The following countries or territories have or had comprehensiveprohibitions againstalcohol. Particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic beverages.
Currently, alcohol prohibition is enforced in manyMuslim majority countries,in parts of India, and in someIndigenous American andIndigenous Australian communities and certain northern communities in the Canadian territories.[1] They can range from bans on sales during certain times to complete bans.[2]
Afghanistan[3]
Algeria (illegal in public, legal in restaurants, bars, hotels and homes)[4]
Bangladesh (license required; illegal during Ramadan)[5]
Belarus (sales banned in public places except for bars and restaurants)[6]
Bosnia and Herzegovina (alcohol sales in public places illegal; taxes apply inRepublika Srpska. Banned inBH Airlines flights for Muslims)[7][8]
Brunei (Non-Muslims over 17 years of age may have a limited amount of alcohol, but must declare it to the customs authorities on arrival, and must consume it in private)[9]
Canada
Yukon (in some communities)[citation needed]
Northwest Territories (in some communities)[1]
Nunavut (in some communities)[10]
Quebec (in some communities)[11]
Chile (prohibited in public places, except for bars and restaurants. Sale is banned countrywide on election days)[12]
China (in regions with Muslim-majority population withinGansu,Ningxia andXinjiang)[13][14]
Comoros (for Muslims duringRamadan)[17]
Djibouti[citation needed]
Egypt illegal to drink in public places and during Ramadan.
Estonia (drinking alcohol in public spaces and sales banned for minors under 18 and retailers must suspend sales between 10:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. with displays must be visibly separated from other goods in stores)[18][19]
France (nationwide ban of alcohol sales on Sundays in convenience stores)[20]
India[21]
Indonesia
Iran (home production legal for Zoroastrians, Jews and Christians; commercial production illegal)[28]
Iraq (parliamentary ban, rarely enforced)[29]
Ireland (selling in stores between 10 p.m. and 10:30 a.m (12:30 p.m. on Sundays) is illegal, pubs are confined to set hours for sale of alcohol)[30]
Israel (selling in stores between 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. is illegal; serving at bars, restaurants and clubs always legal)[31][32]
Italy it is illegal to sell alcohol to anyone under 18; serving alcohol in restaurants and bars is illegal between 3 am and 6 am; the sale in stores and supermarkets is prohibited from midnight to 6 am.[33][34]
Japan
Tokyo (public drinking and alcohol sales banned inShibuya Ward between 5 p.m. and 6 a.m. during all periods)[35]
Kazakhstan (sales illegal in some villages, consumption remains legal)[36]
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of (consumption and sales forbidden during mourning periods)[37]
Korea, Republic of (public drinking illegal in some localities with a fine of₩100,000; surging while drunk is illegal since 2025)[38][39]
Kuwait (forbidden even for non-Muslims and tourists, except foreign diplomats)[40]
Lebanon (no laws exist, but alcohol sales and consumption is legal to non-Muslims)[41]
Libya[42]
Malaysia (excluding non-Muslims; some states ban drinking in public)
Maldives (legal for foreigners at licensed establishments; transport of alcohol illegal)[45]
Mauritania[46]
Mexico (illegal to drink alcohol in public streets and to carry open alcohol containers in public)[47]
Morocco (illegal in public; alcohol must be purchased and consumed in licensed hotels, bars, and tourist areas, and is sold in most major supermarkets[48])
Norway (only sold in stores within a certain time period on weekdays. Illegal to drink in public, except at bars and restaurants. Nightclubs and bars are not allowed to serve after 3 a.m. Alcohol stronger than 4.7% is only sold in designated stores (Vinmonopolet), but beer or cider of 4.7% or less can be bought in grocery stores.)[49]
Oman (legal for non-Muslim foreigners at restaurants, hotels and bars; at home with license; illegal in public)[50]
Pakistan (legal for Non-Muslims and foreigners, served at Hotels and can be bought at Wine stores; Illegal for Muslims; public consumption illegal)[51]
Palestine (illegal in some localities - such as theHamas-controlledGaza Strip -, but legal in Palestine'sWest Bank)[52]
Philippines (forbidden sales onelection day and the day before; foreigners allowed on these days on establishments with permits)[53]
Poland (illegal in public, but allowed in bars and some restaurants)[54]
Qatar (legal for tourists at hotels and bars as well as expatriates with permits)[55]
Russia
Saudi Arabia[57][58] Complete ban enforced from 1952 to 2024, now accessible to foreign non-Muslim diplomats as well as select non-Muslim residents making over 50,000 riyals a month or holding premium residency.
Somalia[59]
Sudan (excluding non-Muslims in private)[60]
Syria (sales partially restricted for Muslims since2024; exceptions apply for non-Muslim population such as Christians)[61]
Tunisia (sales only banned on Fridays and during Ramadan)
Turkmenistan (illegal on trains, airplanes, and ferries as well as sports facilities; sales banned on weekends and holidays unless at bars and restaurants)[62]
Ukraine (since the beginning ofRussia's invasion of the country in 2022 and subsequentmartial law, sales illegal in certain parts of the country; legal in some areascontrolled by Russia)[63][64][65]
United Arab Emirates (illegal for Muslims, illegal inSharjah; public consumption illegal)[66]
United Kingdom
Bournville (The sale of alcohol is not permitted in theBournville area ofBirmingham and thus no licensed premisies exist in the village).[67]
Scotland (Alcohol cannot be sold in shops before 10:00, or after 22:00, sales in bars, pubs, nightclubs and other licensed establishments is permitted)
United States (dry counties for sales)
Vietnam (sales and consumption illegal for persons under 18 years old)[69]
Yemen (illegal; before the war, there were exceptions for tourists at certain hotels inAden andSana'a)[70] | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "List of countries with alcohol prohibition" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(November 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Canada – 1918–1920 (seeprohibition in Canada)
Faroe Islands – 1907–1992 (see1907 Faroese alcohol referendum)
Finland – 1919–1932[71]
Hungarian Soviet Republic – March 21 – August 1, 1919 – Sale and consumption of alcohol was prohibited[72] (partial ban from July 23).[73]
Iceland – 1915–1935 (seeprohibition in Iceland) – However beer with an alcohol content exceeding 2.25% was prohibited until 1989.[citation needed]
North Yemen – 1962–1990[citation needed]Norway – 1916–1926, distilled spirits banned; 1917-1923 fortified wines banned.[74][75]
Ottoman Empire – 1612–1640 (prohibition byMurad IV)[citation needed]
Panama – March 25 – May 8, 2020 – Sale and consumption of alcohol was prohibited as part of the social distancing measures against Covid-19.[citation needed]
Philippines – 1966–1986[citation needed]
Pitcairn Islands – 1790-2009[76]Russian Empire and the
Soviet Union – July 19, 1914 – August 28, 1925; 1929;[citation needed]
South Africa (temporary ban to prevent drunken violence during theCOVID-19 pandemic in South Africa)[a]United Arab Emirates – In November 2020, the UAE introduced reforms that include the decriminalisation of alcohol for those 21 and over, except the Emirate of Sharjah.[citation needed]
United States – 1920–1933 (seeprohibition in the United States)1. §. Mindennemü szeszes ital kimérése, forgalombahozatala és fogyasztása tilos.[§ 1. The sale, distribution and consumption of all alcoholic beverages is prohibited.]
1. §. Minden dolgozó, aki 18-ik életévét betöltötte, naponkint félliter (0'5 l.) bort fogyaszthat.[§ 1. All workers who have reached the age of 18 can consume half a liter (0.5 L) of wine daily.]
