Australia vs New Zealand: Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol
Australia
8.7%
in 2020
New Zealand
9.5%
in 2020
Australia rank
182nd
New Zealand rank
179th
Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol over time
- Australia
- New Zealand
How they compare
New Zealand currently reports 9.5% against 8.7% in Australia, a difference of 0.8%.
That makes New Zealand's figure about 1.1 times Australia's.
Across all 21 years both countries report, New Zealand has been ahead every year.
Australia ranks 182nd and New Zealand ranks 179th of 187 countries.
New Zealand has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | New Zealand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10.4% | 11.6% | 1.2% | New Zealand |
| 2010s | 9.3% | 10.4% | 1.1% | New Zealand |
| 2020s | 8.7% | 9.5% | 0.8% | New Zealand |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population who haver never drunk alcohol, Australia or New Zealand?
- New Zealand, at 9.5% against 8.7% in Australia as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population who haver never drunk alcohol between Australia and New Zealand?
- 0.8%, with New Zealand ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and New Zealand?
- 21 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2020.
- How do Australia and New Zealand rank globally for share of population who haver never drunk alcohol?
- Australia ranks 182nd and New Zealand ranks 179th of 187 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Lifetime abstinence is defined as the proportion of adults (15+ years) in a given population who have not consumed any alcohol during their lifetime.