In all Nordic countries, minors are drinking less than before. Parents and the increased supervision of leisure time may be the root causes.

Alcohol consumption among young Nordic people has decreased in the last ten to fifteen years. In every Nordic country, the proportion of 15-year-olds who have never tasted alcohol has increased. For example, in Sweden the proportion of 15-year-olds who have consumed alcohol has dropped 50 per cent over the last ten years and now stands at around 40 per cent.

These trends and their possible explanations are discussed in the Nordic Welfare Centre’s new report, What’s New About Adolescent Drinking in the Nordic Countries? The report has reviewed several hundred studies on young people’s drinking habits in the Nordic region, and was designed in close collaboration with an expert group of Nordic researchers.