How is our alcohol consumption worked out in Ireland?

Alcohol consumption figures for Ireland are calculated on the basis of figures provided by the Office of the Revenue Commissioners and the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The total volume of alcohol consumed, measured in litres of pure alcohol, is based on Revenue clearances data and then this figure is divided by the population aged 15-years-old and above, as defined by the latest Census information available from the CSO.

Do the figures provide an accurate reflection of our alcohol consumption?

This simple calculation is the standard method used in Ireland and in many other countries to work out rates of alcohol consumption.

The biggest issue with this method is that it’s estimated that over a fifth of Irish people do not drink at all, which is not reflected in the figures. So when this is taken into account, those who are drinking are clearly drinking more, on average, than the consumption figures calculated this way indicate.