Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Iceland
Iceland: Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days was 50.6% in 2020. ▬ Flat
Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Iceland, 2000–2020
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Iceland is 50.6%, measured in 2020.
The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and up 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Iceland peaked at 51.3% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 49.3%, in 2013.
That places Iceland 37th out of 187 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 51.1% | — |
| 2001 | 51.0% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 50.9% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 50.6% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 50.6% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 50.8% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 51.0% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 51.3% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 50.8% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 50.4% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 49.5% | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 49.4% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 49.3% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 49.3% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 49.5% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 50.3% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 50.4% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 50.8% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 51.0% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 50.9% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 50.6% | -0.7% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 50.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 38.1%, 1.3× the median. (60 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 50.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 36.1%, 1.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 50.9% | 50.4% | 51.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 50.0% | 49.3% | 51.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 50.6% | 50.6% | 50.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More reference data data for Iceland
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0288 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0708 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.1854 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0001 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.1854 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0964 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.062 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2576 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.7664 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0005 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Iceland?
- Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Iceland was 50.6% 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 Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 51.3% in 2007.
- What is the lowest share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 49.3% in 2013.
- How does Iceland rank for share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days?
- Iceland ranks 37th 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 Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Iceland 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.