Finland also suffers from more health and social problems due to alcohol than its Nordic neighbours. For instance, deaths and poisoning due to hard liquor are particularly problematic in Finland compared to other Nordic countries.
According to statistics, last year Finns ages 15 years and older drank 12.5 litres of pure alcohol per capital annually. The number includes documented consumption, that is retail and licensed serving consumption, and undocumented consumption.
Traditionally Danes have been the biggest drinkers in the Nordic region. Last year, however, they consumed 11.7 litres of pure alcohol per capita. Consumption in the other Nordic countries ranged from 6.8 to 7.5 litres of pure alcohol yearly.
Meanwhile, according to documented data, Finns 15 years and older drank 10.3 litres of pure alcohol per capita annually. For Danes, the number was 10.7 litres.
Finns also have a greater tendency to drink hard liquor than citizens of other Nordic countries. In Finland, spirits made up 2.7 litres of the pure alcohol consumed. In other Nordic countries, the number was between 1.1 and 1.7 litres.
Spirits account for 26 percent of the alcohol consumption in Finland. In other Nordic countries, spirits make up less than 20 percent of alcohol use.
Each year, the Nordic countries collaborate in collecting and sharing statistics related to alcohol consumption.