According to the WHO (World Health Organization), Europe leads the world in alcohol consumption, with an average of 9.8 liters of pure alcohol per person registered in 2018. Surpassing this average, Portugal occupies the 13th place worldwide in terms of consumption of pure alcohol per capita, with an average of 12.3 liters. The percentage of abstainers (that is, people who do not consume alcohol excessively) is around 18.6% of men and 32% of women in Portugal; percentage considerably higher than the European average (5.6% and 13.5%, respectively).