Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in United States
United States: Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol was 11.4% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in United States, 2000–2020
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United States recorded 11.4% for share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in 2020.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and down 16.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in United States peaked at 15.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 11.3%, in 2019.
United States ranks 169th 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 States, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 15.8% | — |
| 2001 | 15.6% | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 15.4% | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 15.1% | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 14.7% | -2.7% |
| 2005 | 14.3% | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 13.9% | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 13.6% | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 13.5% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 13.8% | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 13.6% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 13.4% | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 13.0% | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 12.8% | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 12.6% | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 12.4% | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 12.2% | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 11.9% | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 11.6% | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 11.3% | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 11.4% | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 14.6% | 13.5% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.5% | 11.3% | 13.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.4% | 11.4% | 11.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near United States
More population data for United States
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.1369 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -2.8 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.1369 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.0241 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 375,392 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.4762 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.1565 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.1% (2100)
- Population density 46.05 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 19.91 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in United States?
- Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in United States was 11.4% 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 States?
- The highest recorded value was 15.8% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of population who haver never drunk alcohol recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.3% in 2019.
- How does United States rank for share of population who haver never drunk alcohol?
- United States ranks 169th out of 187 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population who haver never drunk alcohol rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States 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.