Portugal vs South Africa: Spirits consumption per person
Portugal
1.34 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year
in 2022
South Africa
1.41 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year
in 2022
Portugal rank
80th
South Africa rank
78th
Spirits consumption per person over time
- Portugal
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 1.41 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year against 1.34 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year in Portugal, a difference of 0.07 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Portugal's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 62 shared years of data; in 1961 it was South Africa ahead.
Portugal ranks 80th and South Africa ranks 78th of 187 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Portugal averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Portugal | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.3356 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 1.95 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 1.61 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | South Africa |
| 1970s | 0.513 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 2.03 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 1.51 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | South Africa |
| 1980s | 0.592 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 1.96 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 1.37 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | South Africa |
| 1990s | 0.891 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 1.68 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.789 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | South Africa |
| 2000s | 2.11 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 1.35 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.757 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | Portugal |
| 2010s | 1.38 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 1.23 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.1503 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | Portugal |
| 2020s | 1.17 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 1.31 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | 0.134 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher spirits consumption per person, Portugal or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 1.41 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year against 1.34 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year in Portugal as of 2022.
- What is the difference in spirits consumption per person between Portugal and South Africa?
- 0.07 Litres of pure alcohol per person per year, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Portugal and South Africa?
- 62 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2022.
- How do Portugal and South Africa rank globally for spirits consumption per person?
- Portugal ranks 80th and South Africa ranks 78th 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.