Alcohol consumption in South Africa

Alcohol per capita consumption measures the average amount of pure alcohol consumed per year by adults aged 15 years and older, expressed in liters per person. It combines recorded alcohol consumption (captured through official production, import, export, sales, and taxation data) with unrecorded consumption, which includes alcohol produced or purchased outside formal monitoring and taxation systems. The estimate is also adjusted for tourism to account for differences between alcohol consumed by inbound visitors and alcohol consumed abroad by residents. To improve comparability and reduce short-term fluctuations, these components are calculated as three-year averages before being combined.
Alcohol consumption is a major risk factor for a wide range of adverse health outcomes, including alcohol use disorders, liver cirrhosis, certain cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and injuries related to accidents or violence. Harmful alcohol use also contributes to broader social and economic costs affecting individuals, families, health systems, and society as a whole.