| Country / Region |
De jure |
Notes |
| Drinking Age |
Purchase Age |
| Algeria |
18 |
|
| Botswana |
18 |
For purchases, legal age is 18 for beer, 21 for everything else. |
| Eritrea |
18 |
| Kenya |
18 |
16 |
|
| Bahamas |
18 |
|
| Barbados |
18 |
Those aged 10-17 are allowed to consume alcohol provided they're with a parent. |
| Belize |
18 |
However in some provinces of Belize the age could be lower |
| Bermuda |
18 |
|
| Bolivia |
18 and Saskatchewan. |
| Cayman Islands |
18 |
|
| Chile |
18 |
Drinking in the streets or inside a vehicle is illegal. |
| Nicaragua |
18
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.
Underage purchase of alcohol, though illegal in all fifty states, isn't a felony, but a misdemeanour. See Underage drinking in the United States. Additionally, exceptions exist on certain military installations, for instance Fort Bliss, Texas, where the Commanding General lowered the age to 18 to reduce the number of soldiers traveling out of the country to nearby Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, to drink. Congress is considering changing the law to 18. |
| Puerto Rico (U.S.) |
18 |
The legal BAC limit for intoxication while driving is 0.08. |
| US Virgin Islands (U.S.) |
18 |
|
| Uruguay |
18 |
|
| People's Republic of China |
18. |
| Georgia |
none. |
| Indonesia (excluding Bali) |
21 |
Only alcohol used for Jewish or Christian religious ceremonies is allowed. |
| Israel |
none |
18 |
|
| Jordan |
18 |
|
| Japan |
20 |
|
| Nepal |
18 |
|
| Oman |
21 |
Very few (if any) establishments will serve alcohol during the Holy Month of Ramadan. |
| North Korea (DPRK) |
17 |
Alcohol may legally be consumed or purchased only on Saturdays. |
| Pakistan |
21 |
Illegal for Muslims. Forbidden by Sharia (Islamic Law, with qur'anic and other traditional legal inspirations) but can be purchased in some areas of Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad. |
| Philippines |
18 (16) |
|
| Qatar |
18 |
|
| Russia |
18 |
- It is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to consume alcohol.
- Parents, guardians, and others taking care of people under 18 shall prohibit underage drinking, or risk administrative fines of 10000 to 50000 new Taiwan dollars when the situations are serious.
- One shan't supply alcohol to anyone under the age of 18. A violator shall be administratively fined 3000 to 15000 new Taiwan dollars.
Although there are drinking laws, they're barely enforced at all, where store clerks hardly check for identification and the police barely checks at all.
|
| Thailand |
none |
| Belarus |
18 |
|
| Belgium |
16; 18 for strong spirits(20%+) |
No minimum age to drink in private. |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina |
No minimum age inside or outside bars. |
Around 5% of 13 year olds drink alcohol more than once a week, less than half average rate across the European Union. |
| Bulgaria |
16 |
|
| Croatia |
16 |
|
| Cyprus |
15 |
|
| Czech Republic |
18 |
| Denmark |
None |
16 in shops, 18 if served |
To buy alcohol in bars you need to be 18, however there's no drinking age, and an adult can buy alcohol for you. By tradition youths are privately allowed to drink alcohol after their confirmation. If a shop or bar fails to ask for an ID-card and they're identified having sold alcohol to an underage, they're 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 legal drinking age |
18 (up to 22% ABV in stores and all alcohol in bars), 20 (all alcohol); alcohol may not be sold to intoxicated customers. |
Beer, cider and alcopops containing up to 4.7% alcohol can be bought in any store, whilst any beverages exceeding that limit must be purchased at Alko. Although consumption by minors isn't prohibited, it's 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; for drinking strong liquor on premises: 18 |
It isn't customary to request identification, unless the person is manifestly of inappropriate age. It is, however, a crime to sell alcohol to a minor under 16. It is illegal for someone under the age of 16 to be at a bar without an adult, even if drinking a non-alcoholic drink. |
| Germany |
16, 18 for distilled beverages |
Possession or consumption of alcohol by minors isn't outlawed, but it's illegal to sell them alcohol or let them drink in public. "Normal" alcoholic beverages (not distilled beverages) may be consumed in public when in presence of a legal guardian; drinking in private isn't controlled. The restrictions on distilled beverages apply also to mixed drinks containing them. |
| Gibraltar |
none |
16 |
No legal consumption age but it's illegal to supply alcohol to under 16s, including in private homes. |
| Greece |
none |
17 |
|
| Hungary |
none |
18 |
Raised to 18 from previous 14 in 2002. However many store owners believe that the minimum age is 14. A study concluded that 54 percent of establishments sell alcohol to minors. |
| Iceland |
18 |
20 |
Possession or consumption of alcohol by minors isn't an offence but supplying them with alcohol is. However, law allows alcohol possessed by a minor to be confiscated. |
| Ireland |
18 in public, none in private |
18 |
| Italy |
none |
16 |
There's no law stating a limit of age for drinking any kind of alcoholic drink, art 689 Codice Penale forbid serving alcoholic drinks to minor of 16 in public places like restaurants, pubs, etc. A proposal to increase purchasing age to 18 has been rejected by parliament in 2007 |
| Liechtenstein |
16 for wine, beer and cider
18 for spirits & spirit-based beverages. eg. alcopops |
Wine, beer and ciders as well as some other party drinks which may not contain spirits can be purchased by the age of 16. Spirits as well as alcopops can be sold only to people above the age of 18. |
| Luxembourg |
16 |
|
| Latvia |
18 |
18 |
| Lithuania |
18 |
|
| Macedonia |
18 |
|
| Malta |
none |
16 |
|
| Moldova |
No minimum age (beer),
18 (wine and spirits) |
|
| Montenegro |
none |
18 |
|
| Netherlands |
none |
16 (under 20% ABV),
18 (20% ABV and over) |
If a shop fails to ask for an ID-card and they're identified having sold alcohol to an underage, they're fined. No minimum age to drink in private with a parent/guardian. |
| Norway |
none |
18 (under 22% ABV),
20 (over 22% ABV) |
Beer, cider and alcopops containing up to 4.7% alcohol can be bought in any store, whilst any beverages exceeding that limit must be purchased at Vinmonopolet. A minor buying or attempting to buy alcohol is never held criminally responsible. An adult caught buying alcohol to a minor risks fine or prison at worst. |
| Poland |
18 |
18 |
Selling alcohol to people already drunk is illegal. |
| Portugal |
none |
14 |
| Romania |
none |
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 |
18 |
Although there's an age limit, it's quite easy for underaged people to buy alcohol. Alcohol is sold to most anyone, as is traditional in West Asian and Eastern European countries. |
| Serbia |
18 |
|
| Slovakia |
none |
16 |
Only the seller can be punished. |
| Slovenia |
none |
18 |
|
| Spain |
16 |
16 |
Regional drinking age in the Autonomous Community of Castile and León, 14. |
| Sweden |
18 (bars and restaurants) |
20 (Systembolaget stores)18 (beer with 2.25% - 3.5% ABV in normal shops)
|
See also alcohol in Sweden. Bars/clubs often voluntarily choose to have higher age limits than 18, commonly 20 or 23. |
| Switzerland |
16 for wine, beer and cider
16-18 (varies from canton to canton) for spirits & spirit-based beverages ie. alcopops |
Switzerland prohibits minors to buy alcohol, but there's no age restriction for the consumption of alcohol. Wine, beer and ciders as well as some other party drinks can be purchased by the age of 16. Spirits as well as alcopops can be sold only to people above the age of 18. If a shop fails to request an ID from the customers, it can be fined. |
| Turkey |
11, Scotland no adult required to be present). The legal age for the purchase of liqueur 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 under medical supervision in an emergency. You may not buy alcohol for a drunk person on licensed premises. All off-sales are advised to ask for photographic ID if the person looks under 21.
Purchasing alcohol on behalf of a minor is illegal in England. In Scotland, from 2009 purchasing alcohol for any minor will be made illegal.
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