Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Iraq

Iraq: Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days was 20.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
20.6%
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
177th
of 187 countries
All-time high
21.7%
in 2000
All-time low
12.5%
in 2002
Years of data
21
2000–2020

Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Iraq, 2000–2020

051015202000201020202000: 21.7 %2001: 21.1 %2002: 12.5 %2003: 16.2 %2004: 18.1 %2005: 19.7 %2006: 19.2 %2007: 19.9 %2008: 20.3 %2009: 20.5 %2010: 20.7 %2011: 20.9 %2012: 20.7 %2013: 20.4 %2014: 20.3 %2015: 20.8 %2016: 20.8 %2017: 20.8 %2018: 20.7 %2019: 20.5 %2020: 20.6 %

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 Iraq stood at 20.6%.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and down 0.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Iraq peaked at 21.7% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 12.5%, in 2002.

Iraq ranks 177th of 187 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 18.9% 12.5% 21.7% 10
2010s 20.7% 20.3% 20.9% 10
2020s 20.6% 20.6% 20.6% 1

Countries ranked near Iraq

  1. 174 Oman 21.3% compare
  2. 175 North Macedonia 21.1% compare
  3. 176 Syria 21.1% compare
  4. 178 Bangladesh 20.3% compare
  5. 179 Jordan 20.1% compare
  6. 180 Yemen 19.8% compare

See the full ranking of 187 places →

More reference data data for Iraq

All data for Iraq →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Iraq?
Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Iraq was 20.6% 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 Iraq?
The highest recorded value was 21.7% in 2000.
What is the lowest share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days recorded in Iraq?
The lowest recorded value was 12.5% in 2002.
How does Iraq rank for share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days?
Iraq ranks 177th 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 Iraq?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Iraq 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.

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About this data

Indicator
Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days
Unit
%
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
187 places, 3,927 data points, 2000–2020
Last refreshed

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.