Share of people who don't drink alcohol, men vs women in Sweden
Sweden: Share of people who don't drink alcohol, men vs women was 6.9% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of people who don't drink alcohol, men vs women in Sweden, 2000–2020
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of people who don't drink alcohol, men vs women in Sweden is 6.9%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and down 10.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of people who don't drink alcohol, men vs women in Sweden peaked at 8.7% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 6.9%, in 2020.
That places Sweden 164th out of 187 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Share of people who don't drink alcohol, men vs women in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 8.7% | — |
| 2001 | 8.6% | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 8.4% | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 8.4% | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 8.5% | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 8.5% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 8.1% | -4.2% |
| 2007 | 7.9% | -3.3% |
| 2008 | 7.8% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 7.9% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 7.7% | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 7.5% | -2.1% |
| 2012 | 7.5% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 7.4% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 7.4% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 7.2% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 7.2% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 7.1% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 7.0% | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 7.0% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 6.9% | -1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.3% | 7.8% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.3% | 7.0% | 7.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.9% | 6.9% | 6.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
- 161 Netherlands 7.0% compare
- 162 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 7.0% compare
- 163 Poland 6.9% compare
- 165 Uruguay 6.8% compare
- 166 United States of America 6.7% compare
- 167 Norway 6.6% compare
More gender data for Sweden
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 1,663 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -1.5 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 9,179 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 9,179 (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 47,810 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 50,483 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 48,381 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 51,112 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 50,315 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 53,236 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of people who don't drink alcohol, men vs women in Sweden?
- Share of people who don't drink alcohol, men vs women in Sweden was 6.9% in 2020, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of people who don't drink alcohol, men vs women recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 8.7% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of people who don't drink alcohol, men vs women recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.9% in 2020.
- How does Sweden rank for share of people who don't drink alcohol, men vs women?
- Sweden ranks 164th out of 187 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of people who don't drink alcohol, men vs women rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sweden data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of people who don't drink alcohol, men vs women. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of men vs women (15 years and older) who have not consumed any alcohol during their lifetime. This data is age-standardized.