But the reduction in hours of alcohol purchases in the Russian region has apparently not deterred people from drinking. In other words, of all the factors that could increase your risk of death or disability — such as smoking or physical inactivity — drinking too much was the leading global risk factor in this age group, according to a study published in The Lancet in August. The legal drinking age is the minimum age at which a person can legally consume alcoholic beverages. The minimum age at which alcohol can be legally consumed may differ from the age at which it can be purchased in some countries. These laws vary from country to country and many laws provide for exceptions or special circumstances. Most laws only apply to alcohol consumption in public places, with alcohol consumption in the home generally unregulated (an exception is the UK, which has a legal age of five for supervised consumption in private places). Some countries also have different age limits for different types of alcoholic beverages. [1] Most countries have a legal drinking age of 18 or 19. [2] In the late 20th century, much of North America changed its legal drinking age (MLDA) as follows: Children`s Act Section 78 – No person shall sell, lend, give, provide, provide or offer liquor to children under 16 years of age unless a written order has been issued by the child`s parent or guardian. who is known to that person. The police have a duty to confiscate any alcoholic beverage in the possession of a child under the age of 16 without the written consent of parents or guardians. [38] Of the 190 countries, 61% have an alcohol drinking age of 18 or 19. The United States and 11 other countries have an MLDA of 21, the highest MLDA of any country where it is legal to drink (although some parts of India have drinking ages of 25 and 30).
Alcohol is banned in 16 countries, all Muslim, although some have exceptions for non-Muslims. The following tables present the Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) and related data for 190 independent states recognized by the U.S. Department of State as of July 15, 2015. Data are from the World Health Organization`s Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health 2014 2014, unless otherwise noted. No information on alcohol age was available for Djibouti, Lebanon, Marshall Islands, North Korea or South Sudan, the other five countries listed as independent states by the State Department. In Russia`s Irkutsk region, 76 people died in December 2016 after about 120 people were poisoned while drinking bath lotion containing strong methyl alcohol. The issue even prompted Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko – who described himself as someone „who doesn`t drink much” – to declare at a union meeting in Minsk on 8 December that heavy alcohol consumption in Belarus is a „very difficult, difficult problem”. However, he added that many European countries have recently seen a decline in alcohol consumption, reflecting the number of young people who abstain completely from alcohol. Take a look at the rest of the drinking age of every country in the world on the map above or read on for more information. The legal age for the consumption and purchase of alcohol in the Faroe Islands is 18 years. [163] The world`s youngest legal drinking age is 15, with Mali and the Central African Republic allowing people to drink at that time.
Seven countries do not have state-mandated drinking age, while 11 countries ban alcohol consumption altogether. The minimum age to buy alcohol in India is 18 years old in Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Sikkim and Pondicherry. The legal drinking age is 21 in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Haryana, Meghalaya, Punjab and Delhi. Alcohol is banned in Bihar, Gujarat, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Lakshadweep. In many countries, the age at which one can legally drink is considered an important stage of life. This age has also been discussed for a long time. Should the minimum drinking age coincide with a country`s voting age, the age of conscription, the age at which you can buy a lottery ticket or rent a car? Or should it be an age in itself? The drinking age in the United States is 21, although this is not the case in all other countries or even in some states in the United States. Some countries even prefer not to impose such restrictions. The drinking age in Ireland, for example, does not exist in a private home.
Britain leads the way as teen alcohol consumption declines across Europe Champagne often flows when you toast on New Year`s Eve – but at what age can most young people legally start sipping sparkling wine? The online survey also asks whether Belarus should raise the drinking age from 18 to 20 or 21. The move to 21 would give Belarus the highest minimum drinking age in all of Europe, joining only a handful of other countries — most of them predominantly Muslim, as well as the United States — where you have to be 21 to be served an alcoholic beverage or buy beer in a store. Among 15-year-old boys, more than 1 in 5 reported drinking weekly in 24 European countries and regions, with the highest prevalence observed in Malta, Denmark, England and Wales. But in 2014, only nine countries and regions had a prevalence of more than 20%, with the highest prevalence in Croatia, Malta and Italy, according to the report. In recent years, however, more attention has been paid to the amount of alcohol consumed by young people, not necessarily the age at which alcohol consumption begins. Excessive or episodic excessive alcohol consumption can be measured as the consumption of at least 60 grams or more of pure alcohol at least once in the past 30 days. According to the WHO, about 16% of drinkers aged 15 and older worldwide drink heavily episodic. * The legal drinking age is 18 in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec.
In all other provinces and territories, the legal drinking age is 19. But even after the law went into effect, only a few states explicitly prohibited minors from drinking alcohol in private. As of January 2010, 15 states prohibited alcohol consumption in public or private places and 17 states did not prohibit private use by minors. There are 18 states that allow underage drinkers to consume alcohol with their families or in certain places. Religious exceptions to the rule apply to all states. The police may search minors in public places and confiscate or destroy alcoholic beverages in their possession. Incidents are reported to the legal guardian and child protection services, who may be involved in child protection proceedings. In addition, a fine is imposed on persons aged 15 and over. [167] The method of calculating the legal age for alcohol is slightly different from the calculation of the Korean age, where another year is added to the person`s age, whereas this method only takes into account the month and day of birth, but only the year. [105] A WHO report released in September found that in 15 countries and regions in the Region, more than 1 in 5 15-year-old girls reported drinking alcohol weekly in 2002, with the highest prevalence in England, Scotland, Malta, and Denmark. But until 2014, only Malta had a prevalence of more than 20%. It is technically legal for minors to possess and consume alcohol at home and in public (not on authorized premises), as there is no law prohibiting it.
It is also technically legal for someone to buy alcohol and give it to minors outside the store or licensed establishments. [104] Research suggests that the greater a country`s economic prosperity, the more alcohol is consumed and the higher the prevalence of episodic binge drinking. Studies have varied, but some researchers say no amount of alcohol is good for your health, and excessive alcohol consumption can damage the body and brain, especially in a young person. There is some evidence that high alcohol exposure may be associated with brain impairment and cognitive deficits, including memory problems. According to the report, in 2016, more than 50% of people in America, Europe and the Western Pacific (Japan, Australia, Oceania) drank alcoholic beverages. For comparison, in 2016, only 32.2% of people in Africa and 33.1% of people in Southeast Asia (India, North Korea, Sri Lanka, etc.) drank. In addition, 94.9% of the inhabitants of the Eastern Mediterranean (Egypt, Iran, Yemen, etc.) abstained from alcohol throughout their lives. Alcohol consumption is illegal in many Eastern Mediterranean countries, at least for Muslims.