South Africa vs Sweden: Alcohol consumption

South Africa
7.3 Litres per person
in 2022
Sweden
7.3 Litres per person
in 2024
South Africa rank
24th
Sweden rank
24th

Alcohol consumption over time

  • South Africa
  • Sweden
02.557.510196019922024

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 7.3 Litres per person against 7.3 Litres per person in Sweden, a difference of 0 Litres per person.

The two have swapped places 7 times across 62 shared years of data; in 1961 it was South Africa ahead.

South Africa ranks 24th and Sweden ranks 24th of 41 countries.

Across the 7 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 5 and Sweden in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade South Africa Sweden Difference Ahead
1960s 6.73 Litres per person 5.81 Litres per person 0.9222 Litres per person South Africa
1970s 7.86 Litres per person 7.26 Litres per person 0.6 Litres per person South Africa
1980s 8.8 Litres per person 6.3 Litres per person 2.5 Litres per person South Africa
1990s 9.73 Litres per person 6.15 Litres per person 3.58 Litres per person South Africa
2000s 7.05 Litres per person 6.76 Litres per person 0.29 Litres per person South Africa
2010s 7.08 Litres per person 7.2 Litres per person 0.12 Litres per person Sweden
2020s 6.5 Litres per person 7.57 Litres per person 1.07 Litres per person Sweden

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher alcohol consumption, South Africa or Sweden?
South Africa, at 7.3 Litres per person against 7.3 Litres per person in Sweden as of 2022.
What is the difference in alcohol consumption between South Africa and Sweden?
0 Litres per person, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Sweden?
62 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2022.
How do South Africa and Sweden rank globally for alcohol consumption?
South Africa ranks 24th and Sweden 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.

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South Africa vs Sweden: Alcohol consumption. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/alcohol-consumption/south-africa/sweden/

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About this data

Indicator
Alcohol consumption
Unit
Litres per person
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
51 places, 3,029 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

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.