2.4.38. Distribution of population by alcohol consumption patterns (2009–)*

(%)

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Denomination 2009 2014 2019
heavy drinker moderate drinker occasional drinker abstinent heavy drinker moderate drinker occasional drinker abstinent heavy drinker moderate drinker occasional drinker abstinent
Sex
Males 8.6 25.5 43.4 22.5 9.9 28.5 43.3 18.3 9.3 30.9 41.2 18.6
Females 1.1 5.9 43.3 49.7 1.4 9.3 49.3 40.0 1.5 10.6 49.3 38.5
Age group, years
15–17 – 1.6 47.0 51.4 2.9 0.8 49.5 46.8 – 1.8 44.3 53.9
18–34 2.6 9.5 55.9 32.0 3.9 15.4 56.9 23.8 5.9 20.2 52.7 21.2
35–64 6.0 17.9 43.2 32.9 5.8 19.8 48.2 26.2 5.7 21.0 47.7 25.5
65– 4.6 17.9 25.9 51.6 6.6 20.9 29.0 43.5 4.1 21.3 33.6 41.0
Educational attainment
Maximum 8 grades of primary education 4.2 10.3 31.9 53.7 5.3 10.0 37.7 47.0 4.4 10.0 37.3 48.3
Without G. C. E 7.1 17.8 40.6 34.4 7.3 20.2 43.3 29.2 6.2 22.0 41.0 30.8
G. C. E 3.8 14.7 50.7 30.8 4.6 18.6 52.0 24.7 4.4 19.7 50.5 25.4
Tertiary education 2.9 19.3 53.4 24.5 4.1 24.6 52.2 19.1 6.1 27.8 49.5 16.6
Region
Budapest .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 6.4 26.1 46.4 21.1
Pest .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 6.8 19.5 48.9 24.8
Central Hungary 5.1 16.1 46.6 32.2 5.5 20.6 49.4 24.5 .. .. .. ..
Central Transdanubia 6.0 15.0 40.9 38.1 8.9 18.6 44.1 28.4 4.3 19.7 40.6 35.3
Western Transdanubia 4.4 19.4 45.1 31.1 4.2 17.9 47.5 30.4 5.6 22.1 45.0 27.4
Southern Transdanubia 6.2 15.6 45.1 33.1 6.9 20.4 43.1 29.5 4.6 19.8 45.8 29.8
Northern Hungary 3.0 13.3 38.8 44.9 5.1 16.8 44.8 33.3 5.1 18.4 44.5 31.9
Northern Great Plain 3.0 12.5 41.6 42.9 3.6 16.7 43.5 36.3 4.7 14.3 47.8 33.1
Southern Great Plain 4.8 13.5 41.7 40.0 4.5 14.5 48.2 32.8 3.4 20.2 43.4 33.0
Total 4.6 15.1 43.4 37.0 5.4 18.3 46.5 29.8 5.2 20.2 45.5 29.1
*Source: European Health Interview Survey 2009, 2014, 2019. Women who consumed more than 7 units of alcohol in the week before the survey and men who consumed more than 14 units of alcohol in the week before the survey were considered heavy drinkers (lower limits should be considered for women due to different physiological characteristics). One drink/unit of alcohol corresponds to a pint of beer, 2 dl of wine or 0.5 dl of short drink, i.e. 1 dl of beer counts as 0.2 drink, 1 dl of wine as 0.5 drink and 0.1 dl of short drink as 0.2 drink. Due to the outstanding significance of the phenomenon called binge drinking in the literature (those who consume large amounts of alcohol at one time), those who consumed 6 or more units of alcohol at one time were also called heavy drinkers. Moderate drinkers were those who consumed alcohol at least weekly but did not qualify as heavy drinkers. Occasional drinkers are those who tend to drink alcohol, but less often than once a week.  Preliminary data 

© Hungarian Central Statistical Office, 2011