⚠️ Unconfirmedhealth2022
Legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for driving — general population
Legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for driving by country, showing where drink-driving laws are strictest or most lenient (WHO, 2022).
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Key Insights
Global Average
0.0% BAC
Median: 0.1% BAC
Countries Covered
173
with available data
Highest
Myanmar
0.1% BAC
Lowest
Botswana
0.0% BAC
Top 5 Countries
1Myanmar0.1% BAC
2Burundi0.1% BAC
3Cameroon0.1% BAC
4Canada0.1% BAC
5Cayman Islands0.1% BAC
By Region
North America0.1% BAC(4 countries)
Africa0.1% BAC(9 countries)
Oceania0.1% BAC(2 countries)
Other0.0% BAC(93 countries)
South America0.0% BAC(7 countries)
Key Findings
- •A large share of countries set the general BAC limit at 0.05%, but there is wide variation from 0.00% to 0.10%.
- •Several countries use a zero-tolerance (0.00%) rule for the general population, reflecting a strict approach to drink-driving.
- •A smaller group retains higher thresholds (e.g., 0.08%), which can materially change what is considered ‘legal’ after even a small amount of alcohol.
Country Rankings
Top 10 Countries
Bottom 10 Countries
Data Analysis
Value Distribution
How countries are distributed across the value range
Low (0.0% BAC)High (0.1% BAC)
Regional Comparison
Average values by world region (Global avg: 0.0% BAC)
North America (4)
Africa (9)
Oceania (2)
Other (93)
South America (7)
Europe (32)
Asia (26)
About This Statistic
This statistic reports the legally permitted blood alcohol concentration (BAC) for driving for the general population in each country. It’s a surprisingly revealing snapshot of how differently governments balance road safety, enforcement capacity, and cultural norms around alcohol.
A “lower is stricter” limit typically means a driver can consume less alcohol before driving becomes illegal. Many countries set a 0.05% BAC limit, some use 0.08%, and a notable group (especially in parts of Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia) set a 0.00% limit for the general population. Some countries also apply stricter limits for young/novice or professional drivers; this dataset focuses on the general limit.
Full Data
| Rank ↑ | Country ↕ | Value ↕ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Myanmar | 0.1% BAC |
| 2 | Burundi | 0.1% BAC |
| 3 | Cameroon | 0.1% BAC |
| 4 | Canada | 0.1% BAC |
| 5 | Cayman Islands | 0.1% BAC |
| 6 | Sri Lanka | 0.1% BAC |
| 7 | Comoros | 0.1% BAC |
| 8 | Republic of the Congo | 0.1% BAC |
| 9 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 0.1% BAC |
| 10 | Dominica | 0.1% BAC |
| 11 | Ethiopia | 0.1% BAC |
| 12 | Ghana | 0.1% BAC |
| 13 | Guatemala | 0.1% BAC |
| 14 | Guinea | 0.1% BAC |
| 15 | Guyana | 0.1% BAC |
| 16 | Honduras | 0.1% BAC |
| 17 | Cote d'Ivoire | 0.1% BAC |
| 18 | Jamaica | 0.1% BAC |
| 19 | Kenya | 0.1% BAC |
| 20 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 0.1% BAC |
| 21 | Liberia | 0.1% BAC |
| 22 | Madagascar | 0.1% BAC |
| 23 | Malawi | 0.1% BAC |
| 24 | Malaysia | 0.1% BAC |
| 25 | Malta | 0.1% BAC |
| 26 | Mexico | 0.1% BAC |
| 27 | Mozambique | 0.1% BAC |
| 28 | New Caledonia | 0.1% BAC |
| 29 | Nigeria | 0.1% BAC |
| 30 | Papua New Guinea | 0.1% BAC |
| 31 | Rwanda | 0.1% BAC |
| 32 | Singapore | 0.1% BAC |
| 33 | Zimbabwe | 0.1% BAC |
| 34 | Suriname | 0.1% BAC |
| 35 | Trinidad and Tobago | 0.1% BAC |
| 36 | United Kingdom | 0.1% BAC |
| 37 | United Republic of Tanzania | 0.1% BAC |
| 38 | United States of America | 0.1% BAC |
| 39 | Zambia | 0.1% BAC |
| 40 | American Samoa | 0.1% BAC |
| 41 | Antigua and Barbuda | 0.1% BAC |
| 42 | Bahamas | 0.1% BAC |
| 43 | Bulgaria | 0.1% BAC |
| 44 | Cambodia | 0.1% BAC |
| 45 | Central African Republic | 0.1% BAC |
| 46 | Chad | 0.1% BAC |
| 47 | Taiwan, Province of China | 0.1% BAC |
| 48 | Colombia | 0.1% BAC |
| 49 | Costa Rica | 0.1% BAC |
| 50 | Croatia | 0.1% BAC |
| 51 | Cuba | 0.1% BAC |
| 52 | Cyprus | 0.1% BAC |
| 53 | Benin | 0.1% BAC |
| 54 | Denmark | 0.1% BAC |
| 55 | Dominican Republic | 0.1% BAC |
| 56 | Ecuador | 0.1% BAC |
| 57 | El Salvador | 0.1% BAC |
| 58 | Estonia | 0.1% BAC |
| 59 | Finland | 0.1% BAC |
| 60 | France | 0.1% BAC |
| 61 | State of Palestine | 0.1% BAC |
| 62 | Germany | 0.1% BAC |
| 63 | Greece | 0.1% BAC |
| 64 | Iceland | 0.1% BAC |
| 65 | Indonesia | 0.1% BAC |
| 66 | Ireland | 0.1% BAC |
| 67 | Israel | 0.1% BAC |
| 68 | Italy | 0.1% BAC |
| 69 | Lebanon | 0.1% BAC |
| 70 | Lesotho | 0.1% BAC |
| 71 | Latvia | 0.1% BAC |
| 72 | Luxembourg | 0.1% BAC |
| 73 | Mali | 0.1% BAC |
| 74 | Mauritius | 0.1% BAC |
| 75 | Mongolia | 0.1% BAC |
| 76 | Montenegro | 0.1% BAC |
| 77 | Namibia | 0.1% BAC |
| 78 | Nepal | 0.1% BAC |
| 79 | Netherlands | 0.1% BAC |
| 80 | Country 532 | 0.1% BAC |
| 81 | Vanuatu | 0.1% BAC |
| 82 | New Zealand | 0.1% BAC |
| 83 | Nicaragua | 0.1% BAC |
| 84 | Niger | 0.1% BAC |
| 85 | Panama | 0.1% BAC |
| 86 | Paraguay | 0.1% BAC |
| 87 | Peru | 0.1% BAC |
| 88 | Philippines | 0.1% BAC |
| 89 | Portugal | 0.1% BAC |
| 90 | Slovenia | 0.1% BAC |
| 91 | Somalia | 0.1% BAC |
| 92 | South Africa | 0.1% BAC |
| 93 | Spain | 0.1% BAC |
| 94 | Switzerland | 0.1% BAC |
| 95 | Thailand | 0.1% BAC |
| 96 | Tunisia | 0.1% BAC |
| 97 | Türkiye | 0.1% BAC |
| 98 | The Republic of North Macedonia | 0.1% BAC |
| 99 | Venezuela | 0.1% BAC |
| 100 | Afghanistan | 0.1% BAC |
| 101 | Albania | 0.1% BAC |
| 102 | Algeria | 0.1% BAC |
| 103 | Andorra | 0.1% BAC |
| 104 | Angola | 0.1% BAC |
| 105 | Argentina | 0.1% BAC |
| 106 | Australia | 0.1% BAC |
| 107 | Austria | 0.1% BAC |
| 108 | Bangladesh | 0.1% BAC |
| 109 | Armenia | 0.1% BAC |
| 110 | Barbados | 0.1% BAC |
| 111 | Belgium | 0.1% BAC |
| 112 | Bermuda | 0.1% BAC |
| 113 | Bhutan | 0.1% BAC |
| 114 | Bolivia | 0.1% BAC |
| 115 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0.1% BAC |
| 116 | Brazil | 0.1% BAC |
| 117 | Belize | 0.1% BAC |
| 118 | Solomon Islands | 0.1% BAC |
| 119 | Brunei Darussalam | 0.1% BAC |
| 120 | Lithuania | 0.0% BAC |
| 121 | Belarus | 0.0% BAC |
| 122 | Chile | 0.0% BAC |
| 123 | India | 0.0% BAC |
| 124 | Japan | 0.0% BAC |
| 125 | South Korea | 0.0% BAC |
| 126 | Moldova, Republic of | 0.0% BAC |
| 127 | Serbia | 0.0% BAC |
| 128 | Uruguay | 0.0% BAC |
| 129 | People's Republic of China | 0.0% BAC |
| 130 | Mauritania | 0.0% BAC |
| 131 | Morocco | 0.0% BAC |
| 132 | Norway | 0.0% BAC |
| 133 | Poland | 0.0% BAC |
| 134 | Sweden | 0.0% BAC |
| 135 | Ukraine | 0.0% BAC |
| 136 | Cape Verde | 0.0% BAC |
| 137 | Czech Republic | 0.0% BAC |
| 138 | Equatorial Guinea | 0.0% BAC |
| 139 | Eritrea | 0.0% BAC |
| 140 | Faroe Islands | 0.0% BAC |
| 141 | Fiji | 0.0% BAC |
| 142 | Djibouti | 0.0% BAC |
| 143 | Georgia | 0.0% BAC |
| 144 | Republic of The Gambia | 0.0% BAC |
| 145 | Haiti | 0.0% BAC |
| 146 | Hungary | 0.0% BAC |
| 147 | Islamic Republic of Iran | 0.0% BAC |
| 148 | Iraq | 0.0% BAC |
| 149 | Kazakhstan | 0.0% BAC |
| 150 | Jordan | 0.0% BAC |
| 151 | Kuwait | 0.0% BAC |
| 152 | Kyrgyzstan | 0.0% BAC |
| 153 | Libya | 0.0% BAC |
| 154 | Maldives | 0.0% BAC |
| 155 | Oman | 0.0% BAC |
| 156 | Pakistan | 0.0% BAC |
| 157 | Qatar | 0.0% BAC |
| 158 | Romania | 0.0% BAC |
| 159 | Russian Federation | 0.0% BAC |
| 160 | Saudi Arabia | 0.0% BAC |
| 161 | Slovakia | 0.0% BAC |
| 162 | Vietnam | 0.0% BAC |
| 163 | South Sudan | 0.0% BAC |
| 164 | Sudan | 0.0% BAC |
| 165 | Syrian Arab Republic | 0.0% BAC |
| 166 | Togo | 0.0% BAC |
| 167 | United Arab Emirates | 0.0% BAC |
| 168 | Turkmenistan | 0.0% BAC |
| 169 | Egypt | 0.0% BAC |
| 170 | Uzbekistan | 0.0% BAC |
| 171 | Yemen | 0.0% BAC |
| 172 | Bahrain | 0.0% BAC |
| 173 | Botswana | 0.0% BAC |
Showing 173 of 173 countries
Topics
Data Source
This data comes from World Health Organization (WHO) (2022).
View Original Source