DRINKING IN THE PAST YEAR

In 2022/23, around 4 in every 5 New Zealand adults (76.3%) drank alcohol in the past year. This adds up to 3,205,000 adults aged 15 years or over. 

More males (79.7%) reported drinking in the past year than females (73%). Click here to see the full results from the large New Zealand Health Survey.

Comparison between subgroups (adjusted by age/sex /ethnic group)

The 2022/23 New Zealand Health Survey found that:

• Men were 1.1 times as likely to have been past-year drinkers than women (after adjusting for age)
• Pacific people (total) were 21% less likely to drink than non-Pacific people (total)
  
  • Pacific men were 17% less likely to be past-year drinkers than non-Pacific men
  • Pacific women were 25% less likely to be past-year drinkers than non-Pacific women
• Asian people (total) were significantly 36% less likely to drink than non-Asian people (total)
  • Asian men were 27% less likely to be past-year drinkers than non-Asian men
  • and Asian females were 50% less likely to be past-year drinkers than non-Asian women,
• People living in the most deprived neighbourhoods were 16% less likely to drink in the past-year than people living in the least deprived neighbourhoods

Changes in past-year drinking over time

Past-year drinking in the total New Zealand adult population significantly decreased between 2006/07 and 2011/12 (79.4%), stabilised until 2017/18 (78.9%), and then significantly increased between 2017/18 and 2018/19 (80.6%).

In 2020/21, the overall prevalence of past-year drinking (78.5%) was significantly lower than in 2019/20 (81.6%) and had returned to around the level of past-year drinking in 2011/12. The prevalence of past-year drinking has continued to lower significantly, reaching 76.3% in 2022/23.

We will need to wait for future surveys to determine if this reduction will be sustained. 

Compared to 2017/18, significant reductions were found among the following groups: 

• The total overall population (from 78.9% in 2017/18 to 76.3% in 2022/23), and the total population of men (from 83.0% to 79.7%)
• Persons aged 15-24 (from 76.0% to 69.7%)
• Persons aged 35-44 years (from 82.4% to 78.1%)

Compared to the previous year (2021/22), significant reductions were found among the following groups:

• The total population (from 78.4% in 2021/22 to 76.3% in 2022/23)
• Total population of European/Other (from 84.3% to 82.1%) and European/Other men (from 87.9% to 85.1%)
• Total disabled population (from 71.3% to 60.5%), and disabled men (from 80.5% to 68.9%)
  As these are single, one-off reductions, we will need to wait to see future surveys to determine any real trend.

No significant reductions were found among Māori, Pacific, or Asian populations.