UK has worst rate of child alcohol consumption in world, report finds

Study by World Health Organization shows more than half of children in Britain had drunk alcohol by age 13

The UK has the worst rate of child alcohol abuse worldwide, and more than half of British children have drunk alcohol by the age of 13, according to a report.

The study, one of the largest of its kind by the World Health Organization (WHO), looked at 2021-22 data on 280,000 children aged 11, 13 and 15 from 44 countries who were asked about alcohol, cigarettes and vape usage.