Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Italy
Italy: Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days was 34.3% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Italy, 2000–2020
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Italy recorded 34.3% 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.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.6% on the previous year and down 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Italy peaked at 41.6% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 34.3%, in 2020.
That places Italy 130th 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.
Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Italy, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 41.6% | — |
| 2001 | 41.2% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 40.6% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 40.4% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 39.9% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 38.3% | -4.1% |
| 2006 | 37.9% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 37.6% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 37.0% | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 36.3% | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 36.7% | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 36.5% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 36.8% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 36.4% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 36.4% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 35.8% | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 35.6% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 35.7% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 36.0% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 35.6% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 34.3% | -3.6% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 34.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 38.1%, 90% of the median. (60 countries reporting)
- Italy's 34.3% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 36.1%, 95% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 39.1% | 36.3% | 41.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.2% | 35.6% | 36.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.3% | 34.3% | 34.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More reference data data for Italy
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.48 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 8.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.927 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 8.94 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 8.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 5.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 41.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 5.05 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Italy?
- Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Italy was 34.3% 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 Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 41.6% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.3% in 2020.
- How does Italy rank for share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days?
- Italy ranks 130th 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 Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Italy 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.