Portugal leads EU in daily alcohol consumption, Eurostat says

Portugal has the highest share of residents aged 16 and over who consume alcohol daily in the European Union, according to data released by Eurostat.

In 2025, 16% of Portugal’s population aged 16 and over reported consuming alcohol every day, putting the country well ahead of the rest of the EU.

Italy ranked second, with 7.9%, while Belgium and Denmark jointly took third place at 7.5%. The Netherlands and France also ranked among the EU countries with relatively high levels of alcohol consumption.

Across the European Union as a whole, 4.8% of people aged 16 and over consumed alcohol daily in 2025, Eurostat said on September 28.

A further 19.2% reported drinking alcohol every week, while 21.8% consumed alcohol every month.

Meanwhile, 20.7% of the EU population consumed alcohol less frequently than once a month, while 33.5% either had never consumed alcohol or had not consumed it in 2025.

The data also showed a clear difference between men and women. Alcohol consumption on a daily, weekly or monthly basis was more common among men than women.

In 2025, 56.5% of men in the EU consumed alcohol at least once a month, compared with 35.9% of women.

Daily alcohol consumption also increased significantly with age.

Only 0.8% of people aged between 16 and 24 reported drinking alcohol every day. The share rose among older age groups, reaching 8.9% among people aged 65 and over.

The figures provide a snapshot of alcohol-consumption patterns across the EU in 2025, highlighting substantial differences between countries as well as variations by age and gender.

By Sabina Mammadli