Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol was 12.5% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in United Kingdom, 2000–2020
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 12.5% for share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in 2020.
That represents a change of up 3.6% on the previous year and down 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in United Kingdom peaked at 13.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 12.1%, in 2019.
United Kingdom ranks 161st of 187 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 13.8% | — |
| 2001 | 13.3% | -3.2% |
| 2002 | 13.2% | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 13.1% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 12.7% | -2.7% |
| 2005 | 12.8% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 12.8% | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 12.6% | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 12.7% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 13.5% | +5.6% |
| 2010 | 13.3% | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 13.4% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 13.4% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 13.3% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 13.2% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 12.9% | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 12.7% | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 12.4% | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 12.2% | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 12.1% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 12.5% | +3.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 13.0% | 12.6% | 13.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.9% | 12.1% | 13.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.5% | 12.5% | 12.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More population data for United Kingdom
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.1791 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.1389 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.1791 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.0706 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 71,685 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.2666 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.169 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.2% (2100)
- Population density 307.14 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 3.21 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in United Kingdom?
- Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in United Kingdom was 12.5% 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 13.8% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of population who haver never drunk alcohol recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.1% in 2019.
- How does United Kingdom rank for share of population who haver never drunk alcohol?
- United Kingdom ranks 161st out of 187 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population who haver never drunk alcohol rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.