CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL 



275 



Year. 



Average Consumption per 

 Head of the Population. 



If we take the civilised world in general into consideration, we 

 find that the proportion of revenue derived from the taxation 

 of alcoholic liquors is highest in Great Britain, where it attains 

 to 32 per cent, of the revenue. The United States come second, 

 with 28 per cent. The consumption of beer is greater in Eng- 

 land than any other coimtry of Europe, except Germany and 

 Belgium. On the other hand, the consumption of wine is in- 

 considerable La England compared with the enormous consump- 

 tion in France. Denmark holds the record for the consumption 

 of alcohol, which attained to the proportion of 13'9 litres per 

 head of the population in 1903. In England, in the same year, 

 the average consumption of alcohol per head was 4'5 litres. 

 According to the statistics furnished by Brock, the follow- 

 ing is the rate of consumption of alcohol per head of the 

 population in the principal countries of Europe during the period 

 1881-85 :i 



If we compare these figures with those of 1903, the latest 

 available, we find the consumption of pure alcohol to have 



^ 0. J. Brock, Les Excitants modernes, in Bvlletin de I'lnstitut Inter- 

 national de Statistique, vol. ii.. No. 1, pp. 326 ff. Rome, 1887. 



18—2 



