Alcohol use in numbers

In all adult age groups, the proportion of men who drink excessively is greater than the proportion of women. Excessive drinking means drinking more than 21 glasses of alcohol per week (men), or more than 14 glasses per week (women). The differences between men and women are greatest in the youngest age group up to and including 29 years. In men up to the age of 29, excessive drinking is most common; least among women between the ages of 30 and 49.

Research has also been done on the relationship between alcohol consumption and education. The differences in the percentage of excessive alcohol consumption by education are almost all not statistically significant. Excessive drinking is relatively more common among men aged 25 to 45 years among those with a secondary education (12,6%) than among the highly educated (8%).
Source: Public health care, RIVM