The legal drinking age is the minimum age at which a person can legally consume alcoholic beverages. These laws vary between countries and many laws have exemptions or special circumstances. The minimum age alcohol can be legally consumed can be different from the age when it can be purchased in some countries. Most laws apply only to drinking alcohol in public places with alcohol consumption in the home being mostly unregulated (one of the exceptions being England and Wales, which have a minimum legal age of five for supervised consumption in private places). The majority of countries have a minimum legal drinking age of 18.
The most commonly known reason for the law behind the legal drinking age is the effect on the brain in adolescents. Since the brain is still maturing, alcohol can have a negative effect on the memory and long-term thinking. Alongside that, it can cause liver failure, and create a hormone imbalance in teens due to the constant changes and maturing of hormones during puberty.
Some countries have a minimum legal drinking age of 19 to prevent the flow of alcoholic beverages in high schools, while others like the United States have a minimum legal purchasing age of 21 (except in P.R.
In Central America, the Caribbean, and South America the legal drinking age and legal purchase age varies from 0 to 20 years.
In Canada, most provinces have a minimum age of 19 years to buy or consume alcohol, while in Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec, the minimum age is 18 years.
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In the late 20th century, much of North America changed its minimum legal drinking ages (MLDAs) as follows: In the 1970s, provincial and state policy makers in Canada and the United States moved to lower MLDAs (which were set at 21 years in most provinces/territories and states) to coincide with the jurisdictional age of majority - typically 18 years of age.
As a result, MLDAs were reduced in all Canadian provinces [and] in more than half of US states. In Canada, however, two provinces, Ontario [in 1979] and Saskatchewan [in 1976], quickly raised their subsequent MLDAs from 18 to 19 years in response to a few studies demonstrating an association between the lowered drinking age and increases in alcohol-related harms to youth and young adults, including increases in motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) and alcohol intoxication among high school students.
Following MLDA reductions in the US, research in several states provided persuasive evidence of sharp increases in rates of fatal and nonfatal MVAs appearing immediately after the implementation of lower drinking ages. These scientific findings galvanized public pressure on lawmakers to raise MLDAs and, in response, the federal government introduced the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, which imposed a reduction of highway funds for states if they did not increase their MLDA to 21 years.
Most countries in Europe have set 18 as the minimum age to purchase alcohol. Although Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal and Switzerland (except Ticino) maintain a minimum purchase age below 18 years, minors are permitted either full or limited access to alcohol.
In 2002 the Spanish autonomous-communities Madrid,[148] Valencia[149] and Catalonia[150] raised their minimum purchase age to 18 years. In November 2005 Switzerland passed its Food and Commodities Regulation[152] (German: Lebensmittel- und Gebrauchsgegenständeverordnung), introducing a ban on alcohol sales to anyone under the age of 16. The Alcohol Law[153] (German: Alkoholgesetz) passed in 1980 requires a minimum age of 18 years for the retail sale of distilled spirits. Therefore, it is prohibited to sell fermented alcohol (e.g. beer, wine, sparkling wine or cider) to anyone under the age of 16, and any distilled alcohol beverages to anyone under the age of 18 years.
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In late 2006, Gibraltar[156] lawmakers passed the Children and Young Persons (Alcohol, Tobacco and Gaming) Act 2006, which raised the minimum purchase age from 16 to 18 years. But the new law made an exception: minors aged 16 or 17 can purchase and consume beer, wine or cider under 15% ABV on-premise, and pre-packed containers of an alcohol strength not exceeding 5.5% ABV (e.g.
In 2009 France[157] raised its minimum purchase age to 18 years, and fines were increased for selling or serving alcohol to a minor (up to €7,500).
In 2011 Denmark[162] passed a law raising...
Current Legal Drinking Age in South Africa
The most common minimum age to purchase alcohol in Africa is 18. However, Angola (except Luanda Province), Central African Republic, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Mali have no laws on the books restricting the sale of alcohol to minors.
Currently, the legal drinking age in South Africa is 18 for buying and drinking alcohol.
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Sales hours: Varies by province. In most, retail stores can sell from 10am-2am, but many provinces (e.g., Western Cape, Eastern Cape) restrict Sunday sales, or ban them altogether outside of bars/hotels.
Public drinking: Not allowed. Drinking alcohol in public spaces (streets, parks, beaches) is illegal and fines are common, especially in tourist areas. Enforcement varies, but don’t risk it.
Supermarkets, bottle stores (“liquor stores”/“bottle shops”/“bottle stores”), bars, taverns, and restaurants. Shebeens (township bars) are mostly legal now, but check for a licence.
Election & holiday bans: Alcohol sales are frequently banned during elections, and special laws can restrict sales during national holidays or emergencies (remember the COVID alcohol ban?).
Drink-driving: Strictly enforced. BAC limit is 0.05% (lower for professional drivers), with roadblocks common in cities. Penalties are severe.
Bar culture: Expect lively taverns, sophisticated craft beer bars, and township shebeens. Buying in rounds is common. Tipping 10-15% is expected in bars/restaurants.
Roadblock in South Africa
Proposed Changes to the Legal Drinking Age
The legal drinking age in South Africa could be changed from 18 years of age to 21.
The Liquor Amendment Bill, first introduced by the Department of Trade and Industry in 2016, proposed several significant changes aimed at regulating alcohol consumption in South Africa.
Among these were raising the legal drinking age from 18 to 21, imposing a 100-meter radius restriction on alcohol sales around educational and religious institutions, banning alcohol sales and advertising on social and small media, and introducing a liability clause for alcohol sellers.
In early 2021, during South Africa’s COVID-19 lockdown, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Cabinet reconsidered the Draft Liquor Amendment Bill, particularly in light of the detrimental effects alcohol had during the pandemic.
The issue of alcohol consumption was especially contentious during the lockdowns, where alcohol bans were intermittently implemented to curb hospital admissions due to alcohol-related injuries and accidents.
Speaking to BusiessTech, Aadielah Maker Diedericks, Secretary General of the South African Alcohol Policy Alliance (SAAPA), emphasised the continued need for the bill’s revival, specifically supporting the proposed increase in the legal drinking age.
COVID-19 Lockdown | Impact of alcohol ban on wine industry
While some may view this change as minor, research indicates otherwise, which Diedericks agreed with.
The report highlighted that although most countries maintain the drinking age at 18, raising it to 21 in South Africa could lead to a reduction in alcohol consumption, binge drinking, and alcohol-related traffic injuries and fatalities.
Minister Sisisi Tolashe, in a statement on Wednesday (2 October), pointed out that alcohol is the most abused legal substance in the country, disproportionately affecting young people.
Tolashe cited alarming statistics from the South African National Demographic and Health Survey, which revealed that 25% of individuals aged 15 to 19 had already consumed alcohol.
Tolashe also noted that alcohol is the third-largest contributor to death and disability in South Africa, following unsafe sexual practices and interpersonal violence, both of which are heavily influenced by alcohol use.
The DGMT report stresses that the success of raising the legal drinking age hinges on effective enforcement. Without stringent policing, many young people might turn to unlicensed outlets to obtain alcohol, potentially exacerbating the issue.
Despite these recommendations and the government’s expressed intention to revisit the Liquor Amendment Bill, progress has been slow. However, at the end of 2023, the former Minister of Social Development, Lindiwe Zulu, and the Department of Trade and Industry reiterated their commitment to bringing the bill before parliament, including the changes to the legal drinking age.
Diedericks remains adamant that the proposed changes are crucial for South Africa’s future. He stressed the importance of delaying young people’s access to alcohol for the sake of their health and development. He also called for tighter restrictions on alcohol advertising and the reduction of alcohol outlet density, which has been linked to high levels of binge drinking.
Alcohol Abuse in South Africa
Arguments For and Against Raising the Drinking Age
Arguments for the greater good are indeed valid, but raising the age limit is futile without measures in place to enforce and control access to alcohol.
While the intention is good, the ripple effect of banning alcohol sales to under-21s is surely going to be met with resistance from not only young people but hundreds of establishments that rely on the young crowds to survive.
But, of course, the primary target of the new law is the youth of South Africa; however, some argue that raising the age limit to purchase alcohol will likely have no significant effect on alcohol abuse amongst teenagers, since the current limit of 18 isn’t much of a deterrent.
The Broader Context of Alcohol Consumption in South Africa
The most recent statistics (2016) from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that South Africa is in the top 20 of the biggest drinking countries in the world, and the third biggest in Africa. Insiders have linked this rise in minors drinking liquor to the prevalence of alcohol advertising, particularly at sporting events.
Thus, the Liquor Amendment Bill also calls for a ban on alcohol advertising , and it could result in alcohol advertising on radio and television being banned from 6am to 10pm. Of course, this potential ban on alcohol marketing has the advertising and media industries in a panic.
Naturally, this doesn’t just have consequences on the individuals consuming the alcohol. Not to mention, widespread alcohol abuse in many communities has led to several cases of domestic violence.
So it goes without saying that the proposed liquor law amendments are controversial, and only time will tell whether or not it will be effective.
The multifaceted influence of alcohol on society Alcohol use is deeply woven into the fabric of many human societies. From casual social gatherings to important cultural and religious ceremonies, it plays a role as a social lubricant. People often associate moderate consumption with relaxation, stress relief, and fostering social connections. However, alcohol also poses serious risks, particularly when consumed excessively.
Researchers have long pointed to the association between alcohol and numerous social harms. These include adverse health effects, injuries from inter alia motor vehicle collisions and violence, reduced productivity at work and risky sexual behaviour (Carpenter and Dobkin 2011, Taylor and Rehm 2012, Rehm et al. 2017, Griswold et al. 2018, WHO 2019). It is often individuals who do not consume alcohol who bear the brunt of these harms, meaning that negative externalities are imposed either directly (as in the case of interpersonal violence) or indirectly (as in the case of public health insurance). Given the widespread acceptance of alcohol in everyday life and the significant harms it can cause, policymakers around the world face a difficult challenge when it comes to designing alcohol regulation. Striking a regulatory balance that reduces harms without unduly restricting the freedoms of those who see alcohol as a positive part of their lives is no easy task. This challenge is made even more difficult by the lack of precise information about the full extent of alcohol’s influence in society as well as the political influence the alcohol industry wields in many countries. The growing body of empirical research can help to inform this ongoing debate by providing valuable insights into the true impact of alcohol consumption at a societal level.
Existing evidence on the impacts of alcohol in societyThe World Health Organization estimates that alcohol is responsible for 5.3% of all global deaths, with nearly one million of these deaths being related to injuries (WHO 2019, Shield et al. 2020). To help improve our understanding of the channels through which alcohol exerts its influence and guide alcohol policy, researchers have produced a large body of empirical research linking alcohol to a range of harmful behaviours and outcomes. One strand of work has aimed to establish a causal link between particular policy changes affecting alcohol availability and important outcomes. For example,
- Changes in underage drunk driving laws or minimum drinking age laws (Wagenaar and Toomey 2002, Carpenter and Dobkin 2009, 2011, 2017).
- Changes in laws regulating permitted alcohol trading hours (Biderman et al. 2010, Green et al. 2014, Marcus and Siedler 2015, 2018).
This has generated valuable insights regarding the influence of important alcohol control policy margins (e.g. restrictions on young adults on the verge of legal adulthood or restrictions on late-night alcohol purchases). The evidence indicates that alcohol control policies are effective in reducing short-run social harms on these margins.
The regulation of alcohol is not a recent phenomenon, with the Temperance Movement and Prohibition in the United States a salient example. Research examining the impact of state and federal prohibition statutes in the United States has presented a mixed picture regarding their impact on public health and safety (Miron and Zwiebel 1991, Miron 1999, Dills and Miron 2004, Owens 2011, Livingston 2016, Law and Marks 2020). The mixed results may be a consequence of the fact that the policy changes unfolded over an extended period of time and many other changes occurred in society in parallel. This makes it challenging to isolate the effects of the alcohol regulations from other societal changes occurring at the time.
Alcohol prohibition and behaviour: Evidence from South Africa Researchers rarely have the opportunity to cleanly isolate the influence that alcohol consumption has at a national level. South Africa’s sudden five-week alcohol sales ban in July 2020, however, provides such an opportunity. The ban was introduced with the aim of reducing alcohol-related injuries and freeing up hospital resources for COVID-19 patients. It was introduced abruptly and unexpectedly at a time when other societal factors were largely constant. These conditions make it a suitable natural experiment to investigate the short-term effects of removing alcohol from society. Our research (Barron et al. 2024) uses this opportunity to document causal evidence regarding the influence of alcohol on violent behaviour and injury-related deaths. We show that the policy occurred largely in isolation from other COVID-related changes in society and discuss why other contemporaneous factors are unlikely to be able to explain the results.
How did South Africa’s alcohol ban affect violent behaviour and injury-related deaths? We find that the alcohol ban reduced injury-induced mortality in the country by at least 14%, with the majority of this reduction occurring among men. This is unsurprising, given that nearly four out of every five injury-induced deaths in South Africa are male and men are significantly more likely to engage in heavy episodic drinking (WHO 2019, Roomaney 2023). These societal patterns are not unique to South Africa and are mirrored in other countries, such as Brazil and Russia (Starodubov et al. 2018, Gawryszewski and Rodrigues 2006, WHO 2019). As a result, our findings may be relevant for understanding alcohol’s influence in other countries, particularly those where there are high rates of heavy drinking and high levels of injury deaths. In addition to analysing injury deaths, we also document a sharp parallel drop in violent crimes during the ban, with homicides decreasing by 21%, assaults by 33% and reported rape cases by 19%. These findings indicate a tight link between alcohol and aggressive behaviour and align with existing evidence connecting alcohol consumption to violence (Darke 2010, Kuhns et al. 2011, 2014). Alcohol control regulation may therefore be an effective policy in contexts with high rates of violence.
