The Countries With The Lowest Legal Drinking Ages In The World

The right to have your first legal drink is for many the sign of reaching adulthood. But depending on your country and your culture, just how much of an adult you are will vary significantly — with seven years between the highest and lowest legal ages. The U.S. is among the countries with the strictest laws with a legal drinking age of 21, joining a handful of others including Egypt and Indonesia.

More than 60% of countries worldwide opt for a legal drinking age of 18. This is often in line with age at which you're considered legally an adult, and have the right to vote, join the military, or sign contracts. There are of course some outliers. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia among others forbid the sale of alcohol altogether, making a legal drinking age irrelevant. In Cambodia and Sierra Leone, and a few other places there's no legal drinking age written into the law, instead there's a reliance on social norms to keep drinking under control.

The following are all the countries that buck the global norm by having a drinking age below 18 — but often with a few caveats. If you're traveling through these places, be aware of whether the legal drinking age applies across the board or whether you'll need to choose your beverages or venues carefully.

Teens as young as 14 years of age can enjoy a drink in Germany, but with a catch: They must be accompanied by a parent or guardian (and not just an older friend). If the embarrassment of drinking with parents is too much, they'll need to wait until age 16 to buy lower alcohol drinks such as wine or one of the famous German beers. For spirits, there's a minimum drinking age of 18 years.

The Caribbean nation of Grenada is known for its clear blue waters and pristine white sands, perfect for relaxing. And here you'll find the liquor laws just as relaxed. The legal drinking age is 16, with no restrictions on the type of alcohol that can be purchased or consumed. The national drink is generally considered to be rum punch (a mix of dark rum, sugar, nutmeg, and lime juice), but locally brewed beers are just as popular.

It's not unheard of for bars and restaurants around the world to take a more relaxed approach to the law, particularly in smaller towns. But in San Marino, a tiny country surrounded entirely by Italy, it's often the opposite. The legal age here to buy or consume alcohol is 16, regardless of the ABV or the type of venue. However, some establishments may choose to restrict the sale of spirits to over-18s only.

Despite being one of the smallest countries in the world, Saint Lucia produces some of the world's best rums. And teenagers as young as 16 can enjoy the local tipple, along with any other type of alcohol. If you're a tourist, however, there are a few things to consider. Some cruise ships visiting the country may set their own policies, restricting the drinking age to 18 or even 21 years, and importing alcohol is restricted to over 18s.

The laws in Chad leave some of the decision-making about alcohol in the hands of parents. Once teenagers reach 16, they can enter bars and drink alcohol, provided they are accompanied (and supervised) by a responsible adult. For 16- or 17-year-olds under supervision, there are still laws that prevent supplying alcohol to the point of intoxication. For anyone that wants to drink solo or get drunk, the legal drinking age is 18.

In many countries you'll find legal drinking ages that vary depending on the type or strength of alcohol, but in Guyana it's also about how and where you're consuming it. The general drinking age is 18, but anyone over the age of 16 can buy and drink wine or malt liquor, provided that it's consumed with a meal in a restaurant. You'll still need to be 18 to enter a bar, even if you're not drinking.

Belgium is famous for its wide variety of beers, producing around 1,500 types, including the incredibly rare Westvleteren XII Trappist beer. The beer culture in Belgium has warranted a place on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list and is also reflected in the drinking laws. Teenagers are free to buy and enjoy beer and wine from the age of 16, while they need to wait until 18 to consume anything stronger.

Denmark is among the list of European countries that have different legal drinking ages depending on what's being consumed. Here it's based on alcohol content, with over 16s able to purchase drinks with an ABV below 6%. Anything stronger requires them to be 18 years of age. This means sprits and most wines are out, but regular strength beer and cider are permitted.

Keeping in line with the laws of surrounding countries Austria and Switzerland, Liechtenstein limits the consumption of distilled alcohol to those over 18, while anyone over 16 can purchase beer, wine, and cider. This distinction also extends to store-bought canned cocktails. Although these drinks often have a similar ABV to beer and lower than wine, their sale is restricted to over 18s.

Although it's completely surrounded by Spain, Gibraltar is actually a British Overseas Territory, with its own laws and government. And when it comes to the drinking age, it doesn't follow either Spain or the U.K. From age 16, teens can drink beer, wine, or cider with an ABV of less than 15% in bars or restaurants, though they can't purchase alcohol of any kind off-premises. There are no restrictions for anyone over 18 years of age.

Generally speaking, the law in Switzerland allows the supply of fermented drinks (meaning beer, cider, and wine) to teenagers from the age of 16, with limits on distilled spirits to those over 18. Despite this legislation, some cantons (which are regional areas) or even individual stores adopt their own policies, restricting the sale of any alcohol for anyone under 18 years of age.

The drinking age in Austria varies not only by alcohol, but by the region you're in. In many parts of the country, teenagers can drink fermented beverages such as beer and wine from age 16, and distilled spirits from age 18. Some states include a restriction on mixed drinks that include distilled spirits, even with a low overall ABV. In Vienna the restrictions only apply to public areas or events, leaving a lot of discretion for what parents allow in the home.

While most alcohol in Zambia is subject to a minimum drinking age of 18, there's an exception for what's known as traditional beer (or the commercial version called chibuku), which is permitted for teenagers as young as 16. It's a slightly milky drink made from maize or sorghum grain with a thick texture and low alcohol content. Additionally, liquor licensing only restricts drinks with an ABV above 3%, and in many cases this beer falls below that anyway.

The Asian sultanate of Brunei makes the list on something of a technicality. As a Muslim country, there's no alcohol sold here, but non-Muslims are permitted to import it for personal use. You'll need to declare your religion and provide proof of legal age, which in this case is 17. There's also a limit on the amount of alcohol you can bring in at one time, and imports are restricted to once every 48 hours.

Malta is unique in Europe for having a blanket drinking age of 17 years. It was brought into force in 2009 as a compromise between the previous minimum age of 16, and the 18 years that's more common in surrounding countries. The minimum age applies to alcohol regardless of ABV content, and whether it's sold in stores or consumed in bars.