(Bloomberg) -- In a land renowned for its love affair with beer, alcohol consumption has fallen to the lowest level in more than half a century.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the equivalent of 186 million liters of pure alcohol was drunk in 2016-17, or the equivalent of 9.4 liters per person. That's the lowest since 1961-62. The main driver for the fall was a drop in beer drinking, the bureau said.
While the heaviest drinkers may not be cutting back, younger Australians are waiting longer before having their first drink, said Maree Teesson, a professor at the University of New South Wales Faculty of Medicine in Sydney. “We're seeing these really positive trends,” she said.
Read more: Australia's love affair with beer
To contact the reporter on this story: Hans Lee in Sydney at hlee727@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Edward Johnson at ejohnson28@bloomberg.net, Angus Whitley
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