Alcohol spending as a share of total household spending in Canada

Canada: Alcohol spending as a share of total household spending was 1.2 in 2016. ▼ Falling

Latest (2016)
1.2
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
24th
of 36 countries
All-time high
2.3
in 1990
All-time low
1.1
in 2012
Years of data
27
1990–2016

Alcohol spending as a share of total household spending in Canada, 1990–2016

00.511.522.51990200320161990: 2.31991: 2.21992: 2.21993: 2.21994: 2.21995: 2.21996: 21997: 21998: 2.21999: 22000: 2.12001: 22002: 2.12003: 2.12004: 2.12005: 22006: 22007: 22008: 22009: 2.12010: 22011: 22012: 1.12013: 1.22014: 1.12015: 1.22016: 1.2

Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2016, alcohol spending as a share of total household spending in Canada stood at 1.2.

The figure is down 40.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, alcohol spending as a share of total household spending in Canada peaked at 2.3 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 1.1, in 2012.

Canada ranks 24th of 36 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.

Alcohol spending as a share of total household spending in Canada, year by year

Annual values for Alcohol spending as a share of total household spending in Canada, 1990 to 2016.
Year Value Change
1990 2.3 —
1991 2.2 -4.3%
1992 2.2 +0.0%
1993 2.2 +0.0%
1994 2.2 +0.0%
1995 2.2 +0.0%
1996 2 -9.1%
1997 2 +0.0%
1998 2.2 +10.0%
1999 2 -9.1%
2000 2.1 +5.0%
2001 2 -4.8%
2002 2.1 +5.0%
2003 2.1 +0.0%
2004 2.1 +0.0%
2005 2 -4.8%
2006 2 +0.0%
2007 2 +0.0%
2008 2 +0.0%
2009 2.1 +5.0%
2010 2 -4.8%
2011 2 +0.0%
2012 1.1 -45.0%
2013 1.2 +9.1%
2014 1.1 -8.3%
2015 1.2 +9.1%
2016 1.2 +0.0%

Canada compared with similar countries

  • Canada's 1.2 is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.6, 75% of the median. (23 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Alcohol spending as a share of total household spending in Canada changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2012 -45.0% 2 1.1

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 2.15 2 2.3 10
2000s 2.05 2 2.1 10
2010s 1.4 1.1 2 7

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 21 Austria 1.3 compare
  2. 21 Croatia 1.3 compare
  3. 21 Ukraine 1.3 compare
  4. 24 Armenia 1.2 compare
  5. 26 North Macedonia 1.1 compare
  6. 27 Japan 1 compare
  7. 27 Slovenia 1 compare
  8. 27 Thailand 1 compare

See the full ranking of 36 places →

More reference data data for Canada

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is alcohol spending as a share of total household spending in Canada?
Alcohol spending as a share of total household spending in Canada was 1.2 in 2016, according to World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest alcohol spending as a share of total household spending recorded in Canada?
The highest recorded value was 2.3 in 1990.
What is the lowest alcohol spending as a share of total household spending recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 1.1 in 2012.
How does Canada rank for alcohol spending as a share of total household spending?
Canada ranks 24th out of 36 countries with data for 2016.
Is alcohol spending as a share of total household spending rising or falling in Canada?
Over the last ten years it is down 40.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Canada data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Alcohol spending as a share of total household spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Alcohol spending as a share of total household spending in Canada. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 25 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/alcohol-expenditure-as-share-of-total/canada/

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About this data

Indicator
Alcohol spending as a share of total household spending
Source
World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
36 places, 471 data points, 1990–2017
Last refreshed

Spending on alcohol measured as a share of total household expenditure.