As part of a report studying over 100 countries and warning about the "impact of harmful alcohol drinking," the World Health Organization has released information on how much each country drinks, and the national drink of choice. The upshot? "Our planet is wasted!" says Gawker's Adrien Chen. While Russia and Moldova are among the world's drunkest countries, and South Korea is not exactly sober, Yemen is notable for its abstemious population. Here's a sampling of the data:
1.6
Average amount, in gallons, of pure alcohol consumed worldwide each year by people 15 and up
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3.8
Average amount, in gallons, of pure alcohol consumed each year by the American drinker (53 percent of it is beer)
2.5
Average amount, in gallons, of pure alcohol downed by every American, including teetotalers
34.6 percent
Fraction of Americans who choose not to drink
7.1
Pure alcohol, in gallons, consumed each year by the average Russian drinker (63 percent of it is spirits)
5.3
Pure alcohol, in gallons, consumed each year by the average South Korean drinker (81 percent of it is spirits)
4.1
Pure alcohol, in gallons, consumed each year by the average U.K. drinker (43 percent of it is beer)
3.9
Pure alcohol, in gallons, consumed each year by the average French drinker (62 percent of it is wine)
3.4
Pure alcohol, in gallons, consumed each year by the average Italian drinker (73 percent of it is wine)
3.3
Pure alcohol, in gallons, consumed each year by the average Canadian drinker (53 percent of it is beer)
2.8
Pure alcohol, in gallons, consumed each year by the average Chinese drinker (57 percent of it is spirits)
0.05
Average amount, in gallons, of pure alcohol consumed each year by every Yemeni
30 percent
Amount of global alcohol thought to be "unrecorded" home-brewed liquor, or moonshine
2.5 million
Number of annual global deaths attributable to alcohol
6.1 percent
Share of male deaths worldwide tied to alcohol
1.1 percent
Share of global female deaths tied to alcohol
9 percent
Share of deaths among people 15 to 29 tied to alcohol
20 percent
Share of male deaths in and near the Russian Federation tied to alcohol
Sources: WHO (2), Economist, Gawker, Daily Mail, Sociological Images, Xinhua
