Road rules · countries

Drink-Driving Limits by Country

How much alcohol may a driver have in their blood? The legal limit ranges from 1.5‰ in Liberia to zero tolerance in 5 countries. The most common limit is 0.5‰ (0.05% BAC), used by 55 of the 133 countries with a defined limit.

133

Countries with a BAC limit

Zero tolerance

0.5‰

Most common limit

Limit of 0.2‰ or lower

Zero tolerance
0.1–0.3‰
0.4–0.5‰
0.6–0.8‰
Above 0.8‰
No data / no defined limit

All countries by drink-driving limit

Rank	Country	Alcohol limit	BAC %	Young & novice drivers	Continent
1	Liberia	1.5‰	0.15%	Same	Africa
2	Sao Tome and Principe	1.2‰	0.12%	Same	Africa
3	DR Congo	1.0‰	0.1%	Same	Africa
4	Barbados	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Americas
4	Belize	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Americas
4	Bhutan	0.8‰	0.08%	0.0‰	Asia
4	Burundi	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Africa
4	Cameroon	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Africa
4	Cape Verde	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Africa
4	Central African Republic	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Africa
4	Chad	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Africa
4	Côte d'Ivoire	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Africa
4	Dominica	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Americas
4	Equatorial Guinea	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Africa
4	Ethiopia	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Africa
4	Fiji	0.8‰	0.08%	0.0‰	Oceania
4	Gabon	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Africa
4	Ghana	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Africa
4	Guinea	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Africa
4	Guyana	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Americas
4	Jamaica	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Americas
4	Jordan	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Asia
4	Kenya	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Africa
4	Lesotho	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Africa
4	Madagascar	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Africa
4	Malawi	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Africa
4	Malaysia	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Asia
4	Republic of the Congo	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Africa
4	Romania	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Europe
4	Rwanda	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Africa
4	Saint Lucia	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Americas
4	Samoa	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Oceania
4	Seychelles	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Africa
4	Singapore	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Asia
4	Sri Lanka	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Asia
4	Tanzania	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Africa
4	Trinidad and Tobago	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Americas
4	Uganda	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Africa
4	United Kingdom	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Europe
4	United States	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Americas
4	Zimbabwe	0.8‰	0.08%	Same	Africa
42	Namibia	0.79‰	0.079%	Same	Africa
43	Honduras	0.7‰	0.07%	Same	Americas
44	Angola	0.6‰	0.06%	Same	Africa
44	Mozambique	0.6‰	0.06%	Same	Africa
46	Albania	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Europe
46	Argentina	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Americas
46	Australia	0.5‰	0.05%	0.0‰	Oceania
46	Austria	0.5‰	0.05%	0.1‰	Europe
46	Belgium	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Europe
46	Bolivia	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Americas
46	Botswana	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Africa
46	Bulgaria	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Europe
46	Burkina Faso	0.5‰	0.05%	0.2‰	Africa
46	Cambodia	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Asia
46	Costa Rica	0.5‰	0.05%	0.2‰	Americas
46	Croatia	0.5‰	0.05%	0.0‰	Europe
46	Cyprus	0.5‰	0.05%	0.2‰	Europe
46	Denmark	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Europe
46	Dominican Republic	0.5‰	0.05%	0.0‰	Americas
46	El Salvador	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Americas
46	Eritrea	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Africa
46	Eswatini	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Africa
46	Finland	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Europe
46	France	0.5‰	0.05%	0.2‰	Europe
46	Germany	0.5‰	0.05%	0.0‰	Europe
46	Greece	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Europe
46	Guinea-Bissau	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Africa
46	Iceland	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Europe
46	Ireland	0.5‰	0.05%	0.2‰	Europe
46	Israel	0.5‰	0.05%	0.1‰	Asia
46	Italy	0.5‰	0.05%	0.0‰	Europe
46	Kazakhstan	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Asia
46	Kiribati	0.5‰	0.05%	0.0‰	Oceania
46	Laos	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Asia
46	Latvia	0.5‰	0.05%	0.2‰	Europe
46	Lebanon	0.5‰	0.05%	0.0‰	Asia
46	Luxembourg	0.5‰	0.05%	0.2‰	Europe
46	Malta	0.5‰	0.05%	0.2‰	Europe
46	Mauritius	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Africa
46	Netherlands	0.5‰	0.05%	0.2‰	Europe
46	New Zealand	0.5‰	0.05%	0.0‰	Oceania
46	Nigeria	0.5‰	0.05%	0.02‰	Africa
46	North Macedonia	0.5‰	0.05%	0.1‰	Europe
46	Panama	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Americas
46	Peru	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Americas
46	Philippines	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Asia
46	Portugal	0.5‰	0.05%	0.2‰	Europe
46	San Marino	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Europe
46	Slovenia	0.5‰	0.05%	0.0‰	Europe
46	Solomon Islands	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Oceania
46	South Africa	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Africa
46	South Korea	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Asia
46	Spain	0.5‰	0.05%	0.3‰	Europe
46	Suriname	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Americas
46	Switzerland	0.5‰	0.05%	0.1‰	Europe
46	Thailand	0.5‰	0.05%	0.2‰	Asia
46	Timor-Leste	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Asia
46	Turkmenistan	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Asia
46	Türkiye	0.5‰	0.05%	Same	Asia
101	Armenia	0.4‰	0.04%	Same	Europe
101	Lithuania	0.4‰	0.04%	0.0‰	Europe
101	Mongolia	0.4‰	0.04%	Same	Asia
104	Belarus	0.3‰	0.03%	Same	Europe
104	Bosnia and Herzegovina	0.3‰	0.03%	0.0‰	Europe
104	Chile	0.3‰	0.03%	Same	Americas
104	Czechia	0.3‰	0.03%	Same	Europe
104	Ecuador	0.3‰	0.03%	Same	Americas
104	Georgia	0.3‰	0.03%	Same	Europe
104	India	0.3‰	0.03%	Same	Asia
104	Japan	0.3‰	0.03%	Same	Asia
104	Mali	0.3‰	0.03%	Same	Africa
104	Moldova	0.3‰	0.03%	Same	Europe
104	Montenegro	0.3‰	0.03%	0.0‰	Europe
104	Russia	0.3‰	0.03%	Same	Europe
104	Serbia	0.3‰	0.03%	0.0‰	Europe
104	Tonga	0.3‰	0.03%	Same	Oceania
104	Tunisia	0.3‰	0.03%	0.0‰	Africa
119	China	0.2‰	0.02%	Same	Asia
119	Colombia	0.2‰	0.02%	Same	Americas
119	Estonia	0.2‰	0.02%	Same	Europe
119	Morocco	0.2‰	0.02%	Same	Africa
119	Norway	0.2‰	0.02%	Same	Europe
119	Poland	0.2‰	0.02%	Same	Europe
119	Sweden	0.2‰	0.02%	Same	Europe
119	Ukraine	0.2‰	0.02%	Same	Europe
127	Cuba	0.1‰	0.01%	0.0‰	Americas
127	United Arab Emirates	0.1‰	0.01%	Same	Asia
129	Brazil	0.0‰	0%	Same	Americas
129	Hungary	0.0‰	0%	Same	Europe
129	Paraguay	0.0‰	0%	Same	Americas
129	Slovakia	0.0‰	0%	Same	Europe
129	Uruguay	0.0‰	0%	Same	Americas

Data: WHO Global Health Observatory — Global status report on road safety (laws as reported for 2017). 1‰ = 1 g of alcohol per litre of blood = 0.1% BAC.

What the limit means

The limit is the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at which driving becomes an offence. 0.5‰ means 0.5 grams of alcohol per litre of blood (0.05% BAC) — for many people roughly one or two standard drinks. A limit of 0.2‰ or less effectively means do not drink at all before driving, because even one drink can exceed it.

Stricter rules for young and novice drivers

34 countries set a lower limit for young or newly licensed drivers — often zero. Professional drivers (bus, truck, taxi) usually face lower limits too. Penalties rise steeply above the limit, and many countries can suspend a licence on the spot.

Zero-tolerance countries

Driving with any alcohol at all is prohibited in Brazil, Hungary, Paraguay, Slovakia and Uruguay.

Related rankings

Frequently asked questions

Which country has the highest drink-driving limit?

Liberia (1.5‰), followed by Sao Tome and Principe (1.2‰), DR Congo (1.0‰) and Barbados (0.8‰).

Which countries have zero tolerance for drink driving?

5 countries, including Brazil, Hungary, Paraguay, Slovakia and Uruguay.

What is the most common drink-driving limit?

0.5‰ (0.05% BAC), in 55 of 133 countries.

How do I convert ‰ to BAC %?

Divide by ten: 0.5‰ (0.5 g/l) equals 0.05% BAC, and 0.8‰ equals 0.08% BAC.