British Women Worst Binge-Drinkers in Developed Countries: OECD Report

A woman lies on a bench after leaving a bar in Bristol City Centre in Bristol, England, on Oct. 15, 2005. Matt Cardy/Getty Images

UK women are the worst binge drinkers in the developed world, according to health data published by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Binge drinking involves heavy alcohol consumption in a single occasion. The technical definition is more than eight alcohol units in a single session for men and more than six units for women.

Binge drinking or heavy episodic drinking increases risks of accidents resulting in injury or death, alcohol poisoning, and other short-term and long-term health risks.

According to the data compiled by the OECD, British women top the list of the biggest binge drinkers in the world. Research indicated that 26 percent of UK women were consuming at least six drinks once a month.

This was more than twice the OECD average of 12 percent. In the female drinkers category, the UK was matched only by Denmark, also at 26 percent.

The UK’s results were closely followed by Luxembourg at 24 percent, Germany on 22 percent, and the United States on 21 percent.

The study of 29 countries found that drinking habits were vastly different for women in Italy and Spain. Just 2 percent of female drinkers in Italy and 4 percent in Spain reported heavy episodic drinking.

Twelve percent of women in France reported the same drinking habits.

For men, the research showed that 45 percent of Brits indulged in binge drinking. The result is the fourth highest of all countries examined. The OECD average is 27 percent.

Male drinkers in Romania, Denmark, and Luxembourg beat the UK numbers, with 55 percent, 49 percent, and 46 percent, respectively.

When the sexes were combined, the UK came third for heavy episodic drinking, sharing the spot with Luxembourg.

The lowest results in the total category for both men and women were recorded in Turkey, Italy, Greece, and Spain.

‘Huge Burden’

Responding to the findings, Katherine Severi of the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) said that health risks caused by alcohol consumption place a “huge financial burden on the NHS and wider economy.”

The OECD reported an average 2.4 percent of health expenditure being directed to harm caused by alcohol consumption, with figures reaching as high as 4 percent in some countries.

While women tend to have higher blood alcohol levels after drinking the same amount as men and this poses a greater risk, men are at greater overall risk of short-term harm from alcohol, including from accidents and violence.

Official data showed that from 2021 to 2022, there were 342,795 hospital admissions that were wholly owing to alcohol. The number of hospital admissions in men during this time period, 232,783, was double the figure for women, at 110,012.

Richard Piper of Alcohol Change UK has called for government measures including “proper controls on alcohol marketing,” the introduction of minimum unit pricing in England, and clearer alcohol labelling.

England’s most recent alcohol strategy, published in 2012, focused on targeting binge drinking culture and alcohol related violence. Following a consultation on minimum unit pricing (MUP) on alcohol, the government decided against committing to the policy, which sets a price beneath which alcohol cannot be sold legally.

This is in contrast to MUP rules in Wales and Scotland, where an MUP price of 50 pence was introduced in 2020 and 2018, respectively.

In 2021, the government said it would continue to monitor the impact of the MUP policy in Scotland and Wales as it emerges.

The OECD reported some regions in Australia and Canada having introduced the policy.

Ireland adopted MUP in 2022, and is the first country globally to mandate labels with population-wide health warnings on alcohol products, such as alcohol-associated risk of cancers and liver diseases.

Legislation on labelling of alcohol products could curb the harmful impact of alcohol, specifically for heavy drinkers, the study suggested.

The OECD report also warned that high alcohol intake can lead to heart diseases, strokes, liver cirrhosis, and certain cancers.