Spirits as share total alcohol consumption in South Africa

South Africa: Spirits as share total alcohol consumption was 16.14 in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
16.14
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
130th
of 183 countries
All-time high
18.36
in 2006
All-time low
15.76
in 2016
Years of data
20
2000–2019

Spirits as share total alcohol consumption in South Africa, 2000–2019

051015202000200920192000: 17.42001: 17.42002: 17.62003: 17.72004: 182005: 18.22006: 18.42007: 18.22008: 17.92009: 17.62010: 17.12011: 16.72012: 16.32013: 16.12014: 15.92015: 16.12016: 15.82017: 162018: 16.12019: 16.1

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2019, spirits as share total alcohol consumption in South Africa stood at 16.14.

The figure is down 8.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, spirits as share total alcohol consumption in South Africa peaked at 18.36 in 2006 and was at its lowest, 15.76, in 2016.

South Africa ranks 130th of 183 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.

Spirits as share total alcohol consumption in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Spirits as share total alcohol consumption in South Africa, 2000 to 2019.
Year Value Change
2000 17.4
2001 17.4 +0.0%
2002 17.57 +1.0%
2003 17.72 +0.9%
2004 17.98 +1.4%
2005 18.2 +1.2%
2006 18.36 +0.9%
2007 18.24 -0.7%
2008 17.92 -1.7%
2009 17.55 -2.1%
2010 17.08 -2.7%
2011 16.69 -2.2%
2012 16.29 -2.4%
2013 16.06 -1.4%
2014 15.91 -1.0%
2015 16.1 +1.2%
2016 15.76 -2.1%
2017 15.96 +1.3%
2018 16.14 +1.1%
2019 16.14 +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 17.83 17.4 18.36 10
2010s 16.21 15.76 17.08 10

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 127 Norway 16.49 compare
  2. 128 Austria 16.24 compare
  3. 129 Iceland 16.15 compare
  4. 131 Guinea-Bissau 15.82 compare
  5. 132 Japan 14.98 compare
  6. 133 Uruguay 14.39 compare

See the full ranking of 185 places →

More economy & growth data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is spirits as share total alcohol consumption in South Africa?
Spirits as share total alcohol consumption in South Africa was 16.14 in 2019, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest spirits as share total alcohol consumption recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 18.36 in 2006.
What is the lowest spirits as share total alcohol consumption recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 15.76 in 2016.
How does South Africa rank for spirits as share total alcohol consumption?
South Africa ranks 130th out of 183 countries with data for 2019.
Is spirits as share total alcohol consumption rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Spirits as share total alcohol consumption. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Spirits as share total alcohol consumption in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/spirits-as-share-total-alcohol-consumption/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/spirits-as-share-total-alcohol-consumption/south-africa/">Spirits as share total alcohol consumption in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Spirits as share total alcohol consumption
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
185 places, 3,678 data points, 2000–2019
Last refreshed