Share of adults who have not drunk alcohol in the last year in Iceland
Iceland: Share of adults who have not drunk alcohol in the last year was 20.8% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of adults who have not drunk alcohol in the last year in Iceland, 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 have not drunk alcohol in the last year in Iceland is 20.8%, measured in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and down 9.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who have not drunk alcohol in the last year in Iceland peaked at 24.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 20.3%, in 2018.
That places Iceland 180th out of 187 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Share of adults who have not drunk alcohol in the last year in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 24.8% | — |
| 2001 | 24.2% | -2.2% |
| 2002 | 23.9% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 23.9% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 23.4% | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 22.8% | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 22.3% | -2.1% |
| 2007 | 21.7% | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 21.9% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 22.1% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 23.0% | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 22.9% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 22.8% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 22.6% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 22.2% | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 21.3% | -4.3% |
| 2016 | 21.0% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 20.5% | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 20.3% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 20.4% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 20.8% | +2.0% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 20.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 28.7%, 73% of the median. (60 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 20.8% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 26.8%, 78% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 23.1% | 21.7% | 24.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.7% | 20.3% | 23.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.8% | 20.8% | 20.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More reference data data for Iceland
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0288 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0708 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.1854 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0001 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.1854 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0964 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.062 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2576 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.7664 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0005 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who have not drunk alcohol in the last year in Iceland?
- Share of adults who have not drunk alcohol in the last year in Iceland was 20.8% 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 have not drunk alcohol in the last year recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 24.8% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of adults who have not drunk alcohol in the last year recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.3% in 2018.
- How does Iceland rank for share of adults who have not drunk alcohol in the last year?
- Iceland ranks 180th out of 187 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of adults who have not drunk alcohol in the last year rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland 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 have not drunk alcohol in the 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 not drunk any alcohol in the preceding 12 months.