Binge drinking, also known as heavy episodic drinking, is the consumption of an excessive amount of alcohol in a short period of time. This type of drinking can lead to a wide range of negative consequences, both short-term and long-term.
In the short-term, binge drinking can lead to impaired judgement and coordination, as well as increased risk of accidents and injuries. It can also lead to blackouts and memory loss, as well as increased risk of alcohol poisoning.
In the long-term, binge drinking can lead to a wide range of health problems, including liver damage, high blood pressure, and an increased risk of certain types of cancer. It can also lead to addiction and alcoholism, as well as a wide range of social and psychological problems.
Two definitions, and why the numbers rarely match
There is no single definition of binge drinking, which is the main reason figures from different sources disagree so sharply:
- The NIAAA in the United States defines it as a pattern of drinking that brings blood alcohol concentration to 0.08 g/dL — typically about 5 drinks for men or 4 for women, in around 2 hours.
- The World Health Organization measures heavy episodic drinking: at least 60 grams of pure alcohol on at least one occasion in the past 30 days. That is roughly five standard drinks of 12 g each — but counted once in a month, not once in an evening.
The two measure different things, so a figure from one should never be set against a figure from the other. Every number below uses the WHO measure.
How common is it?
The WHO’s global status report, published in 2024 and reporting 2019 data, gives two figures — and the difference between them is entirely the denominator:
- 17% of everyone aged 15 and over had at least one heavy drinking occasion in the past month. That is about one in six adults, abstainers included.
- 38% of current drinkers did. Among people who drink at all, it is closer to two in five.
Both break down sharply by sex: 10% of women against 24% of men across the whole population, or 27% against 45% counting drinkers only.
The pattern is not where popular imagination puts it. WHO finds the highest prevalence in Central and Northern Europe, along with parts of Africa, Australasia and South America. Age-standardised prevalence in the total population aged 15+, 2019:
| Country | Heavy episodic drinking, 15+ |
|---|---|
| Luxembourg | 48.5 % |
| Ireland | 45.7 % |
| South Korea | 45.3 % |
| Romania | 42.1 % |
| Czechia | 40.7 % |
| Finland | 40.2 % |
| Sweden | 32.5 % |
| Norway | 32.2 % |
| Belarus | 27.8 % |
| Russian Federation | 19.9 % |
The figure has barely moved in two decades. Between 2010 and 2019 the global reduction was 3.4% in relative terms, and WHO notes that the voluntary target of a 10% cut by 2025 will not be met globally or in any region on current trends.
Sweden
32.5% of everyone aged 15 and over in Sweden had a heavy drinking occasion in the past month. That is not the low number Sweden’s reputation might suggest: it is above Belarus, and well above the Russian Federation.
The split by sex is wide — 44.2% of men against 20.3% of women.
Norway
Norway sits at 32.2%, statistically level with Sweden; the confidence intervals for the two overlap almost entirely, so there is nothing to choose between them.
Finland
Finland is the outlier in the Nordics at 40.2%, in the same band as Czechia and Romania and among the highest in the world. Heavy episodic drinking has long been treated as a public health concern there.
What does five drinks actually do to your blood alcohol?
The blood alcohol level that follows from five drinks depends on body weight, sex and how fast you drink, but it will generally land somewhere around 0.8 ‰ (0.08%) or above. Put your own weight and drink count into the BAC calculator to see roughly where five drinks would leave you.
That is the legal drink-driving limit in many countries — Sweden’s limit is far lower, at 0.2 ‰ — and at that level judgement and coordination are measurably impaired, with a correspondingly higher risk of accidents and injuries. Tolerance also differs from person to person, and medication and health conditions affect the result too.
Being aware of your own habits is the point of all of this. If you or someone you know is struggling with binge drinking or addiction, there is a great deal of help available — seek professional support and support groups.
Sources: the WHO Global status report on alcohol and health and treatment of substance use disorders (2024), section 2.1.5 and statistical annex table A2.1.4, reporting 2019 data; the same indicator is kept up to date in the WHO Global Health Observatory. Definitions from the NIAAA glossary. Country figures are age-standardised and include abstainers in the denominator.