Australia vs New Zealand: Spirits consumption per person
Australia
1.72 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year
in 2022
New Zealand
1.59 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year
in 2022
Australia rank
65th
New Zealand rank
68th
Spirits consumption per person over time
- Australia
- New Zealand
How they compare
Australia currently reports 1.72 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year against 1.59 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year in New Zealand, a difference of 0.13 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year.
That makes Australia's figure about 1.1 times New Zealand's.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 62 shared years of data; in 1961 it was New Zealand ahead.
Australia ranks 65th and New Zealand ranks 68th of 187 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 3 and New Zealand in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | New Zealand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.27 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 1.64 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.3756 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | New Zealand |
| 1970s | 1.63 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 2.37 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.747 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | New Zealand |
| 1980s | 1.61 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 2.21 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.597 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | New Zealand |
| 1990s | 1.55 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 1.52 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.023 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | Australia |
| 2000s | 1.37 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 1.32 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.042 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | Australia |
| 2010s | 1.32 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 1.51 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.198 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | New Zealand |
| 2020s | 1.76 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 1.6 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.1567 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher spirits consumption per person, Australia or New Zealand?
- Australia, at 1.72 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year against 1.59 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year in New Zealand as of 2022.
- What is the difference in spirits consumption per person between Australia and New Zealand?
- 0.13 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year, with Australia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and New Zealand?
- 62 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2022.
- How do Australia and New Zealand rank globally for spirits consumption per person?
- Australia ranks 65th and New Zealand ranks 68th of 187 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) β with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Spirits consumption per person. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Spirit consumption per person, measured in liters of pure alcohol per year. Spirits are distilled alcoholic drinks and include gin, rum, whisky, tequila and vodka.