Iceland vs New Zealand: Spirits consumption per person
Iceland
1.51 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year
in 2022
New Zealand
1.59 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year
in 2022
Iceland rank
70th
New Zealand rank
68th
Spirits consumption per person over time
- Iceland
- New Zealand
How they compare
New Zealand currently reports 1.59 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year against 1.51 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year in Iceland, a difference of 0.08 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year.
That makes New Zealand's figure about 1.1 times Iceland's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 62 shared years of data; in 1961 it was Iceland ahead.
Iceland ranks 70th and New Zealand ranks 68th of 187 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Iceland averaged higher in 5 and New Zealand in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iceland | New Zealand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.77 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 1.64 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 1.13 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | Iceland |
| 1970s | 3.45 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 2.37 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 1.08 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | Iceland |
| 1980s | 3.12 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 2.21 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.918 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | Iceland |
| 1990s | 2.12 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 1.52 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.592 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | Iceland |
| 2000s | 1.54 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 1.32 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.217 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | Iceland |
| 2010s | 1.19 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 1.51 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.328 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | New Zealand |
| 2020s | 1.36 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 1.6 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.24 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | New Zealand |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher spirits consumption per person, Iceland or New Zealand?
- New Zealand, at 1.59 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year against 1.51 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year in Iceland as of 2022.
- What is the difference in spirits consumption per person between Iceland and New Zealand?
- 0.08 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year, with New Zealand ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and New Zealand?
- 62 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2022.
- How do Iceland and New Zealand rank globally for spirits consumption per person?
- Iceland ranks 70th 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.