Irish women among heaviest drinkers in the world - study

A new global study has found that Irish women are some of the heaviest drinkers in the world.

Irish female drinkers ranked fourth in a league table of 189 countries with the study showing that 40% of Irish people are classed as binge drinkers.

Only women in Lithuania, Moldova and the Czech Republic drink more than the Irish.

Overall, Irish people come fifth in the world rankings, drinking more than 13 litres of alcohol a year, according to the study in the Lancet medical journal.

The number of teetotalers is also dropping, going from 19% in 1990 to 9% in 2017.

The study estimates that by 2030, half of all adults in the world will drink alcohol and almost a quarter will binge drink at least once a month.

Responding to the study, Patricia Callan, Director of Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland (ABFI), said:

“The consumption data for Ireland referenced in this Lancet report is incorrect. According to the latest figures from the CSO and the Revenue Commissioners, the average per adult consumption was 11.094 litres of pure alcohol (LPA) in Ireland in 2018.

"It increased marginally by +0.1% from 2017, where it stood at 11.080 LPA. The Lancet report states that it was 13.2 litres in 2017.

“In recent years, consumption has remained relatively static, hovering at approximately 11LPA since 2012. This is despite an improving economy and population growth.

Separate figures from the World Health Organisation in relation to underage drinking show that alcohol consumption among teenagers has also dramatically declined.

"The prevalence of weekly alcohol consumption by adolescents in Ireland fell by 8.6% between 2002 and 2014, from 12.7% to 4.1%. This is well below the 12.9% average in the European region.

“While these are positive indications that we are moving in the right direction, we firmly believe that alcohol misuse and underage drinking should never happen and are fully committed to tackling these issues.