Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Japan
Japan: Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days was 52.6% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Japan, 2000–2020
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Japan recorded 52.6% 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 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Japan peaked at 59.3% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 52.6%, in 2020.
That places Japan 31st out of 187 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
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 Japan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 59.3% | — |
| 2001 | 58.0% | -2.2% |
| 2002 | 57.5% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 57.0% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 56.6% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 56.6% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 56.1% | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 55.2% | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 54.6% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 54.3% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 54.0% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 54.0% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 53.9% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 53.8% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 53.5% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 53.4% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 53.3% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 53.3% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 53.1% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 53.0% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 52.6% | -0.7% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 52.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 38.1%, 1.4× the median. (60 countries reporting)
- Japan's 52.6% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 48.7%, 1.1× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 56.5% | 54.3% | 59.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 53.5% | 53.0% | 54.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.6% | 52.6% | 52.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 28 Benin 53.5% compare
- 29 Luxembourg 53.4% compare
- 30 Burkina Faso 52.8% compare
- 32 Armenia 52.2% compare
- 33 Seychelles 51.9% compare
- 34 Ireland 51.1% compare
More reference data data for Japan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.981 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3629 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 4.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 23.74 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.98 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Japan?
- Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Japan was 52.6% 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 59.3% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.6% in 2020.
- How does Japan rank for share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days?
- Japan ranks 31st 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 Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan 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.