Legal drinking age

The legal drinking age is (informally) the minimum age at which people are legally allowed to purchase or consume alcoholic beverages in a given jurisdiction.

Some jurisdictions set a minimum age on the customers licensed retailers of alcoholic beverages may sell alcohol to. Some set down a more comprehensive prohibition against persons below the minimum age being on premises licensed to sell alcohol. At its strictest, the term describes the age below which persons must have their alcohol intake properly supervised by those responsible for them, or are simply not permitted to consume it. Frequently these minimum ages will differ in a single jurisdiction. Legal drinking ages are sometimes tied to other age of majority laws, such as the right to vote, the right to get a driver's license, the right to consume other substances such as tobacco or marijuana, and may include exceptions in cases of medical need or parental consent, or more complex stipulations regarding kinds of beverages: some countries distinguish between drinks with lower alcohol-content (such as beer and wine) and stronger spirit-based drinks.

In most countries the minimum age to purchase alcohol is at least 18, but there are notable exceptions (see list below). Generally, a lower minimum age, say between 12 and 16, is applied in relation to those persons who are not allowed on the premises of a licensed drinking establishment. This prohibition will either be absolute or partial, being limited to certain times of the day, like the evening and night. Exceptions may exist when the premises are licensed but not open to the public (i.e. are private members clubs) or when substantial meals are also served together with alcohol (e.g. restaurants and hotels). In some jurisdictions, such restrictions may be extended to unsupervised possession and/or consumption of alcohol by minors, and not merely presence at a licensed venue. An even lower age may apply in some jurisdictions that allow minors to drink in private with parental permission.

In The UK there have been calls to raise the drinking age to 21 in order to make alcohol less accessable to minors, the UK government have said they have no plans to adjust the alcohol purchase age.

Legal drinking age by country

Note that exact laws vary from country to country, and often between states or provinces. Laws on consumption of alcoholic beverages vary even more widely. In some countries all alcoholic beverages are illegal, often due to religious law.

Africa

Country / Region	De jure		Notes
	Drinking Age	Purchase Age
Algeria	No minimum	18
Cameroon	18
Egypt	21
Eritrea	18
Ethiopia	18		Law is hardly enforced
Kenya	18
Mauritius	18
Morocco	18 for Muslims, No minimum age for foreigners and non-Muslims		Selling alcohol to Muslims is technically illegal according to Islamic law, however, 18 is accepted as the legal drinking age.
Namibia	18
Niger	18
Nigeria	none		Although there is no legal minimum age, bars rarely serve to people under the age of 18
South Africa	18
Sierra Leone	No drinking age
Tunisia	21		This law is rarely enforced among non-Muslim foreigners.
Uganda	18
Zambia	18
Zimbabwe	18

The Americas

Country / region	De jure		Notes
	Drinking Age	Purchase Age
Antigua	18
Argentina	18		Loosely enforced
Bahamas	18
Barbados	18		Those aged 10-17 are allowed to consume alcohol provided they are with a parent.
Belize	18
Bermuda	18
Bolivia	18
Brazil	18		Loosely enforced
Canada	18 in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec; 19 elsewhere		Drinking by minors under adult supervision is permitted in licensed premises in the provinces of Manitoba and New Brunswick and at home in Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Saskatchewan. Drinking age in any setting is not as strictly enforced in Quebec as in the other provinces. Legal drinking age legislation falls under provincial jurisdiction.
Chile	No minimum age	18
Colombia	18		Very loosely enforced
Costa Rica	18		Loosely enforced
Cuba	No minimum age	16
Dominican Republic	18		Loosely enforced
Ecuador	18
Haiti	6
Honduras	18		Loosely enforced
Jamaica	none		Parents may buy it for any child at any time.
Mexico	18		Loosely enforced, but more enforced in nightclubs
Nicaragua	18		Loosely enforced
Paraguay	18
Peru	18		Loosely enforced
Puerto Rico	18
United States	Varies by state, though in most states the age is 21. In Texas, Montana, Washington, and Ohio, once you are 18, under parental supervision and at their residence, consumption of alcohol is legal in these states. In some states, such as Nebraska and Louisiana, the drinking age varies by location.	21 (de facto)	Financial incentives create de facto federal purchase age of 21. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 states that revenue will be withheld from states that allow the purchase of alcohol to anyone under the age of 21. Some states do not allow those under the legal drinking age to be present in liquor stores or in bars (usually, the difference between a bar and a restaurant is whether food is being served). Contrary to popular belief, since National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, few states specifically prohibit minors' consumption of alcohol in private settings (an exception includes Connecticut). In some cases or states, alcohol permits can be purchased at a cost to the parent or legal guardian. As of 2006, 20 states do not specifically ban underage consumption and an additional 15 states have family member and/or location exceptions to their underage consumption laws. [3] Federal law explicitly provides for religious, medical, employment and private club possession exceptions; as of 2005, 31 states have family member and/or location exceptions to their underage possession laws. [4] Underage purchase of alcohol, though illegal in all fifty states, is not a federal offense, although restrictions on highway funding for states that allow it make it illegal federally de facto. See underage drinking in America.
Venezuela	18

Asia

Country / region	De jure		Notes
	Drinking Age	Purchase Age
Azerbaijan	14	18
Armenia	No minimum age
Bahrain	21		Muslims in Bahrain are not allowed to drink alcohol at any age. Non-Muslims may, but are forbidden to drink during Ramadan.
Brunei	Illegal		Muslims are not allowed to drink or possess alcohol, non-Muslim residents and visitors may import alcohol for personal consumption. Public sale of alcohol is illegal.
China (mainland China)	None	18	Introduced in January, 2006. [5]
Georgia	No minimum age	18
Hong Kong	None	18
India	Varies by state. 18-25		Per state age limit. Constitution requires states to work towards alcohol prohibition.
Indonesia	18		Loosely, if not ever enforced, Under 18's can purchase alcohol from supermarket's or restaurant's with out any issue majority of time.
Iraq	18
Iran	Illegal to all, except for Jewish or Christian ceremonies		Only alcohol used for Jewish or Christian religious ceremonies is allowed.
Israel	18
Japan	20		Alcohol can be bought in some vending machines. Many vending machines have now installed ID readers which must be inserted prior to purchasing or are turned off when liquor stores are open to prevent minors from purchasing.
Kuwait	-		Illegal to buy.
Lebanon	18
Malaysia	18		The sale of alcohol to Muslims is illegal, as is consumption of alcohol by Muslims in public.
Nepal	18
Oman	21		Very few (if any) establishments will serve alcohol during the Holy Month of Ramadhan.
Pakistan	Illegal to all		Forbidden by Sharia Law (Quran Law)
Philippines	18		Not enforced
Qatar	21
Saudi Arabia	Illegal to all		Forbidden by Sharia Law (Quran law)
Singapore	18
South Korea	19		From January 1 of the year the person becomes 19
Sri Lanka	18
Taiwan	18		Parents, guardians, and others taking care of people under 18 are required pursuant to the Children and Youth Welfare Law (zh:兒童及少年福利法) to prohibit underage drinking or risk administrative fines when the situations are serious.
Thailand	No Minimum drinking age	18	Must be 20 to enter night clubs, but people over 18 can buy alcohol in convenience stores.
United Arab Emirates	No Minimum drinking age	21	Dubai laws state that no person under the age of 16 may be in a place serving alcohol after 18:00. Alcohol is only served in restaurants and bars attached to hotels. Alcohol is forbidden in Sharjah.
Vietnam	15	18

Europe

Country / region	De jure		Notes
	Drinking Age	Purchase Age
Albania	No minimum age
Austria	14	16 (beer, wine), 18 (spirits)	from the age of 14 it is permitted to drink alcohol provided by parents; in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland the legal drinking age is 16.
Belarus	18
Belgium	16		No minimum age to drink in private.
Bulgaria	18
Croatia	18
Cyprus	18
Czech Republic	18
Denmark	No minimum drinking age	16	If a shop fails to ask for an ID-card and they are identified having sold alcohol to an underage, they are fined. A national ID-card can be obtained in the local town hall in order for the youth to verify the youth age towards shops . This card is rarely used though, since a passport or moped-licence can be used.
Estonia	18
Finland	No minimum drinking age	18 (shops and Alko stores up to 22% ABV and all alcohol in bars), 20 (over 22% ABV in Alko stores)	Although consumption by minors is not prohibited, it is strictly limited to certain rare situations because of various statutes regarding possession and offering. Because of this, legal drinking age is often perceived to be 18 by the general public. Purchase age also applies to possession.
France	16 (beer, wine), 18 (spirits)
Germany	16 (beer, wine), 18 (spirits)		The legal drinking age does not apply when drinking in private. Minors in possession of alcohol are not punished; however, people who make alcohol available to minors are.
Greece	16		Rarely enforced, except in certain chain restaurants (which have self proclaimed a 17 year old minimum drinking age). No legal age for drinking in private.
Hungary	No minimum age	18	Rarely enforced. It's usually only enforced in major supermarkets and stores that were recently fined for illegally selling alcohol to minors.
Iceland	20		Possession or consumption of alcohol by minors is not an offence but supplying them with alcohol is. However, law allows alcohol possessed by a minor to be confiscated.
Ireland	18		By law, only a passport, driving licence or the Garda age card is accepted as proof of age (although not always asked for in practice). Purchasing alcohol for a minor is illegal (except by parents for consumption at home).
Isle of Man	5	18 (16)	As in the United Kingdom it is only illegal for an adult to give alcohol to a child under 5 years, unless under medical supervision or it is an emergency, but this gives an effective drinking age of 5. The age for buying and consumption of alcoholic beverages on licensed premises is 18; however, a person over the age of 16 may buy an alcoholic beverage with a substantial meal, as long as they are accompanied by a person over 18.
Italy	14
Jersey	18
Liechtenstein	18
Luxembourg	18
Latvia	No minimum drinking age	18
Lithuania	18
Macedonia	18
Malta	16		Not enforced
Moldova	No minimum age (beer), 18 (wine and spirits)
Netherlands	16, 18 for alcoholic beverages containing more than 16% of alcohol		No minimum age to drink in private with a parent/guardian.
Norway	18 (under 22% ABV), 20 (22% ABV and over)		Beer, cider and alcopops can be bought in any store, whilst all beverages above 4.7% must be bought at The Wine Monopoly. Under aged youth are actually allowed to drink alcohol, but it is illegal to sell them or provide them with alcohol.
Poland	No minimum drinking age	18
Portugal	15		People suffering from mental illness or already extremely inebriated cannot purchase or obtain alcoholic beverages. People under 16 can drink if parents allow
Romania	No minimum drinking age	18	Sale of all distilled spirits is illegal for those under 18. Advertising distilled alcohol is forbidden during the day (between 5:00 and 22:00). All restrictions apply on sale and distribution to underage persons, not consumption.
Russia	No minimum drinking age	18	Rarely, if ever enforced.
Serbia	18		Rarely if ever enforced. Beer and other alcoholic beverages are sold to minors in corner stores while some chain stores refuse to sell alcoholic beverages to minors.
Slovakia	No minimum drinking age	18	Only the seller can be punished.
Slovenia	No minimum drinking age	18
Spain	16		In some regions, low-alcohol drinks, like wine or beer, may be bought by people over 16. This is likely to change in the near future to a national drinking/purchasing age of 18.
Sweden	18 (bars and restaurants, beer and cider with ≤ 3.5% (volume) alcohol in shops), 20 (Systembolaget stores) Consistently enforced in Systembolaget stores.[6]		See also alcohol in Sweden. Bars/clubs often voluntarily choose to have higher age limits than 18, commonly 20 or 23. Bootlegging to minors is illegal but frequent.
Switzerland	16 (wine, beer and cider) 18 (spirits & spirit-based cocktails ie. alcopops)
Turkey	18		People under 18 years old are allowed to drink non-distilled beverages while being accompanied by parents. Although it is not directly stated, no restaurants or cafes will serve alcoholic beverages to unaccompanied minors. Also, minors cannot enter bars.
Ukraine	No minimum drinking age	18	People under 18 years old are allowed to drink while being accompanied by an adult. Beer, being a low alcohol beverage, can be freely bought by minors. (NOTE: these laws are rarely if ever enforced)
United Kingdom	5 (with parental consent.)	18 (16)	The legal age to purchase alcohol is 18. Children aged 16 and 17 may consume wine, beer, cider or perry with a meal in a restaurant providing they're with an adult and the adult orders it. Children under 16 are not allowed in pubs without an adult. The purchase of liquor chocolates is 16. The legal age for drinking in one's home is 5 provided parental consent is given. Children under 5 must not be given alcohol unless for medical reasons. This is very strictly enforced.[7]

Oceania

Country / region	De jure		Notes
	Drinking Age	Purchase Age
Australia	18		It is illegal to buy, drink or possess alcohol if under 18 but states allow drinking or possessing alcohol on private premises for people under the age of 18 (under the supervision of an adult[s]). Minors may be on licensed premises accompanied by a parent or guardian (but not purchase alcohol) and parents can provide alcohol with a meal on licensed premises. In Victoria, if a minor is caught with alcohol it will be confiscated and guardians notified of the offense, and a fine may occur. Generally the law enforcement forgive minors with just a warning and then confiscate the alcohol. The consequences of the situation depend on the police officer involved. It is also illegal to provide minors with alcohol, and one can be fined by it if caught in the act.
Fiji	18
Guam	18
New Zealand	No minimum age with parents	18	While minors can drink at any age, they can only legally be supplied alcohol by their legal guardian or spouse. On 8 November 2006 the New Zealand Parliament rejected a bill to return the legal age to 20 after significant lobbying by the Keepit18 group. [8]

External links

• Choose Responsibility
• Landlord's Guide to Underage Drinking
• Missouri 18 To Drink Ballot Initiative