Europe is the heaviest drinking region in the world, and Ireland consumes alcohol at a rate around the European average. According to Healthy Ireland survey data 71% of the population over the age of 15 consume alcohol[1] – using CSO population data we can therefore estimate that there are 3.2 million drinkers in Ireland.  On average in 2025, each person in Ireland individually consumed 9.24 litres of pure alcohol also known as ethanol.

When we strip away those who don’t consume alcohol and focus on drinkers, we can see that each Irish drinker consumes 13 litres of pure alcohol, or ethanol, per year. This translates into 257 cans of beer, 11 bottles of spirits, 41 bottles of wine, and 32 cans of cider for every drinker aged 15 years and older.

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