Alcohol, total per capita (15+) consumption (in litres of pure) in South Africa
South Africa: Alcohol, total per capita (15+) consumption (in litres of pure) was 8.63 in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
8.63
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
53rd
of 206 countries
All-time high
8.63
in 2023
All-time low
7.7
in 2020
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Alcohol, total per capita (15+) consumption (in litres of pure) in South Africa, 2000–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
In 2024, alcohol, total per capita (15+) consumption (in litres of pure) in South Africa stood at 8.63. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, alcohol, total per capita (15+) consumption (in litres of pure) in South Africa peaked at 8.63 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 7.7, in 2020.
That places South Africa 53rd out of 206 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Alcohol, total per capita (15+) consumption (in litres of pure) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 8.63 | — |
| 2001 | 8.63 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 8.41 | -2.5% |
| 2003 | 8.3 | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 8.27 | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 8.33 | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 8.39 | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 8.42 | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 8.35 | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 8.24 | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 8.23 | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 8.32 | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 8.4 | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 8.42 | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 8.43 | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 8.39 | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 8.33 | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 8.32 | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 8.34 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 7.8 | -6.4% |
| 2020 | 7.7 | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 7.8 | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 8.45 | +8.4% |
| 2023 | 8.63 | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 8.63 | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.4 | 8.24 | 8.63 | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.3 | 7.8 | 8.43 | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.24 | 7.7 | 8.63 | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 50 New Zealand 8.85 compare
- 51 Switzerland 8.76 compare
- 52 Sweden 8.68 compare
- 54 Grenada 8.58 compare
- 55 Greece 8.58 compare
- 56 Netherlands 8.56 compare
More social development data for South Africa
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 55,177 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,319 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,319 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0009 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is alcohol, total per capita (15+) consumption (in litres of pure) in South Africa?
- Alcohol, total per capita (15+) consumption (in litres of pure) in South Africa was 8.63 in 2024, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest alcohol, total per capita (15+) consumption (in litres of pure) recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 8.63 in 2023.
- What is the lowest alcohol, total per capita (15+) consumption (in litres of pure) recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.7 in 2020.
- How does South Africa rank for alcohol, total per capita (15+) consumption (in litres of pure)?
- South Africa ranks 53rd out of 206 countries with data for 2024.
- Is alcohol, total per capita (15+) consumption (in litres of pure) rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Alcohol, total per capita (15+) consumption (in litres of pure alcohol) (SDG Indicator 3.5.2), three-year average. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).