Why are the legal ages for the drinking of alcohol different in different countries?

Minimum legal drinking age laws reflect almost entirely cultural beliefs rather than scientific evidence.

By far the most common minimum legal drinking age around the world is 18, which is the law in these countries:

• Algeria
• Argentina
• Australia
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belarus
• Belize
• Bermuda
• Bolivia
• Botswana
• Brazil
• British Virgin Islands
• Bulgaria
• Cameroon
• Canada (19 in some provinces)
• Cape Verde
• Central African Republic
• Chile
• China
• Columbia
• Congo, Republic of
• Costa Rica
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Dominican Republic
• Ecuador
• Egypt*
• El Salvador
• Eritrea
• Estonia
• Ethiopia
• Finland
• France
• Guatemala
• Guyana
• Hungary
• Indonesia
• Ireland
• Israel
• Jamaica
• Kazakhstan
• Kenya
• Latvia
• Lesoto
• Lithuania
• Malawi
• Mauritius
• Mexico
• Moldova
• Mongolia
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• New Zealand
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Norway*
• Panama
• Papua New Guinea
• Peru
• Phillippines
• Russia
• Samoa
• Seychelles
• Singapore
• Slovak Republic
• South Africa
• Spain (16 in Asturias)
• St. Maarten
• Sweden*
• Thailand
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Turkey
• Turkmenistan
• Uganda
• Ukrane
• United Kingdom (age 5 with parents)
• Uruguay
• Vanuatu
• Venezuela
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

The next most common minimum legal drinking age is zero (no minimum legal drinking age, which is found in these countries:

• Albania
• Armenia
• Azerbaijan
• Comoros
• Equatorial Guinea
• Fiji
• Gabon
• Ghana
• Guinea-Bissau
• Jamaica
• Kyrgyuzstan
• Morocco
• Solomon Islands*
• Swaziland*
• Togo
• Tonga
• Viet Nam

The next most common minimum legal drinking age is 16, found in these countries:

• Antigua
• Barbados
• Belgium
• Georgia
• Germany
• Greece*
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Norway*
• Poland
• Portugal
• _____________
• * with exceptions or qualifications