The legal drinking age in Europe varies significantly by country, with most nations setting the minimum age at 18 years for purchasing and consuming alcohol. However, several countries have lower thresholds: , , Denmark, , and others allow individuals aged 16 to purchase and consume beer, wine, and cider, though stricter rules may apply to stronger alcoholic beverages. In , the legal age to buy beer, wine, and cider is 16, but it rises to 18 for spirits, and minors under 14 are prohibited from purchasing alcohol even when accompanied by an adult. Some countries, such as Iceland (20 years) and (20 years), have raised their drinking age to 20, while sets the age at 17. In the , the legal drinking age is 18 across all constituent countries, although 16- and 17-year-olds may drink beer, wine, or cider with a meal if accompanied by an adult. Overall, European drinking laws reflect a range of approaches, balancing public health concerns with cultural norms and enforcement practices.
minimum age for legal alcohol consumption
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Legal_drinking_age
Legal drinking age - Wikipedia
4 days ago - Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States, has maintained a drinking age of 18. United States customs laws stipulate that no person under the age of 21 may bring any type or quantity of alcohol into the country. Most countries in Europe have set 18 as the minimum age to purchase alcohol.
Trainline
thetrainline.com › home › via › europe › legal drinking ages in popular european countries
Legal drinking ages in popular European countries | Trainline
November 8, 2024 - The minimum drinking age in bars is 18, but many bars won’t let people under 20 (or even 25) in. That’s because the minimum age to purchase alcohol over 3.5% ABV is 20. You can purchase alcohol under 3.5% ABV at 18.
What is your country’s take on alcohol consumption and in what age you are legally allowed to drink? Also is it normal for minors to drink?
In private if you're parents allow you could drink whenever. You can only buy alcohol starting with sixteen for weaker stuff and hard liquor or stuff like that with 18. Drinking under 16 isn't uncommon and isn't also seen as a huge problem if it doesn't get out of hand a few times, people think the youth should learn its lessons regarding alcohol. More on reddit.com
163
213
March 15, 2019Countries mapped by legal drinking age:
The map is wrong some times + not even all colours are described.. More on reddit.com
28
12
January 7, 2024Legal drinking age in Europe is way too low
Nobody in my school (also germany) was an addicted because they were allowed to drink beer. Teens abuse it more when it's not allowed. They also do it anyway no matter what the legal age is. More on reddit.com
37
3
December 27, 2020Is it acceptable in Europe for parents to drink with their (underage) kids?
The legal minimum age to drink in the UK at home is 5 years old. We start them early. More on reddit.com
84
48
February 17, 2022Quora
quora.com › Why-is-the-drinking-age-21-in-America-but-18-in-Europe-whose-getting-it-right
Why is the drinking age 21 in America but 18 in Europe, whose getting it right? - Quora
Answer (1 of 72): There is no “right” drinking age. I would trust my 14-year-old kids to drink responsibly; and there are doubtless 50-year-olds out there who would be better off without access to the stuff.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/askeurope › what is your country’s take on alcohol consumption and in what age you are legally allowed to drink? also is it normal for minors to drink?
r/AskEurope on Reddit: What is your country’s take on alcohol consumption and in what age you are legally allowed to drink? Also is it normal for minors to drink?
March 15, 2019 -
In Poland the legal age to drink any alcohol is 18, but from my experience, when I was 15-16 everyone I knew was drinking on some parties, at least once a month.
Top answer 1 of 57
166
In private if you're parents allow you could drink whenever. You can only buy alcohol starting with sixteen for weaker stuff and hard liquor or stuff like that with 18. Drinking under 16 isn't uncommon and isn't also seen as a huge problem if it doesn't get out of hand a few times, people think the youth should learn its lessons regarding alcohol.
2 of 57
100
No legal age for consumption . In 1998 we got our first alcohol and tobacco purchasing law , age limit 15 years , it was changed in 2004 to 16 years then in 2008 and the tobacco was raised to 18 years and then in 2010 it was changed (for alcohol) to 18 years for anything over 22 %ish. But these laws took a long time to actually be enforced. But yes "minors" drink , we are the world champions in teenage drinking
ScienceDirect
sciencedirect.com › science › article › pii › S0167629621001569
Minimum legal drinking age and the social gradient in binge drinking - ScienceDirect
December 7, 2021 - Low minimum legal drinking ages (MLDAs), as prevalent in many European countries, are severely understudied. We use rich survey and administrative data to estimate the impact of the Austrian MLDA of 16 on teenage drinking behavior and morbidity.
CEPR
cepr.org › voxeu › columns › raising-legal-drinking-ages-opportunity-improve-european-educational-outcomes
Raising legal drinking ages: An opportunity to improve European educational outcomes | CEPR
January 18, 2025 - Teenage drinking remains widespread in Europe. To address concerns about its negative effects on health and cognition, many European countries have raised their minimum legal drinking age from 16 to 18 in recent decades. This column reports on evidence from Spain, where regions increased the ...
The Drinks Business
thedrinksbusiness.com › home › every country’s legal drinking age – from 13 to 21 years old
Every country’s legal drinking age – from 13 to 21 years old
July 29, 2025 - Eighteen is by far the most common legal drinking age worldwide. It is the standard in much of Europe (France, Spain, Italy), Latin America (Brazil, Argentina, Mexico), Africa (Kenya, South Africa) and Oceania (Australia, New Zealand).
Jagran Josh
jagranjosh.com › home › general knowledge › current gk
List of Legal Drinking Age in Countries around the World 2024
February 6, 2024 - In Europe, a prevailing inclination is to fix the legal drinking age at either 16 years, as evident in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, and Luxembourg, or at 18 years, as observed in France, Spain, and Italy.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/mapporn › countries mapped by legal drinking age:
r/MapPorn on Reddit: Countries mapped by legal drinking age:
January 7, 2024 - Makes me doubt the whole map because that information is extremely easy to find. ... The map is wrong some times + not even all colours are described.. ... France, though you can't buy alcool before 18. ... The UK’s drinking laws and licensing laws are different. I suspect this map is massively confusing drinking vs licensing/purchasing ages for most countries.
VinePair
vinepair.com › articles › legal-drinking-age-world-map
The Legal Drinking Age in Each Country [MAP] | VinePair
February 10, 2022 - Seven countries do not have a government-mandated drinking age, while 11 countries ban the consumption of booze entirely. Don't Miss A Drop Get the latest in beer, wine, and cocktail culture sent straight to your inbox.
PubMed Central
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › articles › PMC6601676
International Perspectives on Adolescent and Young Adult Drinking - PMC
WHO also has used these areas to ... habits. For example, Iceland and Norway, with a total alcohol consumption of about 7 liters per person age 15 and older, belong to the area “Europe A,” where the average alcohol consumption is 13 liters (i.e., almost twice that in ...
MADD
madd.org › home › statistic › myth: europeans let their kid drink at an early age, yet they do not have the alcohol-realted problems we do.
European Drinking Age: Do European Youths Who Drink Have Less Alcohol-Related Problems Than American Youths?
November 13, 2024 - Also, a greater percentage of young people in a majority of Europe report binge drinking at higher rates then compared to their US counterparts. 1-2 Most European youth have higher rates of alcohol-related problems because of their heavy drinking. Perhaps the best example of fact versus myth is what happened in New Zealand. In 1999, New Zealand lowered its purchase age from 20 to 18.
WorldAtlas
worldatlas.com › articles › what-s-the-legal-drinking-age-in-european-countries.html
What's The Legal Drinking Age In European Countries?
July 12, 2020 - In the US, the legal drinking age is determined at a national level. At the time of this writing, it is 21 years of age. In all European countries, the legal drinking age is less than this, running from about 15 years old up to 20.
The Griffin
canisiusgriffin.wordpress.com › 2018 › 09 › 28 › opinion-why-europes-drinking-age-is-lower-than-the-u-s-s
Opinion: Why Europe’s Drinking Age is Lower than the U.S.’s
September 28, 2018 - Of course, all states eventually complied and thus the drinking age was raised to 21. After this law was enacted, alcohol related car accidents did decrease. I personally agree with my 11th grade history professor who said, “if you can be ...
European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights
fra.europa.eu › en › publication › 2017 › mapping-minimum-age-requirements-concerning-rights-child-eu › purchasing-and-consuming-alcohol
Purchasing and consuming alcohol | European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights
January 19, 2022 - The CRC Committee suggests that the minimum age for the purchase and consumption of alcohol and tobacco should be 18 years (CRC General Comment No. 20, 2016). The Council recommendation on the drinking of alcohol by young people, in particular children and adolescents (2001/458/EC) clearly ...
Facebook
facebook.com › brilliantmaps › posts › which-european-country-has-the-lowest-drinking-age › 1023528856556391
Which European Country Has The Lowest Drinking Age?
We cannot provide a description for this page right now
World Population Review
worldpopulationreview.com › country-rankings › drinking-age-by-country
Drinking Age by Country 2025
1 day ago - The Minimum Drinking Age in France is 18 for purchases and consumption of all alcoholic beverages. As of 2009, French teenagers could still buy wine, beer, and other fermented beverages at 16.
CEPR
cepr.org › voxeu › columns › what-europe-can-learn-us-policies-drinking-and-driving
What Europe can learn from US policies on drinking and driving | CEPR
September 5, 2007 - Several European countries are currently debating changes in their alcohol-related policies, with much of this discussion aimed at more stringent regulation of access to alcohol or limits on amounts that can be consumed before driving. In some countries, including England and Scotland, the debate surrounding the appropriate level of the drinking age has reemerged and there have been several proposals to raise it to 21.
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Alcohol_laws_in_Germany
Alcohol laws in Germany - Wikipedia
November 20, 2025 - A study by the RWI Essen found ... Issues) recommends raising the drinking age for all alcoholic beverages in Germany to 18 years....
Fodor's Travel
fodors.com › fodor's travel talk forums › destinations › europe › drinking age in european countries???
Drinking age in European countries??? - Fodor's Travel Talk Forums
January 4, 2005 - France age for beer and wine is an unenforced 16, 18 for hard stuff - my son grew up in France and was buying hard booze in supermarkets way before 18 so not always enforced. 16 is legal age in bars for beer and wine. Holland i believe is 16 ...