Romania and the UK were named as the next worst offenders in the developed world in the OECD’s list of the worst heavy episodic drinkers.
ADVERTISEMENTWomen and men in Denmark topped a list of worst binge drinkers in a new health report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Around 37 per cent of adults in Denmark reported binge drinking at least once a month.
The next worst binge drinkers were in Romania (36 per cent) followed by the United Kingdom and Luxembourg (35 per cent), according to the 2023 Health at a Glance report released on Tuesday.
Binge drinking, also known as heavy episodic drinking, is consuming at least 60 g or more of pure alcohol on a single occasion.
That would be the equivalent of more than six standard drinks, such as six 10 cl glasses of wine or six 25 cl (half pints) of beer.
The report said that nearly one in five adults reported binge drinking at least once a month on average across 29 OECD countries in 2019.
Turkey, Italy, and Greece had the lowest number of binge drinkers.
Men more likely than women to binge drink
The data show that men were more likely than women to report binge drinking.
Men in Romania, Denmark, and Luxembourg were the heaviest binge drinkers, while women in Denmark and the United Kingdom were tied as the heaviest binge drinkers.
On average, 26 per cent of men reported binge drinking at least once a month in OECD countries compared to 12 per cent of women.
Across OECD countries, alcohol consumption averaged 8.6 litres per person in 2021, the report said, which was down from 8.9 litres in 2011.
The highest consumption was in Latvia and Lithuania with over 12 litres per person. They were followed by the Czech Republic, Estonia and Austria.
Alcohol consumption, along with smoking and obesity, is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases.
The harmful use of alcohol is estimated to be a causal factor for more than 200 diseases and injuries.
Experts say there is no “safe level” of alcohol use, with the risk to a person’s health starting from the first drop of any alcoholic beverage.
Europe is home to the world’s heaviest drinkers, with the most alcohol-related deaths in Europe as well.
