MINIMUM LEGAL DRINKING AGE Last Updated On: 3/10/2016 9:03:10 AM PST Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) in 190 Countries

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MINIMUM LEGAL DRINKING AGE Last updated on: 3/10/2016 9:03:10 AM PST Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) in 190 Countries

The charts below contain the Minimum Legal Drinking Ages (MLDAs) and related data for 190 independent states recognized by the US State Department as of July 15, 2015. The data were taken from the World Health Organization's 2014 "Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health 2014," unless otherwise noted. No drinking age information was available for Djibouti, Lebanon, Marshall Islands, North Korea, or South Sudan, the other five countries listed by the State Department as independent states.

Of the 190 countries, 61% have a drinking age of 18 or 19 years old. The United States and 11 other countries have an MLDA of 21 years old, the highest MLDA of all the countries where it is legal to drink (although some areas of India have drinking ages as high as 25 and 30 years old). Alcohol is banned in 16 countries, all of them Muslim countries, although some have exceptions for non-Muslims.

I. Minimum Legal Drinking Ages in 190 Countries (categorized by lowest legal age minimum for any type of alcohol or purchase) No MLDA (19 countries) Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, China, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Kosovo, Laos, Mali, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Togo 10-15 MLDA (2 countries) Antigua and Barbuda, Central African Republic

converted by Web2PDFConvert.com 16-17 MLDA (21 countries) Austria, Belgium, Congo, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominica, Germany, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Morocco, Netherlands, Portugal, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Spain, Switzerland 18-19 MLDA (115 countries) Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cape Verde, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Honduras, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe 20 MLDA (5 countries) Iceland, Japan, Paraguay, Thailand, Uzbekistan 21 MLDA (12 countries) Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Iraq, Kiribati, Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, Oman, Palau, Samoa, Sri Lanka, United States Illegal to drink alcohol at any age (16 countries) some exceptions for non-Muslims may apply Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Iran, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Mauritania, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

II. Country-by-Country Chart of Minimum Drinking Age Laws When available, each country is linked to a PDF document from the World Health Organization (WHO) detailing its alcohol policy. On premise refers to bars, cafes, restaurants, etc. Off premise refers to liquor stores, wine shops, and supermarkets. Country On Prem ise Off Prem ise Notes Purchase Age Purchase Age Afghanistan Total ban Total ban Albania 18 18 Algeria 18 18 Andorra 18 18 Angola 18 18 Antigua and Barbuda 10 10 Argentina 18 18 Armenia 18 18 Australia 18 18 Austria 16/18 16/18 Alcohol laws vary by state: three states have an age minimum of 16 while six states have a minimum age of 18. Azerbaijan 18 18 Bahamas 18 18 Bahrain Illegal (18 for non- Illegal (18 for non- No info provided by WHO. Alcohol is illegal for Muslims, and drinking in public is forbidden. Only certain places are allowed to Muslims) Muslims) sell alcohol. Bangladesh Total ban Total ban Alcohol is illegal for Muslims and purchase by others is highly restricted. Non-Muslim tourists are allowed to bring two bottles of alcohol for personal use. Barbados 18 18 Sources say children ages 10-17 may drink in the presence of a parent or guardian. Belarus 18 18 Belgium 16/18 16/18 On- and off-premise age minimum is 16 for beer and wine/18 for spirits. Belize 18 18 Benin No age minimum No age minimum Bhutan 18 18 Bolivia No age minimum No age minimum The drinking age used to be listed as 18, but the WHO no longer lists any age minimum. Bosnia and Herzegovina 18 18 Botswana 18 18 Brazil 18 18 Brunei Darussalam Total ban Total ban Non-Muslim tourists over age 17 may be allowed to import 2 bottles of liquor and 12 cans of beer for personal use. Bulgaria 18 18 Burkina Faso No age minimum No age minimum Burundi 18 No age minimum Cambodia No age minimum No age minimum Cameroon No age minimum No age minimum The WHO lists no drinking age; other sources say 18 on-premise and 21 off-premise. Canada 18/19 18/19 18: Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec; 19: British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Yukon Cape Verde 18 18 Central African Republic 21 15 Chad 18 18 Chile 18 18 China No age minimum No age minimum The WHO lists no drinking age; other sources say a 2006 ban instituted a drinking age of 18 but say it is not enforced. Colombia 18 18 Comoros 18 18 Congo 16 18 On-premise age minimum is 16 for beer and wine/18 for spirits. Costa Rica 18 18 Côte d'Ivoire 21 21 Croatia 18 18 Cuba 18 18

converted by Web2PDFConvert.com Cyprus 17 17 Czech Republic 18 18 Country On Prem ise Off Prem ise Notes Purchase Age Purchase Age Democratic Republic of 18 18 the Congo Denmark 18 16/18 Off-premise age minimum is 16 for beer and wine/18 for spirits. Djibouti N/A N/A No info provided by WHO. Dominica 16 16 Dominican Republic 18 18 Ecuador 18 18 Egypt 18/21 18/21 On- and off-premise age minimum is 18 for beer/21 for wine and spirits. El Salvador 18 18 Equatorial Guinea 21 21 Eritrea 18 18 Estonia 18 18 Ethiopia 18 18 Fiji 18 18 Finland 18 18/20 Off-premise age minimum is 18 for beer and wine/20 for spirits. France 18 18 Gabon 18 No age minimum Gambia 18 18 Georgia 18 18 Germany 16/18 16/18 On- and off-premise age minimum is 16 for beer and wine/18 for spirits. Ghana 18 18 Greece 18 18 Grenada 16 16 Guatemala 18 18 Guinea 18 18 Guinea-Bissau No age minimum No age minimum Guyana 18 16 Haiti 16 16 No info provided by WHO; other sources list drinking age as 16. Honduras 18 18 Hungary 18 18 Iceland 20 20 India 18-25 18-25 The drinking age varies by state. In New Delhi, for example, the drinking age is 25, while in Goa it is 18. Mahrashtra's Wardha district has a drinking age of 30. Indonesia No age minimum 21 Iran Total ban Total ban The alcohol ban was instituted after the 1979 revolution. In 2012, an Iranian news organization reported that two people were sentenced to death for drinking alcohol following two previous convictions for those same people, for which each received 80 lashes. A 2004 WHO report noted that "Religious minorities can buy alcoholic beverages from very few specifically licensed shops owned by shopkeepers of the same minority." Iraq 21 21 Sources say only Iraqi Christians are permitted to sell alcohol; alcohol sales were banned entirely from 2006-08. Ireland 18 18 Israel 18 18 Italy 18 18 Jamaica 18 18 Japan 20 20 Jordan 18 18 Kazakhstan 18 18 Kenya 18 18 Kiribati 21 21 Kosovo No age minimum No age minimum No info provided by WHO; other sources list no age minimum or say the drinking age is 18. Country On Prem ise Off Prem ise Notes Purchase Age Purchase Age Kuwait Total ban Total ban No info provided by WHO; Alcohol has been banned since 1964 and drinking has been a criminal offense since 1983. Kyrgyzstan 18 18 Laos 18/No No age minimum On-premise age minimum is 18 for beer; no age minimum listed for wine or spirits. Latvia 18 18 Lebanon N/A N/A No info provided by WHO; other sources list 16 or 18 as the drinking age Lesotho 18 18 Liberia 18 18 Libya Total ban Total ban Liechtenstein 16/18 16/18 No info provided by WHO; other sources list 16 for beer and wine/18 for spirits. Lithuania 18 18 Luxembourg 16 16 Macedonia 18 18 Madagascar 18 18 Malawi 18 18 Malaysia 18 18 Maldives Total ban Total ban Mali No age minimum No age minimum Malta 17 17 Marshall Islands N/A N/A No info provided by WHO. Mauritania Total ban Total ban Mauritius 18 18 Mexico 18 18 Micronesia 21 21 Moldova 18 18 Monaco 18 18 Mongolia 21 21

converted by Web2PDFConvert.com Montenegro 18 18 Morocco 16/18 16/18 No info provided by WHO; other sources list 16 or 18 as the drinking age. Mozambique 18 18 Myanmar 18 18 Namibia 18 18 Nauru 21 21 No info provided by WHO; other sources list 21 as the drinking age. Nepal 18 18 Netherlands 18 18 The WHO lists age 16 as the on- and off-premise age minimum for beer, but the Netherlands government website says that as of Jan. 2014, "It is a criminal offence for anyone under 18 to have alcohol in their possession in public and selling alcohol to minors is illegal." New Zealand 18 18 Nicaragua 18 18 Niger 18 18 Nigeria 18 18 North Korea N/A N/A No info provided by WHO. Norway 18/20 18/20 On- and off-premise age miniumum is 18 for beer and wine/20 for spirits. Oman 21 21 Pakistan Illegal (21 for non- Illegal (21 for non- Alcohol is illegal for Muslims and consumption is a crime in Pakistan punishable by whipping. Non-Muslims are are provided Muslims) Muslims) special permits to purchase liquor but they are not allowed to use it in public. Pakistan penal code, under the Prohibition (Enforcement of Hadd) Order of 1979, awards 80 lashes to those convicted of consuming alcohol. Palau 21 21 Panama 18 18 Papua New Guinea 18 18 Paraguay 20 20 Peru 18 18 Philippines 18 18 Poland 18 18 Portugal 16 16 Qatar Total ban Total ban No info provided by WHO; other sources say that alcohol is banned for Muslims. Alcohol for non-Muslims is highly restricted and may be purchased at certain hotels or with a permit to shop at a government- owned store. The country has said it intends to find "creative" solutions for the alcohol restrictions while hosting the 2022 World Cup. Country On Prem ise Off Prem ise Notes Purchase Age Purchase Age Romania 18 18 Russia 18 18 Rwanda 18 No age minimum Saint Kitts and Nevis 18 18 Saint Lucia 16 18 Saint Vincent and the 16 16 Grenadines Samoa 21 21 No info provided by WHO; other sources list 21 San Marino 16 16 Sao Tome and Principe No age minimum No age minimum Saudi Arabia Total ban Total ban Senegal 18 18 WHO lists the drinking age as 18; other sources say 20 or that there is no drinking age. Serbia 18 18 Seychelles 18 18 Sierra Leone No age minimum No age minimum Singapore 18 18 Slovakia 18 18 Slovenia 18 18 Solomon Islands No age minimum 21 No info provided by WHO; other sources say drinking age is 21 but there is no minimum age for purchase. Somalia Total ban Total ban South Africa 18 18 South Korea 19 19 South Sudan N/A N/A No info provided by WHO. Spain 16 16 WHO lists the drinking age as 16; other sources say that the minimum age varies by region, that it is 18, or that minors may purchase alcohol if accompanied by their parents. Sri Lanka 21 21 Sudan Total ban Total ban Suriname 18 18 Swaziland 18 18 Sweden 18 18/20 18 for beer/20 for wine and spirits Switzerland 16/18 16/18 16 for beer and wine/18 for spirits Syria 18 18 Tajikistan 18 18 Tanzania 18 18 Thailand 20 20 Timor-Leste No age minimum No age minimum Togo No age minimum No age minimum Tonga 18 18 Trinidad and Tobago 18 18 Tunisia 18 18 Turkey 18 18 Turkmenistan 18 18 Tuvalu 18 18 Uganda 18 18 Ukraine 18 18 United Arab Emirates Total ban Total ban No info provided by WHO; other sources say alcohol is banned in UAE, but non-Muslim tourists may apply for a drinking license. The license is apparently very difficult to obtain and may be limited to those over 18 or 21, depending on location. United Kingdom 18 18 United States 21 21 The repeal of prohibition by the 21st Amendment on Dec. 5, 1933 allowed each state to set its own alcohol consumption laws.

converted by Web2PDFConvert.com Following the July 1, 1971 passage of the 26th Amendment, which lowered the legal voting age from 21 to 18 years of age, 30 US states lowered the MLDA to 18, 19, or 20. By 1982, only 14 states still had an MLDA of 21. The enactment of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 prompted states to raise their legal age for purchase or public possession of alcohol to 21 or risk losing millions in federal highway funds. By 1988, all 50 states had raised the MLDA to 21. Uruguay 18 18 Uzbekistan 20 20 Vanuatu 18 18 No info provided by WHO; other sources say 18. Vatican City (Holy See) 18 18 No info provided by WHO; other sources say 18. Venezuela 18 18 Vietnam 18 18 Yemen Total ban Total ban In 2012, Al Qaeda militants reportedly gave four people 80 lashes each for drinking alcohol. Zambia 18 18 Zimbabwe 18 18 Country On Prem ise Off Prem ise Notes Purchase Age Purchase Age

Sources:

AFP, "Al Qaeda Lashes Four Yemenis for Drinking Alcohol," tribune.com.pk, Feb. 27, 2012

AIM - Alcohol in Moderation, "What is Legal drinking age (LDA)?," www.aim-digest.com, Jan. 2015

Jay R. Brooks, "Solomon Islands Beer," brookstonbeerbulletin.com, July 7, 2012

Zak Brophy, "Lebanon's Underage Drinking Problem," executive-magazine.com, Mar. 14, 2013

Manzoor Butt, "Use of Illegal Toxic Alcohol Is Killing Hundreds Every Year in Pakistan; Family Physicians Have to Play a More Proactive Role in Saving Precious Lives," Middle East Journal of Business, Apr. 2015

Caroline's Rainbow Foundation, "Drinking Age Restrictions," carolinesrainbowfoundation.org (accessed July 15, 2015)

Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, "Legal Drinking Age for Alcohol in Canada," ccsa.ca (accessed July 15, 2015)

A Country a Month, "Local Food You Should Try in Kosovo and No-Miss Drinks in Kosovo," acountryamonth.com (accessed July 15, 2015)

Saeed Kamali Dehghan, "Iranian Pair Face Death Penalty after Third Alcohol Offence," theguardian.com, June 25, 2012

J.D. DiGiovanni, "F---, Marry, Kill: The 'Legal Age' for Doing Adult Things around the World," hopesandfears.com (accessed July 15, 2015)

Frommer's, "Fast Facts in Samoa," frommers.com (accessed July 15, 2015)

Susanna George, "Beer and Chivas Fly off the Shelves as Baghdad's Liquor Stores Reopen after Ramadan," pri.org, Aug. 4, 2014

Murtaza Haider, "Alcohol Consumption in Pakistan: Don't Mix Sin with Crime," dawn.com, Oct. 29, 2014

Rob Harris and John Leicester, "Qatar to World Cup Critics: We're No Vampires," ap.org, Nov. 11, 2014

Sabeer Lodhi, "Why Ban Alcohol When It Is Consumed Openly?," blogs.tribune.com.pk, Nov. 4, 2012

Kenton Murray, "The Alcohol Guide to Qatar," kentonmurray.com, Oct. 23, 2014

Times of India, "Maharashtra's Legal Drinking Age is Highest in World," timesofindia.indiatimes.com, Jan. 24, 2011

James Porteous, "Drinking (or Not) in Doha," telegraph.co.uk, July 19, 2011

US Department of State, "Independent States in the World," state.gov, Dec. 30, 214

US Department of State, "U.S. Relations With Kosovo," state.gov, Jan. 29, 2015

Visa HQ, "Brunei Darussalam Customs," brunei-darussalam.visahq.com (accessed July 15, 2015)

Carol J. Williams, "Islamists Slam Kuwaiti Lawmaker for Call to Allow Dancing, Alcohol," latimes.com, Jan. 5, 2015

World Health Organization, "Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health 2014," who.int, 2014

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