The Global Drug Survey has crowned Australians as the heaviest drinkers in the world in 2020.
According to the latest data from the Global Drug Survey (GDS) 2021, Australian respondents got drunk 26.7 times (about twice a month) in the last 12 months, well above the global average of 15 times. Danes and Finns followed in second place at 23.8 times, with Americans pegged at third position, with the average person getting drunk about 23.1 times a year.
In terms of drinking frequency, France took the top spot for the average number of days that alcohol was consumed, at 132 days a year, followed by New Zealand on 120. Globally, people drank twice a week on average or 101 days in 2020.
Times drunk by country in 2020
The survey, which drew on responses from more than 32,000 people in 22 countries, also asked people about their mood, the location of use, and whether they regretted getting drunk. On average, respondents from Ireland felt regret the most often after getting drunk, regretting it about 25% of the time.
2020 was also an unprecedented year with the spread of the pandemic, so drinking often occurred in private settings: Most people drank when they were with close friends while a quarter of episodes occurred when the person was alone.
“2020 was an unprecedented year for many people...the main theme was a negative sentiment towards 2020, as well as a focus on how life had changed or had been different during the pandemic,” the survey's commentary said.
