Ireland vs United Kingdom: Alcohol consumption
Alcohol consumption over time
- Ireland
- United Kingdom
How they compare
Ireland currently reports 9.2 Litres per person against 8.8 Litres per person in United Kingdom, a difference of 0.4 Litres per person.
The two have swapped places 9 times across 64 shared years of data; in 1961 it was United Kingdom ahead.
Ireland ranks 13th and United Kingdom ranks 16th of 41 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Ireland averaged higher in 6 and United Kingdom in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ireland | United Kingdom | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.72 Litres per person | 7.51 Litres per person | 1.79 Litres per person | United Kingdom |
| 1970s | 8.67 Litres per person | 8.64 Litres per person | 0.03 Litres per person | Ireland |
| 1980s | 9.43 Litres per person | 9.34 Litres per person | 0.09 Litres per person | Ireland |
| 1990s | 11.97 Litres per person | 9.68 Litres per person | 2.29 Litres per person | Ireland |
| 2000s | 13.33 Litres per person | 10.96 Litres per person | 2.37 Litres per person | Ireland |
| 2010s | 11.09 Litres per person | 9.66 Litres per person | 1.43 Litres per person | Ireland |
| 2020s | 9.86 Litres per person | 9.54 Litres per person | 0.32 Litres per person | Ireland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher alcohol consumption, Ireland or United Kingdom?
- Ireland, at 9.2 Litres per person against 8.8 Litres per person in United Kingdom as of 2025.
- What is the difference in alcohol consumption between Ireland and United Kingdom?
- 0.4 Litres per person, with Ireland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ireland and United Kingdom?
- 64 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2024.
- How do Ireland and United Kingdom rank globally for alcohol consumption?
- Ireland ranks 13th and United Kingdom ranks 16th of 41 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as Alcohol consumption. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Unhealthy lifestyles and poor environments cause millions of people to die prematurely. Smoking, harmful alcohol use, physical inactivity and obesity are the root cause of many chronic conditions. This dataset presents the latest data for alcohol consumption. Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.