Share of adults who drank alcohol in last year in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Share of adults who drank alcohol in last year was 1.9% in 2020. ▬ Flat

Latest (2020)
1.9%
Change on year
down 3.1%
World rank
178th
of 187 countries
All-time high
2.1%
in 2012
All-time low
1.8%
in 2002
Years of data
21
2000–2020

Share of adults who drank alcohol in last year in Saudi Arabia, 2000–2020

00.511.522000201020202000: 1.9 %2001: 1.8 %2002: 1.8 %2003: 1.9 %2004: 1.9 %2005: 2 %2006: 2 %2007: 2 %2008: 2 %2009: 1.9 %2010: 2 %2011: 2.1 %2012: 2.1 %2013: 2.1 %2014: 2.1 %2015: 1.9 %2016: 1.9 %2017: 1.9 %2018: 1.9 %2019: 1.9 %2020: 1.9 %

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 adults who drank alcohol in last year in Saudi Arabia is 1.9%, measured in 2020.

That represents a change of down 3.1% on the previous year and down 5.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of adults who drank alcohol in last year in Saudi Arabia peaked at 2.1% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 2002.

Saudi Arabia ranks 178th of 187 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Share of adults who drank alcohol in last year in Saudi Arabia, year by year

Annual values for Share of adults who drank alcohol in last year in Saudi Arabia, 2000 to 2020.
Year % Change
2000 1.9%
2001 1.8% -0.9%
2002 1.8% -2.1%
2003 1.9% +4.6%
2004 1.9% +3.2%
2005 2.0% +1.8%
2006 2.0% +0.2%
2007 2.0% -0.3%
2008 2.0% +2.2%
2009 1.9% -3.6%
2010 2.0% +1.2%
2011 2.1% +6.1%
2012 2.1% +1.6%
2013 2.1% -1.8%
2014 2.1% -0.4%
2015 1.9% -8.2%
2016 1.9% -3.0%
2017 1.9% +2.6%
2018 1.9% +1.5%
2019 1.9% +0.1%
2020 1.9% -3.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1.9% 1.8% 2.0% 10
2010s 2.0% 1.9% 2.1% 10
2020s 1.9% 1.9% 1.9% 1

Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia

  1. 175 Maldives 5.5% compare
  2. 176 Bangladesh 5.4% compare
  3. 177 Afghanistan 2.1% compare
  4. 179 Mauritania 1.7% compare
  5. 180 Pakistan 1.6% compare
  6. 181 Iran 1.5% compare

See the full ranking of 187 places →

More reference data data for Saudi Arabia

All data for Saudi Arabia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of adults who drank alcohol in last year in Saudi Arabia?
Share of adults who drank alcohol in last year in Saudi Arabia was 1.9% 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 adults who drank alcohol in last year recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The highest recorded value was 2.1% in 2012.
What is the lowest share of adults who drank alcohol in last year recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The lowest recorded value was 1.8% in 2002.
How does Saudi Arabia rank for share of adults who drank alcohol in last year?
Saudi Arabia ranks 178th out of 187 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of adults who drank alcohol in last year rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Saudi Arabia 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 adults who drank alcohol in last year. 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).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Share of adults who drank alcohol in last year in Saudi Arabia. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-adults-who-drank-alcohol-in-last-year/saudi-arabia/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-adults-who-drank-alcohol-in-last-year/saudi-arabia/">Share of adults who drank alcohol in last year in Saudi Arabia</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Share of adults who drank alcohol in last year
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

Adults are defined as those aged 15 years and older. Shown is the share of adults who have drunk any alcohol in the preceding 12 months.