The average Finnish woman consumes 6.5 litres of pure alcohol annually. Meanwhile, Finnish men drink twice as much as they did 40 years ago.

According to the study by THL, women account for 26 percent of the consumption of alcohol in Finland. That's up from 12 percent 40 years ago.

The number of people who abstain from alcohol has fallen from 40 percent to 10 percent. Women between the ages of 50 and 69 are the most likely to be teetotallers.

THL says that consumption of alcohol at home has increased in particular.

Intoxicated Behaviour Upsets Many

In spite of the increased popularity of alcohol consumption, many Finns are disturbed by the behaviour of people who drink in public. Nearly half of women say the public behaviour of an intoxicated person has frightened them at some point during the past year. For men, the number was one quarter.

One quarter of women say that drunks have harassed them in public places.

Meanwhile, 12 percent of women and four percent of men say that the drinking of a family member or someone close to them has caused them problems.

The study on drinking has been carried out every eight years since 1968.