Fancy a drink? If you’re in Moldova, you’ll be in good company. The eastern European country topped Vouchercloud’s list of countries ranked by alcohol consumption, with the average citizen consuming the equivalent of 17.4 liters (4.6 gallons) of pure alcohol every year. That’s around 178 bottles of wine, enough for just under half a bottle every day.
The map, released Wednesday, collects each country’s alcohol consumption in litres per year, per person for the purposes of comparison. It’s based on data from 2010 to 2015 collected by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Out of 196 countries, the U.S. ranked number 49. Americans consume around 9 liters (2.4 gallons) of pure alcohol, the same as around 558 12-ounce bottles of Budweiser every year. Assuming each bottle costs $5, this equates to $2,790 spend per year or $122,760 over the course of a lifetime.
Across the pond, the Brits rank 17th, consuming 11.6 liters (just over three gallons) of pure alcohol per year. The top 10 is almost entirely comprised of European countries: Australia, ranked at number 10 with 12.6 liters (3.3 gallons) per year, is the outlier.
As for the bottom of the list? Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s countries where alcohol is restricted either for religious reasons or something else. On average, citizens in countries like Kuwait and Pakistan consume just 100ml (3.4 ounces) of pure alcohol per year on average. That’s about one bottle of wine every year.
Alcohol consumption varies wildly around the world. It’s hard to know how much counts as excessive drinking, though, as the world struggles to agree on a standard definition.
The United States falls behind the UK and is placed 49th in the booziest countries stakes.
Here’s the top 20 in terms of liters of alcohol consumed per person, per year:
1. Moldova - 17.4
2. Belarus - 17.1
3. Lithuania - 16.2
4. Russia - 14.5
5. Czech Republic - 14.1
6. Ukraine - 13.9
7. Andorra - 13.8
8. Romania - 12.9
9. Serbia - 12.6
10. Australia - 12.6
11. Slovakia - 12.5
12. Portugal - 12.5
13. Grenada - 12.5
14. Hungary - 12.4
15. Latvia - 12.3
16. Croatia - 12.2
17. United Kingdom - 12
18. Finland - 11.9
19. Namibia - 11.8
20. France - 11.5
