Underage Drinking in the United States (ages 12 to 20)

Prevalence of Underage Alcohol Use, People Ages 12 to 20

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Prevalence of Lifetime Drinking

According to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 12.6 million people ages 12 to 20 (33.1% in this age group) reported that they have had at least one drink in their lives.^1,2 This includes:

• 6.1 million males ages 12 to 20 (31.1% in this age group)^1,2
• 6.5 million females ages 12 to 20 (35.3% in this age group)^1,2
• 68,000 American Indian or Alaska Native people ages 12 to 20 (23.6% in this age group)^1,2
• 563,000 Asian people ages 12 to 20 (23.7% in this age group)^1,2
• 1.4 million Black or African American people ages 12 to 20 (26.0% in this age group)^1,2
• 6.9 million White people ages 12 to 20 (37.0% in this age group)^1,2
• 495,000 people of two or more races ages 12 to 20 (36.5% in this age group)^1,2
• 3.2 million Hispanic or Latino people ages 12 to 20 (32.0% in this age group)^1,2
• Estimates for Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander people ages 12 to 20 were not presented because they were based on a relatively small number of respondents or had a large margin of error.^1,2

Prevalence of Past-Year Drinking

According to the 2023 NSDUH, 10.6 million people ages 12 to 20 (27.9% in this age group) reported that they drank in the past year.^1,2 This includes:

• 5.1 million males ages 12 to 20 (26.0% in this age group)^1,2
• 5.5 million females ages 12 to 20 (29.8% in this age group)^1,2
• 51,000 American Indian or Alaska Native people ages 12 to 20 (17.7% in this age group)^1,2
• 474,000 Asian people ages 12 to 20 (20.0% in this age group)^1,2
• 1.1 million Black or African American people ages 12 to 20 (20.9% in this age group)^1,2
• 6.0 million White people ages 12 to 20 (31.7% in this age group)^1,2
• 414,000 people of two or more races ages 12 to 20 (30.5% in this age group)^1,2
• 2.6 million Hispanic or Latino people ages 12 to 20 (26.3% in this age group)^1,2
• Estimates for Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander people ages 12 to 20 were not presented because they were based on a relatively small number of respondents or had a large margin of error.^1,2

Prevalence of Past-Month Drinking

According to the 2023 NSDUH, 5.6 million people ages 12 to 20 (14.6% in this age group) reported that they drank in the past month.^1,2 This includes:

• 2.7 million males ages 12 to 20 (13.7% in this age group)^1,2
• 2.9 million females ages 12 to 20 (15.6% in this age group)^1,2
• 17,000 American Indian or Alaska Native people ages 12 to 20 (5.8% in this age group)^1,2
• 180,000 Asian people ages 12 to 20 (7.6% in this age group)^1,2
• 558,000 Black or African American people ages 12 to 20 (10.6% in this age group)^1,2
• 3.4 million White people ages 12 to 20 (17.9% in this age group)^1,2
• 223,000 people of two or more races ages 12 to 20 (16.4% in this age group)^1,2
• 1.2 million Hispanic or Latino people ages 12 to 20 (12.5% in this age group)^1,2
• Estimates for Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander people ages 12 to 20 were not presented because they were based on a relatively small number of respondents or had a large margin of error.^1,2

Prevalence of Past-Month Binge Drinking

According to the 2023 NSDUH, 3.3 million people ages 12 to 20 (8.6% in this age group) reported binge drinking in the past month (see glossary for definition of binge drinking).^1,2 This includes:

• 1.6 million males ages 12 to 20 (8.1% in this age group)^1,2
• 1.7 million females ages 12 to 20 (9.2% in this age group)^1,2
• 13,000 American Indian or Alaska Native people ages 12 to 20 (4.3% in this age group)^1,2
• 55,000 Asian people ages 12 to 20 (2.3% in this age group)^1,2
• 312,000 Black or African American people ages 12 to 20 (5.9% in this age group)^1,2
• 2.0 million White people ages 12 to 20 (10.7% in this age group)^1,2
• 127,000 people of two or more races ages 12 to 20 (9.4% in this age group)^1,2
• 759,000 Hispanic or Latino people ages 12 to 20 (7.7% in this age group)^1,2
• Estimates for Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander people ages 12 to 20 were not presented because they were based on a relatively small number of respondents or had a large margin of error.^1,2

Prevalence of Past-Month Heavy Alcohol Use

According to the 2023 NSDUH, 663,000 people ages 12 to 20 (1.7% in this age group) reported heavy alcohol use in the past month (see glossary for definition of heavy alcohol use).^1,2 This includes:

• 321,000 males ages 12 to 20 (1.6% in this age group)^1,2
• 342,000 females ages 12 to 20 (1.9% in this age group)^1,2
• 5,000 American Indian or Alaska Native people ages 12 to 20 (1.8% in this age group)^1,2
• 5,000 Asian people ages 12 to 20 (0.2% in this age group)^1,2
• 32,000 Black or African American people ages 12 to 20 (0.6% in this age group)^1,2
• 414,000 White people ages 12 to 20 (2.2% in this age group)^1,2
• 63,000 people of two or more races ages 12 to 20 (4.7% in this age group)^1,2
• 142,000 Hispanic or Latino people ages 12 to 20 (1.4% in this age group)^1,2
• Estimates for Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander people ages 12 to 20 were not presented because they were based on a relatively small number of respondents or had a large margin of error.^1,2

Prevalence of High-Intensity Drinking

According to the 2023 Monitoring the Future survey, 2.2% of students in 12th grade reported high-intensity drinking.³

Consequences of Underage Alcohol Use

• Research indicates that alcohol use during the teenage years can interfere with normal adolescent brain development and increase the risk of developing alcohol use disorder. In addition, underage drinking contributes to a range of acute consequences, such as injuries, sexual assaults, alcohol overdoses, and deaths—including those from motor vehicle crashes.⁴
• Alcohol is a factor in the deaths of thousands of people younger than age 21 in the United States each year. This includes:
  • 1,345 from motor vehicle crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver⁵
  • 998 from homicides⁶
  • 177 from alcohol overdose, falls, burns, and drowning⁶
  • 649 from suicides⁶