British teenage girls drink more than boys — and most of Europe

Over a third of 15-year-old girls in the UK get repeatedly drunk compared with less than a quarter of boys the same age, according to research.

The data, released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), shows only those in Hungary, Denmark, and Italy outdrink British girls, and their rates were much closer to the boys.

The study analysed drinking habits in 34 European countries. 29% of boys and girls aged 15 in

the UK said they had been drunk at least twice, 5% higher than the EU average.

While it is unclear why British girls are more susceptible to drinking than boys, experts have suggested alcohol companies are “heavily targeting” young women through advertisements by presenting alcohol consumption as a “feminine practice”.

Professor Ian Gilmore, chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK, told The Times: “Higher rates of drinking among girls is a real cause for concern, especially given the recent upturn in alcohol-related liver disease that we have seen among women.

Perhaps they’re using it to manage their emotions and their psychological functioning at the loss of any other strategies […] People drink when they’re low to help themselves feel better

Dr Anna Symonds

“Although it is unclear what exactly is driving this trend, shifting cultural norms and shrewdly targeted marketing campaigns are likely to play a role.”

Dr Anna Symonds, a clinical psychologist working with young people, highlighted anxiety and low life satisfaction as a potential cause. Symonds said there was a link “between girls experiencing higher levels of anxiety and social anxiety and using alcohol that way”.

She added: “Perhaps they’re using it to manage their emotions and their psychological functioning at the loss of any other strategies […] People drink when they feel low to help themselves feel better.”

25% of British 15-year-olds reported a low life satisfaction, more than anywhere else in Europe, according to analysis by the Children’s Society.

There are also concerns that teenage girls are mirroring their parents’ behaviour, with British women having the highest rate of binge drinking in the world, consuming at least six alcoholic drinks in a single session at least once a month.

Historically boys were more likely to report repeated drunkenness. In 2022 the gender gap has, on average across the EU, closed.

The OECD did however highlight the downward trend of adolescent alcohol consumption, with repeated drunkenness falling from 30% in 2002 to 23% in 2022.

Experts have advised parents to delay their child’s initiation of drinking for as long as possible to promote responsible drinking in adulthood.