Alcohol guidelines around the world

Alcohol limits around the world

How do the new Alcohol guidelines for the UK compare to the rest of the world?

In news that will leave Dry January bores even more smug, the Department of Health today slashed safe alcohol limits just in time for the weekend. But with no official World Health Organisation guidance on a maximum alcohol intake, it means every country is just coming up with its own rules.

Previously, in the UK, the maximum amount of alcohol units women were told they should consume was 21 a week, or 3 per day (about the same as a daily 175ml glass of wine). For men it had been 4 units or a pint of beer a day, although it was recommended that we kept it to 14 and 21 respectively.

But bringing men in line with women, Dame Sally Davies, the Chief Medical Office for England, this morning advised that nobody should be drinking more than 14 units a week – the equivalent of 7 glasses (or a bottle and a half) of wine.

The biggest shake up to guidelines for 20 years comes after a new report about alcohol's strong links to cancer and heart disease which means ‘no amount’ of moderate drinking daily is technically safe.

But how do our new weekly upper limit guidelines compare with other countries around the world?

UK Men 14 Women 14

Spain Men 35 Women 22

France Men 35 Women 24

USA Men 24 Women 12

Ireland Men 22 Women 14

Czech Republic Men 21 Women 14

Denmark Men 22 Women 14

Italy Men 21 Women 12

New Zealand Men 19 Women 13

Australia Men 17.5 Women 17.5

Andrea Thompson is Editor in Chief at Marie Claire UK and was named by We are the City as one of the UKs top 50 trailblazers for her work championing gender equality. She sits on the committee of the British Society of Magazine Editors where she acts as Chair.

Andrea has worked as a senior journalist for a range of publications over her 20 year career including The Sunday Times, The Guardian, The Daily Mail, Channel 4, Glamour and Grazia. At Marie Claire UK, Andrea oversees content, strategy, events and campaigns across fashion, beauty and the brand's purpose pillars. Follow her on instagram at @andreacanwrite