In the United States, the legal drinking age is set at 21 but that doesn’t mean the rest of the world follows. Many nations have lower ages.
What’s the legal drinking age in other countries?
In the United States, the legal drinking age is set at 21, a standard established by the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. This law aimed to reduce alcohol-related traffic accidents among young people, a concern that arose after many states had previously lowered their drinking ages in the 1970s.
Globally, the legal drinking age varies widely. In fact, 64 percent of countries allow individuals to legally consume alcohol at 18. For instance, many European nations, including France, Germany, and Italy, permit drinking at this age, reflecting a cultural acceptance of moderate alcohol consumption.
Some nations in Europe have different legal ages depending on what drink is being purchased, as shown in the map below.
Some countries go even lower; Central African Republic, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Mali allow drinking at any age. In several Caribbean nations, such as Antigua and Barbuda, the legal age is set at 16, allowing younger individuals earlier access to alcohol compared to the US standard.
Nations with stricter restrictions than the US
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Conversely, some countries impose stricter regulations. For example, in Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan, the legal drinking age is 21, mirroring the US approach. In the United Arab Emirates, the legal age varies by emirate, with 21 being the minimum in Dubai and other northern emirates, while Abu Dhabi allows drinking at 18.
There are nations with no legal drinking age at all, while others, like Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, enforce a complete ban on alcohol consumption. This reflects differing cultural and religious attitudes towards alcohol across the globe.