Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Canada
Canada: Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days was 36.2% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Canada, 2000–2020
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Canada recorded 36.2% for share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Canada peaked at 39.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 36.2%, in 2020.
That places Canada 115th 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 | 39.0% | 38.7% | 39.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.4% | 36.5% | 38.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.2% | 36.2% | 36.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More reference data data for Canada
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.7 °C (2026)
- Spring temperature anomalies -4.58 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 2.12 °C (2026)
- Consumer price index 140.97 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 2.47 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies -2.57 °C (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Free country 2 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Canada?
- Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Canada was 36.2% 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 Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 39.4% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.2% in 2020.
- How does Canada rank for share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days?
- Canada ranks 115th 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 Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.0%. 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 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.