Australia vs New Zealand: Share of adults who drank alcohol in last year
Australia
80.7%
in 2020
New Zealand
80.3%
in 2020
Australia rank
4th
New Zealand rank
5th
Share of adults who drank alcohol in last year over time
- Australia
- New Zealand
How they compare
Australia currently reports 80.7% against 80.3% in New Zealand, a difference of 0.4%.
Across all 21 years both countries report, Australia has been ahead every year.
Australia ranks 4th and New Zealand ranks 5th of 187 countries.
Australia has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | New Zealand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 80.3% | 79.3% | 1.0% | Australia |
| 2010s | 80.6% | 79.7% | 0.8% | Australia |
| 2020s | 80.7% | 80.3% | 0.4% | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of adults who drank alcohol in last year, Australia or New Zealand?
- Australia, at 80.7% against 80.3% in New Zealand as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of adults who drank alcohol in last year between Australia and New Zealand?
- 0.4%, with Australia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and New Zealand?
- 21 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2020.
- How do Australia and New Zealand rank globally for share of adults who drank alcohol in last year?
- Australia ranks 4th and New Zealand ranks 5th of 187 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of adults who drank alcohol in last year. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Adults are defined as those aged 15 years and older. Shown is the share of adults who have drunk any alcohol in the preceding 12 months.