Almost a quarter of adults in England 'do not drink alcohol'

New figures from the Government-backed Health Survey for England found 24% of adults in England had not drunk alcohol in the last 12 months, up from 19% in 2022.

Before 2024 and since 2011, this proportion had been stable, hovering between 17% and 20%.

It comes at a time when the popularity of low or alcohol-free drinks continues to grow in the UK.

As of May last year, 53% of UK adults had drunk low or no-alcohol beer, wine, cider, spirits or cocktails in the past 12 months.

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Last year, Mintel estimated the market value of low and no-alcohol drinks to be £413 million and said it looked set to increase until 2030.

The Health Survey for England estimated 22% of men and 26% of women had not drunk alcohol in the previous year, although men were more likely to now be non-drinkers compared to previous years.

While there was no change over time in the proportion of women who had not drunk alcohol in the previous year, some 22% of men in 2024 had not, up from 17% in 2022. Prior to this, the figure had fluctuated between 14% and 17%.

Among all men, 39% of those aged 16 to 24 had not consumed an alcoholic drink in the last 12 months, dropping to 17% of those aged 75 and over.

Similarly, among women, the highest proportions of non-drinkers were those aged 16 to 24 (31%) and those aged 75 and over (30%), while the lowest proportion was women aged 55 to 64.

When it came to those who did drink, the survey found 51% of men and 60% of women drank at levels that put them at lower risk of alcohol-related harm.

Meanwhile, more men (27%) than women (15%) drank at increasing or higher risk levels (more than 14 units per week).

Some 5% of men drank more than 50 units a week and 3% of women drank more than 35 units a week, both classed as higher risk.

The survey found people aged 65 to 74 were almost twice as likely to drink at risky levels (29%) as those aged 25 to 34 (14%).

In 2024, an estimated 11.2 million adults had not drunk alcohol in the last 12 months.

The survey also found that people in deprived areas were more likely to be non-drinkers.

Elsewhere, 27% of adults were classified as inactive, meaning that they participated in less than 30 minutes of moderate or vigorous activity a week.

And 46% of adults aged 16 and over had at least one longstanding illness or condition, while 48% of adults had raised cholesterol.

Jem Roberts, head of external affairs at the Institute of Alcohol Studies, said: “It is encouraging that fewer people are drinking at higher risk levels, but this should not distract from the scale of alcohol harm in England.

“Millions of people are still drinking at levels that significantly increase their risk of serious harm, from alcohol-related cancers to life-changing injuries and long-term illness, and we have seen record high alcohol deaths in recent years.

“The alcohol industry will inevitably portray this harm as being confined to a small minority and argue for ‘targeted’ interventions.

“Decades of robust evidence show this approach does not work. The most effective way to reduce the record number of alcohol deaths we are seeing is through population-level measures such as minimum unit pricing, clear health warnings on alcohol labels, restrictions on alcohol availability, and comprehensive bans on alcohol marketing – which we know drives drinking among children and young people.”