), Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh (0.2 liters each), Egypt, Niger and Yemen (0.3 liters each).

It's the same in Russia. Experts from the federal project “Sober Russia” have compiled a rating of the most “sober” and most “drinking” regions of the country. Places were distributed in accordance with points, which were assigned taking into account the sales volume of all types of alcoholic products, the number of deaths from alcohol poisoning, crimes committed while drunk, citizens registered with a narcologist, violations in the field of alcohol circulation and hours of prohibition on the sale of alcohol during the day.

Lithuania turned out to be the country with the highest alcohol consumption per capita. On average, Lithuanians drink 12.3 liters of alcohol per year. This is stated in the November ranking of the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation.

Behind it were Austria (11.8 liters) and France (11.7). The top five anti-leaders are completed by the Czech Republic (11.6 liters) and Luxembourg (11.3 liters).

Russia shares sixth place with Hungary with 11.1 liters per capita.

Seventh place was shared by Latvia and Ireland, whose residents consume an average of 11.2 liters of alcohol.

Eighth place in the organization was awarded to consumers in Germany (10.8 liters), ninth - in Portugal (10.7 liters), tenth - in Poland (10.6 liters).

Indonesia was recognized as the most non-drinking country, or rather, the least drinking country - 0.3 liters per person.

Relatively modest amounts of alcohol per person are found in Turkey (1.4 liters), Israel (2.6 liters), India (3.0 liters) and Costa Rica (3.8 liters).

Doesn't need any comments?

Judging by the ranking, in almost all the countries examined, alcohol consumption per capita decreased between 2007 and 2017. Alcohol consumption in Russia is also decreasing, but there is an increase in the number of deaths from alcohol poisoning.

In the first half of this year, alcohol poisonings increased by 21.1% compared to the same period last year. More than 3.9 thousand people died. A year ago this figure was 3.2 thousand.

At the same time, Moscow topped the ranking of Russian regions in terms of the number of primary diseases mental disorders caused by alcohol consumption. In 2018, 2.8 thousand patients with diagnoses of this kind were recorded in the capital, including alcohol dependence syndrome. In total, in 2018, 75.7 thousand patients with mental disorders associated with alcohol use were registered in Russia.

According to Deputy Minister of Health Oleg Salagai, if she had compiled her report based on data from 2018 rather than 2017, Russia would not have been included in the rating.

“Today OECD data appeared, according to which our country ranks seventh in alcohol consumption, showing the largest decline in consumption since 2007,” Salagay noted.

Russia has never left this top-drinking dozens of countries; moreover, the figures for our country in the OECD study may be underestimated, a member of the health protection committee argues with him in a conversation with Gazeta.Ru.

The sober lot is a heavy burden

Alcohol consumption above eight liters of alcohol per person per year is already the extinction of a nation, the deputy points out, citing the position of the World Health Organization.

“I can’t say that we have started drinking more or less over the past year, it’s just that more objective information, apparently, has begun to be provided, because part of what we drink [in Russia] is not taken into account in any way. These are various kinds of alcohol-containing liquids, which, unfortunately, our citizens drink, this is moonshine, naturally, in huge quantities,” the deputy noted.

According to him, the state is taking a number of measures to counter the alcoholism of the population, but this is not enough. More needed systems approach. “If we want to preserve the state, if we want to maintain a healthy nation, these measures must be strengthened,” the deputy believes.

IN last years The government does indeed restrict the distribution of alcoholic beverages. For example, territorially: it is now prohibited to sell alcohol near educational institutions.

Age restrictions have been introduced (sale of alcohol only from 18 years of age) and prohibitions on sales during sowing and at certain hours. In Moscow, for example, alcohol is not sold after 23.00, and in some regions alcohol cannot be purchased even after 20.00.

One of the latest state initiatives to combat alcoholism is a bill to raise the minimum age for the sale of alcohol from 18 to 21 years. The Ministry of Health expects that the document will be adopted before December.

According to Minister Veronika Skvortsova, the active period of formation of organs and systems human body begins at age 14 and ends at age 20. Therefore, according to Skvortsova, young people at this age “must be protected from highly concentrated alcohol,” that is, above 16.5%.

Do not abuse remotely

At the same time, the Ministry of Health came out categorically against the remote sale of alcohol, since if this initiative is adopted, all legislative prohibitions in the field of regulating the sale of alcoholic beverages will be neutralized.

The Ministry of Finance, meanwhile, expects to legalize the sale of alcohol via the Internet in Russia and subsequently throughout the Eurasian space from 2020. At the first stage, it is planned to lift restrictions only for wine producers and wholesalers. De facto, online sales of alcohol are widespread in Russia.

Meanwhile, in Russia, alcohol dependence was not higher than in Europe, and government measures here will not change the situation, the head of the Center for Research of Federal and Regional Alcohol Markets emphasized in an interview with a Gazeta.Ru correspondent.

“Why should [alcohol addiction] decrease? It was no higher here than in Europe. In all countries with European culture, they drink approximately the same. They drank, they drink and they will drink. 75-80% of the adult population, despite any anti-alcohol campaigns of the last 120-130 years,” the expert said.

The result of anti-alcohol campaigns in recent decades, starting with Prohibition in the United States, has been a sharp increase in drug consumption, Drobiz clarifies. It is for this reason that marijuana is being gradually legalized in some countries.

“There is a war between the drug lobby and the alcohol lobby. Both doctors and doctors are involved in this massacre. They (drug dealers) secretly use them (medics) like fools,” the expert is sure.

The most drinking countries were determined based on the official summary, which is publicly available on the website of the World Health Organization.

Every year, WHO collects and processes information on alcohol dependence of residents based on the amount of alcohol consumed in different countries of the world. Based on the data obtained, the most drinking countries are determined. It shows that the amount of alcohol consumed by adults in the world in 2020 is only growing.

Map of alcohol consumption per capita in 2020

Statistics of countries with alcohol problems, based on information published by WHO

The World Health Organization is based on information provided by regulatory organizations that oversee the alcohol trade. It also relies on analysis and reports of private companies that control the alcoholic beverages market in countries, including the Third World.

The conclusions of the organization’s specialists are disappointing: alcoholic beverages directly or partially become causes of death.

Regions of the Russian Federation where mortality from alcohol is greater than or equal to mortality from external causes

Not only alcohol produced in the countries under study is taken into account, but also the amount of alcoholic beverages imported from abroad.

Based on the collected information, WHO specialists determine the dynamics of alcohol dependence in the population and determine the amount of alcohol consumed or sold per person in certain countries.

Under development specialized programs to reduce the spread of alcohol-containing drinks among the population. But such WHO initiatives are limited by the country's own legislation and monopoly.

Reference. The main problem of the drinking population is the lack of understanding of alcohol dependence.

People living on the territory of the top countries do not recognize the problem of alcoholism and do not consider it national.

According to annual statistics published since 1961, the leaders in the ranking of territories where they drink the most over the past 10 years have been the countries of the former USSR and. The fact that it is the most drinking country is a myth.

Impact of measures to curb alcohol dependence

The introduction of restrictive measures on the consumption and distribution of alcoholic beverages shows that the number of alcohol-containing goods sold is increasing in those states where it is possible to freely import or export alcoholic beverages across the border. WHO notes that drinks are being purchased for further distribution in areas where there are restrictions on their consumption.

Top most drinking countries in the world

Thus, the consumption of wine, beer, national fruit brews or homemade wine, which are considered low-alcohol drinks, is common in the following European countries:

• Belarus.
• Lithuania.
• Czech Republic.
• France.

The top includes only those states where, according to statistics, more than 6.6 liters of pure alcohol are consumed annually per citizen over the age of 15. Thus, since 2014 this number has been growing by 0.2% annually.

TOP 20 most drinking countries in the world by the amount of ethyl alcohol consumed per capita

The rating shows that the addiction of people in countries around the world to alcoholic beverages is a problem for state authorities. The widespread availability of alcoholic beverages and lack of self-discipline lead to disastrous consequences.

Statistical conclusions based on aggregate data reflect real figures: over 2.5 million people a year die due to addiction to alcoholic beverages.

Countries where alcohol is prohibited

There are 41 countries in the world where alcohol is completely banned in 2020.

On the territory of the Scandinavian states, by decision of the government, special programs on the prohibition of drinking alcoholic beverages. One of them, called “Sober City,” involves annual weeks of freedom from addiction in all localities.

List of states where alcoholic beverages cannot be drunk:

The global community has about 400 faiths in which any addictive substances, including drinks with low alcohol content, are strictly prohibited.

Alcoholism in Russia

The statistics contain figures indicating the ratio of people who periodically “have problems with alcohol” to the rest of society. The number is 20% of the European population, which means that all these people are dependent on alcohol.

As a result, human life expectancy decreases and many diseases appear in young people. Such a nation is unable to control itself, and the universal availability of strong drinks and the lack of a culture of their consumption leads to the fact that many people drink.