Britain isn't boozing capital of Europe: UK ranks middle of table, OECD data ... trends now
Britain isn't the boozing capital of Europe, official data revealed today.
The UK actually ranks middle of the pack for alcohol consumption, sitting behind both France and Germany.
An Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report found Brits drank 9.7 litres of pure alcohol per adult in 2020 — 0.1 less than the EU average.
It was the equivalent of around nine pints of low-strength beer or six large glasses of wine a week.
Official data today showed the UK actually ranks middle of the pack for alcohol consumption, behind France and Germany
Most countries, including Britain, saw their booze consumption drop over the decade. Alcohol sales per adult fell 4 per cent in the UK
Latvia had the highest rate with 12.1 litres per adult during the year, while France had 10.4 and Germans drank 10.6.
However, the data also showed Britain lagged behind Europe on several other health outcomes.
Like most of the EU, Britain's health spending health spending shot up following the pandemic — although by more than most countries and to a much higher total than the average.
The difference was mainly driven by a 'strong growth in spending' on PPE and Covid testing, the OECD said.
Meanwhile, the NHS has fewer doctors per capita than most of Europe, the data also showed.
The OECD and European Commission Health at a Glance: Europe 2022 report compared the total amount of pure alcohol sold to people aged 15 and over in countries across Europe.
It compared totals in 2010 to 2020, or the nearest year data is available for in each country.
After Latvia, the country drinking the most in 2020 was the Czech Republic, where people drank 11.6 litres over the year on average.
It was followed by Lithuania (11.4 litres), Austria (11.3) and Bulgaria (11.2).
For comparison, the lowest rate was in Turkey — which has a Muslim that forbids alcohol majority — where just 1.2 litres were sold per person.
Most countries, including Britain, saw their booze consumption drop over the decade.
Ukraine saw the biggest drop off from 7.8 litres per person in 2010 to 5.7 in 2019 — before Russia's invasion started — a fall of 37 per cent.
It was followed by Greece (32 per cent), the Netherlands (26 per cent) and Spain (26 per cent.
Alcohol consumption fell 4 per cent in the UK.
Latvia had the biggest rise (19 per cent), followed by Malta and Bulgaria (both 13 per cent) and Norway (11 per cent).
The report said: 'Many European countries have implemented a range of policies to limit alcohol consumption, such as taxation, restrictions on alcohol availability and bans on alcohol advertising.
'But their effectiveness is hindered by poor