What is the drinking age in the United Kingdom?
18–20
Minimum age to buy alcohol: 18.
The United Kingdom is one of 135 countries classified “18–20” for the drinking age — 70% of the 192 with data.
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Legal drinking age
- Last checked
- 15 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Read directly from the source’s own table, without interpretation.
Nearby countries
- Ireland
- 18–20 Minimum age to buy alcohol: 18.
- Netherlands
- 18–20 Minimum age to buy alcohol: 18.
- Belgium
- 16–17 Minimum age to buy alcohol: 16.
- Luxembourg
- 16–17 Minimum age to buy alcohol: 16.
- Denmark
- 16–17 Minimum age to buy alcohol: 16.
- France
- 18–20 Minimum age to buy alcohol: 18.
Other laws in United Kingdom
- Cannabis
- Legal (Medical)
- Psilocybin Mushrooms
- Illegal
- Salvia Divinorum
- Illegal
- Khat
- Illegal
- E-Cigarettes
- Regulated
Every law in the United Kingdom → · What is the drinking age around the world? →
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.