South Koreans Consume Twice as Much Liquor as Russians [REPORT]

On a report by Euromonitor, South Koreans seem to be the biggest hard alcohol drinkers in the world.

As noted in the report, South Koreans drink 13.7 shots of liquor per week on average, which is more than double the amount that Russians consume. The countries that follow after are the Philippines, Thailand, and Japan. The U.S. is ranked at #10 on the chart.

According to Quartz:

South Korea’s unparalleled liquor consumption is almost entirely due to the country’s love for a certain fermented rice spirit called Soju. The South Korean liquor accounts for 97% of the country’s spirits market.

Donning the hard alcohol crown can be problematic at times. South Korea’s alarming alcohol consumption has led to outbreaks of drunken violence and prompted its ministry of health and welfare to launch a marketing campaign in 2011 in hopes of steering its citizens clear of heavy drinking. “A problem with the way South Koreans drink is that they drink fast to get drunk fast,” an official at the Korean Alcohol Research Foundation told the New York Times back in 2012.

Looks like we Americans need to step up our game: