The World health Organisation (WHO) uses the typical alcohol content of different drinks to work out how many litres of pure alcohol it would represent.
This total is then divided by the number of people older than 15 in a country to get a figure per person.
This equalled 11 litres of pure alcohol per person older than 15 in South Africa per year and was the highest in Africa. It is also more than double the average for 53 African countries.
Given that South Africa, Namibia and Botswana feature among the heaviest drinkers, it is no surprise that southern Africa has the highest number of people dying of diseases caused by alcohol intake in the African region.
Conclusion: South Africa has a drinking problem
Data from the World Health Organisation shows that the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was right when it said that “South Africa has the highest level of alcohol consumption in Africa per capita, nearly double the continent’s average”.
Their most recent estimate (a three year average for the years 2008 to 2010) shows that South Africans older than 15 drank the equivalent of 11 litres of pure alcohol per person in a year. This was more than double the continent’s average (4.66 litres) during that time.
Article researched and supplied by Africa Check.
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The AA Estcourt branch hosts meetings every Tuesday at Forderville Primary School from 7pm to 8pm. Contact Desigan on 082 849 3014.
The AA Winterton branch hosts meetings every Thursday at the Springfield Church opposite the police station from 7pm to 8pm. Contact Dolly on 071 688 5330 or Virgilo on 079 688 0432.
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