For a Drink Around the World

In every country, the perception of drinking is different, varying in social norm, culture, laws & policies, and even religion. With this, there is a difference in the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA).

There are 19 countries that do not have a MLDA. This means that at any age, a person may be able to drink alcoholic beverages. Countries like China, Indonesia, and Laos fall under the list with 16 other countries.

There are 2 countries that have the ages 10-15 as the MLDA; these countries are Antigua & Barbuda and the Central African Republic.

Countries like Austria, Denmark, and Spain have the ages 16-17 as their MLDA along with 17 other countries.

Most of the the world's MLDA is in the ages 18-19 which has 119 countries in its list. Cuba, India, and the Philippines are part of this.

Countries such as Japan, Iceland, Paraguay, Thailand, and Uzbekistan are countries that have 20 as their MLDA.

Lastly in the list of MLDAs, are the countries that have the age 21 as the MLDA. These countries are Oman, Mongolia, and even the United States fall under this along with 9 other countries.

There are countries who do not have an MLDA, but drinking alcoholic beverages is illegal due to culture and probably religion. Usually, these countries are the ones that have Islam as their dominant religion. Countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the UAE fall under this along with 13 other countries.

Although certain ages are given for a person to be legal to drink alcoholic beverages, he still has a choice whether to drink moderately or not. It does not certify that a person who has reached the MLDA is a responsible drinker. Again, the MLDA of a country is dependent on how their society perceives alcohol, either through social norms, beliefs and religion. How about you? Do YOU think that your country's MLDA is appropriate? Should it be increased or decreased?

Ref: ProCon.org (2016). Minimum Legal Drinking Age in 190 Countries. Retrieved from https://drinkingage.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=004294

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