Not too many surprises here: countries with high percentages of Muslims drink less and Russians drink far more. Apparently, the reputation of Aussies to be hard-drinkers is well-deserved. That most of Europe fits into the highest categories might be a bit of a surprise. One might think it is all that wine, but not entirely so, as the next map suggestions:
Again, no surprise that it is beer for North American and Australia and spirits (Vodka) for Russia. Not sure what is other, which seems to be only widely drunk in Africa. Not surprising that Italy and France stand out as wine-drinking countries, but Spain as a beer country? This map does suggest that beer is popular in more countries (woohoo!), although with India and China in the spirits category, that is enough to make spirits #1 in total consumption (my guess).....
Any other thoughts on the distribution of boozing?
From the actual report, "other" includes "fermented beverages made
ReplyDeletefrom sorghum, maize, millet, rice, or cider, fruit wine, fortified wine, etc." (WHO. 2011. "Global status report on alcohol and health." http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/publications/global_alcohol_report/msbgsruprofiles.pdf, accessed 17 Feb. 2011).