World's Drunkest Country Revealed

Australia is the drunkest country in the world, according to a new study released on Dec. 1. The study tracked alcohol consumption in 2021, with over 32,000 people participating from 22 countries. Australians who responded to the study reported getting drunk an average of 27 times during 2021, far above the global average of 15 times.

Australians said they got drunk 26.7 times overall in 2021, according to the Global Drug Survey. When broken down by gender, Australian men reported getting drunk 29.6 times and women 20.9 times in 2021. Trans, non-binary or intersex respondents reported getting drunk 35.4 times in 2021. The survey defined drunk as "having drunk so much that your physical and mental faculties are impaired to the point where your balance/speech was affected, you were unable to focus clearly on things, and that your conversation and behaviors were very obviously different to people who know you."

Denmark and Finland came in second, with residents there reporting they got drunk about 23.8 times in 2021. U.S. respondents reported getting drunk 23.1 times in 2021. American men reported getting drunk 25.9 times in 2021, while women reported getting drunk 17.5 times. Trans, non-binary or intersex Americans said they got drunk 18.2 times in 2021. Mexico was at the bottom of the list, with Mexicans reporting they got drunk 8.9 times in 2021.

Pollsters also asked responders how they felt about getting drunk and if they regretted it. Ireland topped this chart, with 28.4% of respondents saying they regretted drinking as much as they did. The U.S. was in the middle of the pack, with 22% of Americans saying they regretted how much they drank. The top reason for regret was "drank too much too quickly," with 49% of all respondents from around the world agreeing with that statement.

While Australians may feel drunk more often than others, the French still drink more often. The poll found that the French drank on 132 days per year, while Americans drink about 83 days of the year. The global average was 101 drinks a year. That sounds like a lot, but Global Drug Survey CEO Adam Winstock told USA Today this was significantly less than last year.

"I just think the longer the pandemic went on, the novelty of lunchtime drinking and getting drunk wore off, and then the reality just kind of stepped in," Winstock explained. "I think most people realize they cope better without getting drunk or drinking all the time and using lots of drugs."

The poll also asked respondents to sum up 2020 in one word. As the year was defined by the coronavirus pandemic around the world, it's not surprising that many respondents had negative feelings about 2020. The most commonly used word was "sh—," while others described 2020 as "stressful," "challenging," and "f—ed."