Norway vs United States: Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol
Norway
11.7%
in 2020
United States
11.4%
in 2020
Norway rank
166th
United States rank
169th
Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol over time
- Norway
- United States
How they compare
Norway currently reports 11.7% against 11.4% in United States, a difference of 0.3%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 21 shared years of data; in 2000 it was Norway ahead.
Norway ranks 166th and United States ranks 169th of 187 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Norway averaged higher in 1 and United States in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Norway | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 14.3% | 14.6% | 0.3% | United States |
| 2010s | 12.3% | 12.5% | 0.2% | United States |
| 2020s | 11.7% | 11.4% | 0.3% | Norway |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population who haver never drunk alcohol, Norway or United States?
- Norway, at 11.7% against 11.4% in United States as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population who haver never drunk alcohol between Norway and United States?
- 0.3%, with Norway ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Norway and United States?
- 21 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2020.
- How do Norway and United States rank globally for share of population who haver never drunk alcohol?
- Norway ranks 166th and United States ranks 169th 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.