New Zealand vs South Africa: Alcohol consumption
Alcohol consumption over time
- New Zealand
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 7.3 Litres per person against 7.2 Litres per person in New Zealand, a difference of 0.1 Litres per person.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 54 shared years of data; in 1965 it was New Zealand ahead.
New Zealand ranks 26th and South Africa ranks 24th of 41 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, New Zealand averaged higher in 6 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | New Zealand | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8.6 Litres per person | 6.4 Litres per person | 2.2 Litres per person | New Zealand |
| 1970s | 11.19 Litres per person | 7.86 Litres per person | 3.33 Litres per person | New Zealand |
| 1980s | 10.95 Litres per person | 8.8 Litres per person | 2.15 Litres per person | New Zealand |
| 1990s | 9.32 Litres per person | 9.73 Litres per person | 0.41 Litres per person | South Africa |
| 2000s | 9.13 Litres per person | 7.05 Litres per person | 2.08 Litres per person | New Zealand |
| 2010s | 9.06 Litres per person | 7.08 Litres per person | 1.98 Litres per person | New Zealand |
| 2020s | 8.73 Litres per person | 6.5 Litres per person | 2.23 Litres per person | New Zealand |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher alcohol consumption, New Zealand or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 7.3 Litres per person against 7.2 Litres per person in New Zealand as of 2022.
- What is the difference in alcohol consumption between New Zealand and South Africa?
- 0.1 Litres per person, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for New Zealand and South Africa?
- 54 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2022.
- How do New Zealand and South Africa rank globally for alcohol consumption?
- New Zealand ranks 26th and South Africa ranks 24th 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.