Australia vs New Zealand: Share of adults who have not drunk alcohol in the last year
Australia
19.3%
in 2020
New Zealand
19.7%
in 2020
Australia rank
184th
New Zealand rank
183rd
Share of adults who have not drunk alcohol in the last year over time
- Australia
- New Zealand
How they compare
New Zealand currently reports 19.7% against 19.3% in Australia, a difference of 0.4%.
Across all 21 years both countries report, New Zealand has been ahead every year.
Australia ranks 184th and New Zealand ranks 183rd of 187 countries.
New Zealand has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | New Zealand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 19.7% | 20.7% | 1.0% | New Zealand |
| 2010s | 19.4% | 20.3% | 0.8% | New Zealand |
| 2020s | 19.3% | 19.7% | 0.4% | New Zealand |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of adults who have not drunk alcohol in the last year, Australia or New Zealand?
- New Zealand, at 19.7% against 19.3% in Australia as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of adults who have not drunk alcohol in the last year between Australia and New Zealand?
- 0.4%, with New Zealand 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 have not drunk alcohol in the last year?
- Australia ranks 184th and New Zealand ranks 183rd 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 have not drunk alcohol in the 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 not drunk any alcohol in the preceding 12 months.