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

Sweden: Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days was 37.0% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
37.0%
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
113th
of 187 countries
All-time high
40.0%
in 2002
All-time low
36.9%
in 2019
Years of data
21
2000–2020

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

0102030402000201020202000: 39.9 %2001: 39.9 %2002: 40 %2003: 39.8 %2004: 39.3 %2005: 39.2 %2006: 39.2 %2007: 39.2 %2008: 39 %2009: 39 %2010: 38.9 %2011: 38.6 %2012: 38.3 %2013: 38.1 %2014: 37.8 %2015: 37.5 %2016: 37.3 %2017: 37.1 %2018: 37.1 %2019: 36.9 %2020: 37 %

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 Sweden is 37.0%, measured in 2020.

The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and down 5.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Sweden peaked at 40.0% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 36.9%, in 2019.

Sweden ranks 113th 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 39.4% 39.0% 40.0% 10
2010s 37.8% 36.9% 38.9% 10
2020s 37.0% 37.0% 37.0% 1

Countries ranked near Sweden

  1. 110 Senegal 37.4% compare
  2. 111 Uruguay 37.3% compare
  3. 112 Germany 37.3% compare
  4. 114 Moldova 36.6% compare
  5. 115 Canada 36.2% compare
  6. 116 Netherlands 36.1% compare

See the full ranking of 187 places →

More reference data data for Sweden

All data for Sweden →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Sweden?
Share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days in Sweden was 37.0% 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 Sweden?
The highest recorded value was 40.0% in 2002.
What is the lowest share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days recorded in Sweden?
The lowest recorded value was 36.9% in 2019.
How does Sweden rank for share of drinkers who have had a heavy drinking session in past 30 days?
Sweden ranks 113th 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 Sweden?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sweden 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.