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

Spain: Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days was 39.3% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
39.3%
Change on year
down 4.1%
World rank
99th
of 187 countries
All-time high
47.0%
in 2000
All-time low
39.3%
in 2020
Years of data
21
2000–2020

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

010203040502000201020202000: 47 %2001: 46.9 %2002: 45.6 %2003: 45.8 %2004: 45.8 %2005: 45.9 %2006: 45.7 %2007: 45.1 %2008: 44.3 %2009: 43.8 %2010: 42.6 %2011: 42 %2012: 41.5 %2013: 41 %2014: 40 %2015: 41.7 %2016: 41.8 %2017: 41.5 %2018: 41 %2019: 41 %2020: 39.3 %

Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Spain recorded 39.3% 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 4.1% on the previous year and down 7.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Spain peaked at 47.0% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 39.3%, in 2020.

Spain ranks 99th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 45.6% 43.8% 47.0% 10
2010s 41.4% 40.0% 42.6% 10
2020s 39.3% 39.3% 39.3% 1

Countries ranked near Spain

  1. 96 El Salvador 39.6% compare
  2. 97 Switzerland 39.5% compare
  3. 98 Thailand 39.5% compare
  4. 100 India 39.0% compare
  5. 101 Guinea 38.6% compare
  6. 102 Denmark 38.6% compare

See the full ranking of 187 places →

More reference data data for Spain

All data for Spain →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Spain?
Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Spain was 39.3% 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 Spain?
The highest recorded value was 47.0% in 2000.
What is the lowest share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days recorded in Spain?
The lowest recorded value was 39.3% in 2020.
How does Spain rank for share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days?
Spain ranks 99th 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 Spain?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Spain 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

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.