Ireland is third in the world when it comes to the number of pubs per capita, with one pub for every 684 adults across the country, an analysis by the Health Research Board (HRB) has found.
This comes despite a 20% decline in the number of pub licences over the past two decades, a drop that has been offset by a 95% increase in the number of off-licences during the same period.
Slovakia and Hungary are the countries occupying first and second place in terms of the number of pubs per person.
Roughly three quarters (73%) of the population of Ireland live within 300 metres of a licenced premises, the analysis states, while also noting that analysis of liquor licences in Ireland shows that they are more common in deprived areas, with almost twice as many licenced premises per capita when compared with more affluent areas.
The Alcohol: availability, affordability, related harm, and policy in Ireland study noted the “profound effect” of the Covid-19 pandemic on people’s lives, including their drinking habits, adding that “it will take years to fully realise the effects of these behavioural shifts”.
The study found that per capita alcohol use per person aged 15 years and over in Ireland was 9.9 litres of pure alcohol, which corresponds to 37 bottles (700mL) of vodka, 104 bottles (750mL) of wine or 400 pints of beer (4.3% ABV). This is above the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average of 8.6 litres.
Since 2022, per capita alcohol use has fallen to 10.2 litres, which remains lower than it was in pre-pandemic 2019 at 10.8 litres, with survey data indicating that one-third of the population abstains from alcohol altogether.
Since the last overview report published in 2021, Ireland’s per capita alcohol use has fallen from 9th highest among the 38 OECD countries to occupy the place of 16th highest.
The overview report states that the average Irish household spent more on alcohol they intended to drink in the home than outside the home, reflecting a shift away from pubs as the primary location for alcohol consumption.
Irish households were found to have spent above the European average on alcohol, placing eighth out of 30 countries for the proportion of household income spent on drinking.