What is the average drinking age in europe

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By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Europe has lower drinking ages than the US — and worse teen drinking problems.

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Give Give. These nations also require a person to be at least 21 to even purchase alcohol unless otherwise noted. Those nations are:. Some nations require a person to be at least 20 years old to consume alcohol. A person must also be at least 20 to purchase alcohol in these nations unless otherwise noted:.

In the following nations, you must be at least 19 years old to consume alcohol. All people must be at least 19 to purchase alcohol unless otherwise noted:.

Brunei : Non-Muslims can drink at age 17 with restrictions. In the following nations, you must be at least 16 to drink alcohol. You must also be at least 16 to purchase alcohol unless otherwise noted. In these nations, you must be at least 15 years of age or older to consume alcohol. You must also be at least 15 to purchase alcohol unless otherwise noted. In the following nations, there is no legal age limit for consuming alcohol.

There are also no restrictions on purchasing alcohol unless otherwise noted:. Drinking Age By Country Those nations are: Cameroon : Can purchase and consume at age 18 if accompanied by a person 21 years of age or older Central African Republic : Only required when sold on-premises such as in a bar or restaurant Egypt Equatorial Guinea Guam India : Varies from 18 to 25 based on jurisdiction Indonesia Kazakhstan Malaysia Northern Mariana Islands Oman Palau Samoa Sri Lanka United Arab Emirates : Varies from 18 to 21 based on jurisdiction United States Some nations require a person to be at least 20 years old to consume alcohol.

All people must be at least 19 to purchase alcohol unless otherwise noted: Canada: Must be at least 19 in certain provinces In the following nation, you must be at least 17 to purchase or consume alcohol: Brunei : Non-Muslims can drink at age 17 with restrictions Malta In the following nations, you must be at least 16 to drink alcohol. Austria : Must be 16 in certain provinces. In other provinces, you can purchase beer, wine, and cider at age British Virgin Islands Germany : Can purchase and consume beer, wine, and cider at age 16 Guyana : Can purchase beer, wine, or cider with a meal.

Otherwise, must be 18 to purchase or consume. Drinking Age In Europe Map by reddit user correiajoao. This is actually a bit of a trick question, as several European countries including: Armenia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and Russia have no formal laws on what age people are allowed to consume alcoholic beverages.

However, the map above with a few errors shows what age people have to be buy various types of alcohol. So to answer the original question: Georgia, Luxembourg and Moldova have the lowest legal ages to buy all types of alcohol. However, the actual enforcement of laws does vary widely by country. Moreover, the laws can also be a bit more complex in reality, as some countries have special laws for bars, clubs and restaurants.

Interestingly, all Europe countries have lower drinking ages than the United States, which at 21 is among the highest in the world.

As a Sophomore and Junior I could order beer on the way home from school on the train or a Coke at I would often go to Italian restaurants with or without parents and have beer or wine with food.

It was funny here in Ohio in high school where students could drink 3. They had no idea of how stupid they looked on the ground, smashed and puking all over themselves. I got to drive many of them home in my or their cars.