Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in South Africa
South Africa: Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol was 57.9% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in South Africa, 2000–2020
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in South Africa stood at 57.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.1% on the previous year and up 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in South Africa peaked at 58.4% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 54.6%, in 2019.
South Africa ranks 60th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 57.8% | — |
| 2001 | 58.0% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 58.2% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 58.4% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 58.1% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 57.8% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 57.4% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 56.8% | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 56.7% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 57.0% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 56.7% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 56.0% | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 55.8% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 55.5% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 55.4% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 55.1% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 55.2% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 55.2% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 55.0% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 54.6% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 57.9% | +6.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 57.6% | 56.7% | 58.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 55.5% | 54.6% | 56.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 57.9% | 57.9% | 57.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More population data for South Africa
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.2264 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.7997 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.2264 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.1847 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 73,530 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.8824 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.0148 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.2% (2100)
- Population density 77.75 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 5.55 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in South Africa?
- Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in South Africa was 57.9% in 2020, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population who haver never drunk alcohol recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 58.4% in 2003.
- What is the lowest share of population who haver never drunk alcohol recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.6% in 2019.
- How does South Africa rank for share of population who haver never drunk alcohol?
- South Africa ranks 60th out of 187 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population who haver never drunk alcohol rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.