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Alcohol prices, just like every other thing else, varies from country to country. While drinks cost the most in many Western Europe, they are comparatively cheaper in Eastern Europe.
Let's take a look at countries where alcohol is most expensive.
Source: mytravelcost.com
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25 countries where alcohol is most expensive
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Singapore
Global rank: 1
Although alcohol prices are highest in Singapore compared to the rest of the world, it's not the leader in consumption. World's highest alcohol consumption levels are found in the developed world, including Western and Eastern Europe. High-income countries generally have the highest alcohol consumption.
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25 countries where alcohol is most expensive
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Norway
Global rank: 2
Norway follows Singapore when it comes to high alcohol prices. While it's true that prices are highest in the developed world, it does not follow that high income and high consumption always translate into high alcohol-related problems and high-risk drinking.
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25 countries where alcohol is most expensive
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Iceland
Global rank: 3
Western European countries have some of the highest consumption rates but their net alcohol-attributable mortality rates are relatively low, though their alcohol-related disease burden may be high.
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25 countries where alcohol is most expensive
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Ireland
Global rank: 4
Many eastern European countries have the highest consumption, risky patterns of drinking and, accordingly, high levels of alcohol-related deaths and disabilities.
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25 countries where alcohol is most expensive
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The United Kingdom
Global rank: 5
Every fifth death is due to harmful drinking in the Commonwealth of Independent States. Outside of the Russian Federation and some neighbouring countries, rates of disease and disability attributable to alcohol are also quite high, for example, in Mexico and in most South American countries.
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25 countries where alcohol is most expensive
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Australia
Global rank: 6
Worldwide consumption was equal to 6.13 litres of pure alcohol consumed per person aged 15 years or older. A large portion of this consumption - 28.6 per cent or 1.76 litres per person per cent - was homemade, illegally produced or sold outside normal government controls.
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25 countries where alcohol is most expensive
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Canada
Global rank: 7
However, despite widespread consumption, a higher percentage of people currently do not drink at all. Almost half of all men and two thirds of women have not consumed alcohol in the past year.
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25 countries where alcohol is most expensive
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New Zealand
Global rank: 8
Abstention rates are low in high-income, high-consumption countries, and higher in North African and South Asian countries with large Muslim populations.
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25 countries where alcohol is most expensive
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Finland
Global rank: 9
Female abstention rates are very high in these countries. Abstention from alcohol is very important in the global picture on alcohol consumption; it is one of the strongest predictors of the magnitude of alcohol-attributable burden of disease and injuries in populations.
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25 countries where alcohol is most expensive
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Sweden
Global rank: 10
Obviously, lifetime abstention from alcohol means exemption from personal alcohol-attributable disease, injury and death.
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25 countries where alcohol is most expensive
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Hong Kong
Global rank: 11
Because abstention is so prevalent in the world, any diminution in abstention trends could have a big impact on the global burden of disease caused by the harmful use of alcohol.
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25 countries where alcohol is most expensive
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Denmark
Global rank: 12
Heavy episodic drinking is another important pattern of drinking because it leads to serious health problems, and is particularly associated with injury.
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25 countries where alcohol is most expensive
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France
Global rank: 13
About 11.5 per cent of drinkers have heavy episodic drinking occasions. Heavy episodic drinking is not the only measure of harmful drinking, but data for this aspect of the drinking pattern were not available in many countries.
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25 countries where alcohol is most expensive
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Italy
Global rank: 14
The pattern of drinking score, reflecting the frequency and circumstances of alcohol consumption and the proportion of people drinking alcohol to intoxication, is among the lowest, that is less risky, in western European countries, while it is the highest in the Russian Federation, and in some neighbouring countries.
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25 countries where alcohol is most expensive
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The Netherlands
Global rank: 15
Risky patterns of drinking are also highly prevalent in Mexico and southern African countries.
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25 countries where alcohol is most expensive
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Switzerland
Global rank: 16
Harmful alcohol consumption is risky both for the drinker and for other people. An intoxicated person can put people in harm's way by involving them in traffic accidents or violent behaviour, or by negatively affecting co-workers, relatives, friends or strangers.
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25 countries where alcohol is most expensive
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The United States
Global rank: 17
A survey in Australia found that two thirds of respondents were adversely affected by someone else's drinking in the past year. Alcohol consumption also affects society at large.
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25 countries where alcohol is most expensive
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Germany
Global rank: 18
Death, disease and injury caused by alcohol consumption have socio-economic impacts, including the medical costs borne by governments, and the financial and psychological burden to families.
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25 countries where alcohol is most expensive
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Belgium
Global rank: 19
The hazardous and harmful use of alcohol also impacts on workers' productivity. Perhaps the biggest social impact is crime and violence related to alcohol consumption, which create significant costs for justice and law enforcement sectors.
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25 countries where alcohol is most expensive
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Austria
Global rank: 20
Alcoholic beverages are widely consumed throughout the world.
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25 countries where alcohol is most expensive
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Israel
Global rank: 21
While most of the adult population drinks at low-risk levels most of the time or abstains altogether, the broad range of alcohol consumption patterns, from daily heavy drinking to occasional hazardous drinking, creates significant public health and safety problems in nearly all countries.
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25 countries where alcohol is most expensive
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Luxembourg
Global rank: 22
The consumption of homemade or illegally produced alcohol may be associated with an increased risk of harm because of unknown and potentially dangerous impurities or contaminants in these beverages.
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25 countries where alcohol is most expensive
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Spain
Global rank: 23
The highest consumption levels can be found in the developed world, mostly the Northern Hemisphere, but also in Argentina, Australia and New Zealand.
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25 countries where alcohol is most expensive
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Hungary
Global rank: 24
Medium consumption levels can be found in southern Africa, with Namibia and South Africa having the highest levels, and in North and South America.
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25 countries where alcohol is most expensive
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Poland
Global rank: 25
Low consumption levels can be found in the countries of North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean region, and southern Asia and the Indian Ocean.
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