Worldwide per capita consumption of alcoholic beverages in 2005 equaled litres of pure alcohol consumed by every person aged 15 years or older. A large portion of this consumption – or litres per person – was homemade and illegally produced alcohol or, in other words, unrecorded alcohol. The consumption of homemade or illegally produced alcohol may be associated with an increased risk of harm because of unknown and potentially dangerous impurities or contaminants in these beverages. A large variation exists in adult per capita consumption (Figure 1). The highest consumption levels can be found in the developed.
