Which EU country has the highest alcohol consumption?

Key Takeaways

• Latvia and Spain rank highest in the EU for alcohol consumption in 2022. They reported 11.9 and 11.8 litres of pure alcohol per adult, respectively.
• Lithuania recorded the EU’s highest alcohol consumption in 2010. It no longer ranks among the EU’s five heaviest-drinking countries in 2022.
• Latvia, Spain, and Romania ranked below the EU average in 2010. All three now rank above it in 2022. 
• Latvia’s total runs high because spirits make up around 40% of their alcohol consumption. Spirits carry more pure alcohol per drink than beer or wine.
• Greece has the EU’s lowest alcohol consumption. It recorded 6.3 litres per adult in 2022.
• Denmark, Romania, and Luxembourg have the EU’s highest rates of heavy episodic drinking in 2019. 
• Lithuania’s decline traces to a 2018 law. It banned alcohol advertising and cut retail sales hours.
• Alcohol Consumption Across EU Countries

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Latvia and Spain Now Rank as the EU’s Heaviest-Drinking Countries

Alcohol consumption fell by only 3% across the EU between 2010 and 2022.

Latvia recorded the EU’s highest alcohol consumption in 2022. It reached 11.9 litres of pure alcohol per adult.

Greece recorded the EU’s lowest total that year. It reported 6.3 litres per adult.

Latvia’s total was nearly twice as high.

Spirits make up around 40% of Latvia’s alcohol consumption. That is nearly double the EU average share.

Spirits carry more pure alcohol per drink than beer or wine. That raises Latvia’s total litres figure.

Spain’s alcohol consumption closely followed Latvia’s. It reported 11.8 litres per adult.

Three countries tied for third place at 11.6 litres each:

• Austria: 11.6 litres
• Czechia: 11.6 litres
• Romania: 11.6 litres

Latvia, Spain, and Romania all ranked below the EU average in 2010.

All three now rank above the 2022 average of 10.0 litres. No source explains why consumption rose specifically in these three countries.

Spain and Romania have their own documented factors behind their totals.

Spain’s figure includes alcohol bought by tourists. Latvia, Estonia, Italy, and Lithuania’s figures exclude tourist consumption instead.

That difference can inflate Spain’s total by comparison.

Romania has a large home-production sector for spirits and wine. Recorded sales figures do not always capture that home production.

Lithuania Dropped Out of the EU’s Top Five Heaviest-Drinking Countries

Lithuania recorded 13.5 litres of pure alcohol per adult in 2010. That was the highest level in the EU that year.

By 2022, Lithuania’s consumption fell to 11.2 litres. That is a 17% drop from 2010.

Lithuania’s decline followed a 2018 Lithuanian law that banned nearly all alcohol advertising and cut retail sales hours.

Lithuania no longer ranks among the EU’s five heaviest-drinking countries.

Denmark, Romania, and Luxembourg Have the EU’s Highest Rates of Heavy Episodic Drinking

More than 30% of adults in Denmark, Romania, and Luxembourg reported heavy episodic drinking at least once a month in 2019. This kind of drinking means consuming six or more standard drinks in one sitting.

Denmark recorded 9.5 litres of pure alcohol per adult in 2022. That is below the EU average of 10.0 litres.

Its rate of heavy episodic drinking still ranks among the EU’s three highest. The gap traces to two different drinking patterns across the EU.

• Countries such as Spain and Italy tend to drink often, sometimes daily. However, they drink in smaller amounts per sitting.
• Countries such as Denmark and Romania tend to drink less often. However, they consume more alcohol in a single sitting when they do drink.

Alcohol caused an estimated 239,530 deaths across the EU in 2019. That was just over 5% of all deaths that year.

The WHO European Framework for Action on Alcohol set a target to cut per capita consumption by 10% by 2025. That target is measured against 2010 levels.

Only nine EU countries had hit it by 2022.

The EU as a whole fell short of that target.