Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Australia
Australia: Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days was 44.8% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Australia, 2000–2020
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Australia stood at 44.8%.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and down 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Australia peaked at 48.3% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 44.8%, in 2019.
That places Australia 75th out of 187 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 47.4% | 46.9% | 48.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 45.6% | 44.8% | 46.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.8% | 44.8% | 44.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More reference data data for Australia
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8615 °C (2026)
- Spring temperature anomalies -0.4864 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.13 °C (2026)
- Consumer price index 148.46 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.0026 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.4713 °C (2025)
- Civil liberties rating 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
- Elected parliament 1 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Australia?
- Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Australia was 44.8% in 2020, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 48.3% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.8% in 2019.
- How does Australia rank for share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days?
- Australia ranks 75th out of 187 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia 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 Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Heavy episodic drinking (drinkers only) is defined as the proportion of adult drinkers (15+ years) who have had at least 60 grams or more of pure alcohol on at least one occasion in the past 30 days. A consumption of 60 grams of pure alcohol corresponds approximately to 6 standard alcoholic drinks.