Europe’s Heaviest Drinking Countries

This study aimed to identify and rank European countries based on the extent to which alcohol is culturally present, accessible, and consumed within society. The analysis incorporated a composite scoring system that blends consumption habits, public health indicators, and availability metrics.

Metrics Analyzed

To capture a multidimensional picture of alcohol engagement across Europe, we used the following key variables:

• Alcohol Consumption Per Capita (liters per person per year)
• Prevalence of Alcohol Use Disorder (% of the population)
• Bars/Pubs Density in Capital Cities (per 100 square miles)
• Beer/Wine Price

Weighting System

Each metric was weighted based on its relevance to overall alcohol engagement:

• 50% weight: Alcohol Consumption Per Capita
• 20% weight: Alcohol Use Disorder Prevalence
• 20% weight: Bar Density
• 10% weight: Beer/Wine Price

The normalized scores were combined to create the Alcohol Engagement Score – a final composite index scaled from 1 to 100, where 100 represents the highest level of alcohol engagement in a given country.

Europe consumes almost a quarter of the world’s total alcohol although it has less than 10% of the global population. Researcher Casinova reviewed drinking prevalence, price and cultural popularity across 26 European countries to find out where alcohol plays the biggest role in the lives of citizens.

The study assessed each country based on indicators such as per capita alcohol consumption, alcohol use disorders, the density of bars or pubs in capital cities and the cost of beer and wine. Each country was then assigned an overall score — the Alcohol Consumption Score — based on where the greatest social role is played by alcohol.

Country	Alcohol Consumption Per Capita (in litres)	Domestic Beer Price (in €)	Bottle of Wine Price (in €)	Population with an alcohol use disorder (%)	Bars/Pub Density (per 100 m²)	Alcohol Consumption Socre
Latvia	12.6	5.00	7.50	3.4%	0.5	100.0
Poland	10.8	3.54	5.89	3.9%	0.4	87.3
France	10.4	7.00	8.00	2.3%	8.1	87.2
Czechia	11.6	2.41	6.02	2.9%	1.4	86.0
Lithuania	11.3	4.50	9.00	3.1%	1.2	85.4
Austria	11.2	5.00	6.00	3.1%	0.9	84.4
Estonia	11.1	5.50	9.00	2.9%	0.8	80.7
Slovakia	10.5	2.50	5.00	2.9%	1.6	77.4
Belgium	8.4	5.90	8.00	2.7%	10.2	77.4
Slovenia	9.8	3.40	6.00	3.6%	0.7	75.9

🇱🇻 100/100 Alcohol Consumption Score – Latvia is on top with a score of 100. It is also a model of moderate pricing, with Europe’s per capita leader in alcohol consumption (12.6 liters per person, per year) also among the continent’s cheapest. 3.4% of Latvians have alcohol use disorder, one of the highest rates on the continent.

🇵🇱 Poland comes in second at 87.3. The country demonstrates a high level of alcohol consumption with 10.8 liters per capita. It is also home to some of the cheapest Europe has to offer, with beer at €3.54 and wine at €5.89.

🇫🇷 France holds third place but only with an Alcohol Consumption Score of 87.2, with pricier alcohol than nearly all the countries in the ranking. In France, there are 10.4 liters per capita and, in the capital of Paris, 332 bars—a count topped by only a few other world capitals.

🇨🇿 Czechia – 86.0 Score Talk about how many women live in Czechia! The country drinks 11.6 liters of alcohol per capita. One of the largest numbers of drinking establishments is in its capital city, Prague, where there are 262. It’s also home to the cheapest

🇱🇹 Lithuania is 5th with 11.3 liters consumed per capita and a 85.4 Alcohol Consumption Score. The Baltic nation demonstrates the party spirit in the capital city Vilnius with 120 bars, twice as many as in the comparably larger Riga.

🇦🇹 Austria secures sixth place. One of the highest in Europe (about 11.2 liters per capita) and paltry health warnings in pubs, Ireland’s 84.4 alcohol score explains its rank. The country’s capital, Vienna, also offers 143 venues in total.

🇪🇪 Estonia, the third Baltic country on the list, comes in seventh with a score of 80.7. The country registers an impressive rate of alcohol consumption at 11.1 liters per capita. That is despite having the least amount of bar scene among the capitals in the top ranking.

🇸🇰 At number eight is Slovakia, with a score of 77.4. It has probably the cheapest wine (€5) and beer (€2.50) of all of them, too. Per capita consumption reaches 10.5 liters, and the capital, Bratislava, is home to 67 drinking establishments.

🇧🇪 Sharing eighth spot on 77.4 is Belgium on the same Alcohol Consumption Score. With lower per capita consumption (8.4 liters), Belgian’s Brussels offers a fairly high bar density with 130 bars and pubs in the city.

🇸🇮 Slovenia rounds off the top 10 as the Balkans’ only entrant. The country’s per capita alcohol consumption is 9.8 litres and its capital, Ljubljana, has 41 bars and pubs. The Alcohol Consumption value is 75.9 in Slovenia.

“As the data shows, there’s a clear geographical pattern where post-Soviet and former Eastern Bloc countries come out on top, with Western Europe always taking a back seat,”

says Casinova’s spokesperson.

“And interestingly countries like Latvia and Estonia maintain a high consumption while not letting alcohol use disorder prevalence very much. Another remarkable point that emerges is the huge difference in prices between the European countries. Places like the Czech Republic will provide beer for €2.41, where places in West or North may charge that again 2c or 3c. These illustrate the influence of cultural or historical or economic argument on Europe’s varied drinking customs.”