Share of adults who drank alcohol in last year in South Africa
South Africa: Share of adults who drank alcohol in last year was 29.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who drank alcohol in last year in South Africa, 2000–2020
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 South Africa is 29.6%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.
The figure is down 8.8% on the previous year and down 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who drank alcohol in last year in South Africa peaked at 32.5% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 29.6%, in 2020.
That places South Africa 123rd out of 187 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Share of adults who drank alcohol in last year in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 30.3% | — |
| 2001 | 30.2% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 29.9% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 29.7% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 30.0% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 30.2% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 30.4% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 30.9% | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 31.0% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 30.7% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 30.9% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 31.5% | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 31.7% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 31.9% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 32.0% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 32.3% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 32.1% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 32.0% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 32.2% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 32.5% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 29.6% | -8.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 30.3% | 29.7% | 31.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.9% | 30.9% | 32.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.6% | 29.6% | 29.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who drank alcohol in last year in South Africa?
- Share of adults who drank alcohol in last year in South Africa was 29.6% 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 adults who drank alcohol in last year recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 32.5% in 2019.
- What is the lowest share of adults who drank alcohol in last year recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.6% in 2020.
- How does South Africa rank for share of adults who drank alcohol in last year?
- South Africa ranks 123rd out of 187 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of adults who drank alcohol in last year rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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).
About this data
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.