UK not the booziest in Europe

The UK is not the nation of boozers we think we are, ranking only 18th out of 38 of Europeans heaviest drinkers.

Latvia has Europe's heaviest drinkers according polishing off the equivalent of nearly 2.5 bottles of wine per person per week. The UK averaged nearly the equivalent of 2 bottles of wine per person per week, averaging 18.6 units of alcohol a week, just above the UK chief medical guidance of 14 units a week.

The report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was based on data from 2020.

Countries such as Poland, Germany, France all drink more than moderation Britain. Big drops in consumption between 2010 and 2020 were seen by France, 18% down, and Ireland, 22% down to now being in position 20 below the UK. Since 2010 the UK alcohol consumption has dropped only 4%. Big gainers include Latvia up 19% since 2010, with Poland and Italy both up by 9%.