List of countries with alcohol prohibition

The following countries have or had comprehensive prohibitions against alcohol. 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.

  Countries or territories with total prohibition on alcohol

  Countries or territories with prohibition excluding non-Muslims

  Countries or territories with prohibition on alcohol in public areas

  Country with prohibition in public areas from 10:30 pm to 7:00 am

Present

Currently, alcohol prohibition is enforced in many Muslim majority countries, Indigenous Australian communities (due to alcohol-fuelled violence), certain northern communities in the Canadian territories^[1] and some regions of India. They can range from complete ban all the way to bans on sales during certain times.^[2]

•   Afghanistan^[3]
•   Algeria (illegal in public, legal in restaurants, bars, hotels and homes)^[4]
•   Bangladesh (legal for non-Muslims and foreigners)^[5]
•   Brunei Darussalam (Non-Muslims over 17 years of age may have limited amount of alcohol, but must declare it to the customs authorities on arrival, and must consume it in private)^{[citation needed]}
•   Canada
  •   Yukon (in some communities)^{[citation needed]}
  •   Northwest Territories (in some communities)^{[citation needed]}
  •   Nunavut (in some communities)^[6]
  •   Quebec (in some communities)^[7]
•   Comoros (for Muslims during Ramadan)^[8]
•   Djibouti^{[citation needed]}
•   Egypt illegal to drink in public place and during Ramadan.
•   India^[9]
  •   Gujarat^[10]
  •   Bihar
  •   Nagaland
  •   Mizoram^[11][12]
•   Indonesia (  Aceh territory only)^[13]
•   Iran (home production legal for Zoroastrians, Jews and Christians; commercial production illegal)^[14]
•   Iraq (parliamentary ban, rarely enforced)^[15]
•   Israel (between 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.,^[16][17])
•   Kuwait^{[citation needed]}
•   Libya^[18]
•   Maldives (legal for Foreigners at licensed establishments; transport of alcohol illegal)^[19]
•   Mauritania^[20]
•   Morocco (Alcohol must be purchased and consumed in licensed hotels, bars, and tourist areas as well as being sold in most major supermarkets^[21])
•   Oman (legal for non-Muslim foreigners at restaurants, hotels and bars; at home with license; illegal in public)^[22]
•   Pakistan (illegal for Muslims; public consumption illegal)^[23]
•   Palestine (De facto illegal in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip only, legal in the West Bank)^{[citation needed]}
•   Qatar (legal for tourists at hotels and bars as well as expatriates with permits)^[24]
•   Saudi Arabia^[25]
•   Somalia^[26]
•   Sudan (excluding non-Muslims in private)^[27]
•   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)^[28]
•   Yemen (illegal, before the war, there was exceptions for tourists at certain hotels in Aden and Sana'a)^[29]
•   United Arab Emirates (illegal in Sharjah; public consumption illegal)^[30]

Past

•   Canada – 1918–1920 (see prohibition in Canada)
•   Faroe Islands – 1907–1992 (see 1907 Faroese alcohol referendum)
•   Finland – 1919–1932^{[citation needed]}
•   Hungarian Soviet Republic – March 21 – August 1, 1919 – Sale and consumption of alcohol was prohibited^[31] (partial ban from July 23).^[32]
•   Iceland – 1915–1935 (see prohibition 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.^{[33] [34]}
•   Ottoman Empire – 1612–1640 (prohibition by Murad 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^[35]
•   Russian Empire and the   Soviet Union – July 19, 1914 – August 28, 1925; 1929;^{[citation needed]}
•   South Africa (temporary ban to prevent drunken violence during the COVID-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 (see prohibition in the United States)

See also

• Religion and alcohol

Notes

1. In 2020, South Africa reimposed a ban on alcohol sales in July^[36] after an initial ban ended on June 1.^[37] In August, South Africa lifted its second ban on alcohol.^[38]

References

1. "Community Restrictions and Prohibitions". Fin.gov.nt.ca.
2. "Alcohol Prohibition in Foreign Countries". QuitAlcohol.com. Retrieved 2013-10-29.
3. "Afghan agents pour 3,000 litres of alcohol into Kabul canal amid crackdown | Afghanistan | the Guardian".
4. Scheele, Judith (2008). "A Taste for Law: Rule-Making in Kabylia (Algeria)". Comparative Studies in Society and History. 50 (4): 895–919. doi:10.1017/S0010417508000388. JSTOR 27563712. S2CID 145706862.
5. "Bangladesh loosens its booze laws". The Economist.
6. Weber, Bob (16 October 2018). "Nunavut, N.W.T and Yukon to allow communities to block opening of cannabis stores". The Globe and Mail.
7. "Alcohol, Drug Use and Gambling Among the Inuit of Nunavik : Epidemiological Profile" (PDF). Inspq.qc.ca. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
8. "UNION OF THE COMOROS 2017 INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT" (PDF). State.gov. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
9. Mamtany, Sidhant (2019-05-28). "List of states that have imposed complete ban on alcohol consumption". www.indiatvnews.com. Retrieved 2022-04-30.
10. "Gujarat: 28 Dead, Several Hospitalised After Consuming Spurious Alcohol".
11. "States with total and phase-wise prohibition of alcohol in India". The Indian Express. 6 April 2016.
12. "India's Bihar alcohol ban struck down". BBC News. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
13. "No prohibition here - Taipei Times". 7 September 2016.
14. "Alcohol in Iran: A Complete Guide to Iran's Drinking Policy for Tourists". 7 August 2019.
15. "Iraq might be having second thoughts about the new law banning alcohol". Independent.co.uk. 27 October 2016.
16. "Knesset bans alcohol sales after 11 p.m." The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
17. Neumark, Y. D.; Rahav, G.; Teichman, M.; Hasin, D. (19 July 2001). "Alcohol drinking patterns among Jewish and Arab men and women in Israel". Journal of Studies on Alcohol. 62 (4): 443–447. doi:10.15288/jsa.2001.62.443. PMID 11513222. Retrieved 19 January 2022 – via PubMed.
18. "Libya alcohol poisoning kills 51". 11 March 2013.
19. "Guide to Maldives | Magic of Maldives".
20. "Trouble brewing". The Economist.
21. "What is Prohibited in Morocco? 8 Points to Keep in Mind". Blog.tangiertransfer.com. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
22. "15 things to know before visiting Oman".
23. "Women Tell Us How They Illegally Buy Alcohol and Drugs in Pakistan - VICE".
24. "Will fans be allowed to drink alcohol at 2022 World Cup Qatar?". 8 July 2022.
25. "Saudi tourism official clarifies country's stand on alcohol consumption". 27 May 2022.
26. "Somalia: Somali Police Seize Illicit Alcohol". 23 September 2020.
27. "Sudan scraps apostasy law and alcohol ban for non-Muslims". BBC News, Africa. 12 July 2020.
28. "New law in Turkmenistan cracks down sharply on alcohol sales". Associated Press. January 2019.
29. "Yemen hotel serving alcohol attacked; 2 dead". CBS News.
30. "United Arab Emirates relaxes Islamic laws on alcohol and cohabitation, criminalizes 'honor' killings". NBC News.
31. "A Forradalmi Kormányzótanács II. sz. rendelete" [Decree No. 2 of the Revolutionary Governing Council]. Budapesti Közlöny: Hivatalos lap [Budapest Gazette: Official Journal] (in Hungarian). Budapest: Athenaeum. 53 (69): 2. 24 March 1919. 1. §. Mindennemü szeszes ital kimérése, forgalombahozatala és fogyasztása tilos. [§ 1. The sale, distribution and consumption of all alcoholic beverages is prohibited.]
32. "A Népgazdasági Tanács 91. N. T. számú rendelete" [Decree No. 91 of the People's Economic Council]. Tanácsköztársaság: Hivatalos lap [Soviet Republic: Official Journal] (in Hungarian). Budapest: Athenaeum. 1 (99): 1. 23 July 1919. 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.]
33. Hem, Per Eivind; Hem, Erlend (2012). "Et regelverk fullt av smutthull - legenes reseptrett i forbudstiden 1916 - 26". Tidsskrift for den Norske Legeforening (in Norwegian). Norwegian Medical Association. 132 (23): 2636–2640. doi:10.4045/tidsskr.12.1207. ISSN 0029-2001.
34. "Alcohol's role in the relationship between Sweden and Norway". Sciencenorway (in Norwegian). 2019-06-14. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
35. "AFTER 200-YEAR PROHIBITION LIQUOR NOW FLOWS ON PITCAIRN ISLAND". Pitcairn Islands Study Center. April 8, 2009. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
36. "Coronavirus: South Africa bans alcohol sales again to combat Covid-19". BBC News. July 13, 2020.
37. "Coronavirus: South Africans cheer as alcohol goes back on sale". BBC News. June 1, 2020.
38. "South Africa: Queues as ban on alcohol and cigarettes ends". BBC News. August 18, 2020.