Jersey ranks among worst nations for alcohol consumption - drinking eight pints a week

The NHS recommends adults consume no more than 14 units of alcohol per week - equivalent of six pints of beer or six large glasses of wine
New stats reveal the average Jersey resident drinks the equivalent of 8.1 pints of beer or 2.6 bottles of wine every week. Credit: ITV News

People in Jersey drink more alcohol than most other nations with a third of islanders regularly binge-drinking, according to a new report.

When ranked against OECD countries, the nine-by-five-mile Channel Island came second only to Latvia when it comes to the average amount of alcohol residents consume each year.

The island's public health authorities publish an annual Alcohol Profile - revealing the extent of drinking among local residents.

The OECD average for alcohol consumption was 8.7 litres/person/year. Jersey's average was 12 litres/person/year. Credit: Government of Jersey

Drinking 12 litres of pure alcohol a year is equivalent to having 8.1 pints of beer or 2.6 bottles of wine every week.

Around one in three people in Jersey reportedly binge drink at least once a month - with a similar figure reported over the last seven years.

In 2022, fewer islanders were teetotal compared to the UK:

It comes as new figures revealed fewer young adults in England consume alcohol compared to a decade ago.

In 2021, Jersey's hospital saw 725 alcohol-linked admissions per 100,000 of the population. That's compared to 626 per 100,000 of the population in the UK.

One in six crimes committed in Jersey in 2022 were linked to alcohol - including a third of assaults and one in nine domestic assaults.

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