Per capita alcohol consumption in Africa in 2019, by country

Nigerians consumed over 13 liters of alcohol per capita in 2019, making it the leading country in terms of alcohol consumption per capita that year. The Kingdom of Eswatini and South Africa ranked second and third respectively, with just under ten liters per person.

Per capita consumption worldwide

In 2018, Russia was the leading country and region in terms of alcohol consumption per capita. The average Russian person drank almost twice as many alcoholic servings as the average African person that year. The most sold alcoholic beverages in the Russian Federation in 2018 were beer and malt beverages: over 7 billion liters of these alcoholic drinks were sold to the population.

Illicit alcohol market in Africa

The production and consumption of unrecorded alcoholic beverages can be dangerous and, in some instances, lethal. However, it is quite common in Sub Saharan Africa and Asia. Producing alcohol at home is a deeply rooted tradition in certain countries and these locally produced beverages tend to be cheaper than the commercial equivalents. Over 60 percent of Uganda’s alcohol market was illicit in 2018, making it the country with the largest illicit alcohol market in Africa.