Overview

The consumption of alcohol is widespread within Australia and entwined with many social and cultural activities. However, harmful levels of consumption are a major health issue, associated with increased risk of chronic disease, injury and premature death.

More reports and statistics on alcohol can be found under Alcohol & other drug treatment services, Illicit use of drugs and Smoking.

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Latest findings

Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in Australia

The non-medical use of pharmaceutical drugs is an ongoing concern internationally

Over the past 50 years, levels of apparent consumption of different alcoholic beverages changed substantially

Smoking and drinking rates are down among gay, lesbian and bisexual people.

Between 2016 and 2019, the proportion of people who had ever used e-cigarettes rose from 8.8% to 11.3%.

Between 2016 and 2019, the proportion of ex-drinkers rose from 7.6% to 8.9%.

Highlights

4 in 5(79%) adults consumed alcohol in the previous year in 2019
2 in 3 (66%) 14–17 year olds had never consumed a full standard drink—an increase from 28% in 2001
1 in 7(15%) people have consumed 11 or more standard drinks at least once in the previous 12 months
1 in 5(21%) Australians aged 14 and over reported being a victim of an alcohol-related incident in 2019. This has declined from 26% in 2013
In 2018, apparent consumption of alcohol was 9.5 litres per capita—a decline since 2008 when it was 10.8 litres per capita
37%of clients sought treatment for alcohol as a principal drug of concern in 2020–21, the most common principal drug of concern