The World Health Organisation has released a new report which reveals the heaviest drinkers in the world—and the U.S. really doesn't get a look in.
The average U.S. resident drinks 9.2 liters of pure alcohol a year, according to the Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health 2014. Compare that to the 17.5 litres drunk by the hard-partying population of Belarus, who top the drinking tables, and the relatively-conservative 11.6 litres consumed by citizens of the UK. On average, people around the globe drink 6.2 litres of pure alcohol annually.
Measuring consumption between 2008 and 2010, the report also found that 3.3 million deaths worldwide could be directly attributed to alcohol abuse, despite the fact that less than half the world's population (38.3 per cent) even drink booze. The top 10 heaviest drinking nations are all found in Europe. They are:
- Belarus – 17.5 litres
- Republic of Moldova – 16.8 litres
- Lithuania – 15.4 litres
- Russian Federation – 15.1 litres
- Romania – 14.4 litres
- Ukraine – 13.9 litres
- Andorra – 13.8 litres
- Hungary – 13.3 litres
- Czech Republic and Slovakia – 13 litres
- Portugal – 12.9 litres