How Old Do You Have to Be to Buy Beer?
Key Takeaways:
- Age 18 is the global norm for buying beer across the countries in the dataset.
- Thirteen countries set the minimum at 16, while Burkina Faso has the lowest listed age at 13.
- Some countries report no legal minimum age, while others prohibit beer sales altogether.
Around the world, the legal age for buying a beer ranges from 13 to 25, with significant differences between countries.
This graphic uses the latest available country-level data from the WHO Global Information System on Alcohol and Health (GISAH). It specifically measures minimum ages for off-premise beer sales, such as purchases from stores, rather than drinking or being served alcohol in bars and restaurants.
18 Is the Global Norm
The table below shows the latest available WHO minimum age for purchasing beer off-premise by country.
| Country (WHO name) | WHO region | Minimum age to buy beer (off-premise) |
|---|---|---|
| Burkina Faso | Africa | 13 |
| Cote d'Ivoire | Africa | 14 |
| Austria | Europe | 16 |
| Belgium | Europe | 16 |
| Denmark | Europe | 16 |
| Dominica | Americas | 16 |
| Germany | Europe | 16 |
| Grenada | Americas | 16 |
| Guyana | Americas | 16 |
| Luxembourg | Europe | 16 |
| Micronesia (Federated States of) | Western Pacific | 16 |
| Saint Lucia | Americas | 16 |
| San Marino | Europe | 16 |
| Sao Tome and Principe | Africa | 16 |
| Switzerland | Europe | 16 |
| Malta | Europe | 17 |
| Albania | Europe | 18 |
| Algeria | Africa | 18 |
| Andorra | Europe | 18 |
| Angola | Africa | 18 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Americas | 18 |
| Argentina | Americas | 18 |
| Armenia | Europe | 18 |
| Australia | Western Pacific | 18 |
| Azerbaijan | Europe | 18 |
| Bahamas | Americas | 18 |
| Bahrain | Eastern Mediterranean | 18 |
| Barbados | Americas | 18 |
| Belarus | Europe | 18 |
| Belize | Americas | 18 |
| Bhutan | South-East Asia | 18 |
| Bolivia (Plurinational State of) | Americas | 18 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Europe | 18 |
| Botswana | Africa | 18 |
| Brazil | Americas | 18 |
| Bulgaria | Europe | 18 |
| Burundi | Africa | 18 |
| Cabo Verde | Africa | 18 |
| Cameroon | Africa | 18 |
| Chad | Africa | 18 |
| Chile | Americas | 18 |
| China | Western Pacific | 18 |
| Colombia | Americas | 18 |
| Congo | Africa | 18 |
| Cook Islands | Western Pacific | 18 |
| Costa Rica | Americas | 18 |
| Croatia | Europe | 18 |
| Cuba | Americas | 18 |
| Cyprus | Europe | 18 |
| Czechia | Europe | 18 |
| Democratic People's Republic of Korea | South-East Asia | 18 |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Africa | 18 |
| Dominican Republic | Americas | 18 |
| Ecuador | Americas | 18 |
| El Salvador | Americas | 18 |
| Equatorial Guinea | Africa | 18 |
| Estonia | Europe | 18 |
| Eswatini | Africa | 18 |
| Finland | Europe | 18 |
| France | Europe | 18 |
| Gabon | Africa | 18 |
| Gambia | Africa | 18 |
| Georgia | Europe | 18 |
| Ghana | Africa | 18 |
| Greece | Europe | 18 |
| Guatemala | Americas | 18 |
| Honduras | Americas | 18 |
| Hungary | Europe | 18 |
| India | South-East Asia | 18 |
| Ireland | Europe | 18 |
| Israel | Europe | 18 |
| Italy | Europe | 18 |
| Jamaica | Americas | 18 |
| Jordan | Eastern Mediterranean | 18 |
| Kenya | Africa | 18 |
| Kyrgyzstan | Europe | 18 |
| Lao People's Democratic Republic | Western Pacific | 18 |
| Latvia | Europe | 18 |
| Lebanon | Eastern Mediterranean | 18 |
| Liberia | Africa | 18 |
| Madagascar | Africa | 18 |
| Mali | Africa | 18 |
| Mauritius | Africa | 18 |
| Mexico | Americas | 18 |
| Monaco | Europe | 18 |
| Montenegro | Europe | 18 |
| Mozambique | Africa | 18 |
| Myanmar | South-East Asia | 18 |
| Namibia | Africa | 18 |
| Nepal | South-East Asia | 18 |
| Netherlands (Kingdom of the) | Europe | 18 |
| New Zealand | Western Pacific | 18 |
| Nicaragua | Americas | 18 |
| Niger | Africa | 18 |
| Nigeria | Africa | 18 |
| North Macedonia | Europe | 18 |
| Norway | Europe | 18 |
| Panama | Americas | 18 |
| Papua New Guinea | Western Pacific | 18 |
| Peru | Americas | 18 |
| Philippines | Western Pacific | 18 |
| Poland | Europe | 18 |
| Portugal | Europe | 18 |
| Republic of Moldova | Europe | 18 |
| Romania | Europe | 18 |
| Russian Federation | Europe | 18 |
| Rwanda | Africa | 18 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Americas | 18 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Americas | 18 |
| Senegal | Africa | 18 |
| Serbia | Europe | 18 |
| Seychelles | Africa | 18 |
| Singapore | Western Pacific | 18 |
| Slovakia | Europe | 18 |
| Slovenia | Europe | 18 |
| South Africa | Africa | 18 |
| South Sudan | Africa | 18 |
| Spain | Europe | 18 |
| Suriname | Americas | 18 |
| Tajikistan | Europe | 18 |
| Togo | Africa | 18 |
| Tonga | Western Pacific | 18 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Americas | 18 |
| Tunisia | Eastern Mediterranean | 18 |
| Türkiye | Europe | 18 |
| Uganda | Africa | 18 |
| Ukraine | Europe | 18 |
| United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Europe | 18 |
| United Republic of Tanzania | Africa | 18 |
| Uruguay | Americas | 18 |
| Vanuatu | Western Pacific | 18 |
| Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) | Americas | 18 |
| Viet Nam | Western Pacific | 18 |
| Zambia | Africa | 18 |
| Zimbabwe | Africa | 18 |
| Canada | Americas | 18-19 |
| Republic of Korea | Western Pacific | 19 |
| Iceland | Europe | 20 |
| Japan | Western Pacific | 20 |
| Lithuania | Europe | 20 |
| Paraguay | Americas | 20 |
| Sweden | Europe | 20 |
| Thailand | South-East Asia | 20 |
| Uzbekistan | Europe | 20 |
| Egypt | Eastern Mediterranean | 21 |
| Ethiopia | Africa | 21 |
| Indonesia | Western Pacific | 21 |
| Iraq | Eastern Mediterranean | 21 |
| Kazakhstan | Europe | 21 |
| Kiribati | Western Pacific | 21 |
| Lesotho | Africa | 21 |
| Malawi | Africa | 21 |
| Malaysia | Western Pacific | 21 |
| Marshall Islands | Western Pacific | 21 |
| Mongolia | Western Pacific | 21 |
| Naoero | Western Pacific | 21 |
| Oman | Eastern Mediterranean | 21 |
| Qatar | Eastern Mediterranean | 21 |
| Samoa | Western Pacific | 21 |
| Sri Lanka | South-East Asia | 21 |
| Turkmenistan | Europe | 21 |
| United States of America | Americas | 21 |
| United Arab Emirates | Eastern Mediterranean | 21 - with restrictions |
| Eritrea | Africa | 25 |
| Bangladesh | South-East Asia | No legal minimum |
| Benin | Africa | No legal minimum |
| Cambodia | Western Pacific | No legal minimum |
| Central African Republic | Africa | No legal minimum |
| Djibouti | Eastern Mediterranean | No legal minimum |
| Guinea | Africa | No legal minimum |
| Guinea-Bissau | Africa | No legal minimum |
| Morocco | Eastern Mediterranean | No legal minimum |
| Pakistan | Eastern Mediterranean | No legal minimum |
| Sierra Leone | Africa | No legal minimum |
| Somalia | Eastern Mediterranean | No legal minimum |
| Syrian Arab Republic | Eastern Mediterranean | No legal minimum |
| Timor-Leste | South-East Asia | No legal minimum |
| Yemen | Eastern Mediterranean | No legal minimum |
| Afghanistan | Eastern Mediterranean | Total ban |
| Iran (Islamic Republic of) | Eastern Mediterranean | Total ban |
| Kuwait | Eastern Mediterranean | Total ban |
| Libya | Eastern Mediterranean | Total ban |
| Maldives | South-East Asia | Total ban |
| Mauritania | Africa | Total ban |
| Sudan | Eastern Mediterranean | Total ban |
| Saudi Arabia | Eastern Mediterranean | Banned - with restrictions |
| Brunei Darussalam | Western Pacific | No data |
| Comoros | Africa | No data |
| Fiji | Western Pacific | No data |
| Haiti | Americas | No data |
| Niue | Western Pacific | No data |
| Palau | Western Pacific | No data |
| Solomon Islands | Western Pacific | No data |
| Tuvalu | Western Pacific | No data |
Age 18 dominates the map. By comparison, 19 countries set the threshold at 21, 13 use age 16, and seven use age 20. Eritrea stands out with the highest listed minimum at 25.
Minimum-age laws are one tool governments use to limit alcohol access among young people. DrinkIQ notes that adolescence is an important period of brain and physical development, while countries balance these concerns against differing cultural attitudes toward alcohol.
Europe is particularly notable for lower purchase ages. Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and several other countries set the threshold at 16. The region also has a deeply established beer culture and includes many of the world’s biggest beer-drinking countries.
From No Minimum to Complete Prohibition
The opposite ends of the spectrum require some nuance. The WHO data lists 14 countries as having no legal minimum for off-premise beer purchases. This designation does not necessarily mean alcohol is freely available, as other national or local restrictions may still apply.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan, Iran, Kuwait, Libya, the Maldives, Mauritania, and Sudan are recorded as having total bans on beer sales. Saudi Arabia is classified separately as banned with restrictions. Alcohol rules can include exceptions based on location, residency, or other circumstances, illustrating why a simple purchase-age figure cannot capture every country’s regulatory system.
The U.S. is also unusual among major advanced economies, with a minimum purchase age of 21. The beer market itself remains highly globalized, however, with many of the largest beer brewers selling across countries with very different rules.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
For another look at the beer industry, see How Beer Logos Have Changed With the Times on the Voronoi app.