📅This fact may be outdated
The 'twice as likely' ratio was accurate in older studies but no longer reflects current US statistics. According to 2024 NSDUH data, 24.9% of adult men vs 18.7% of adult women binge drink (1.3x ratio). Among young adults 18-25, the gap has essentially disappeared (26.5% vs 26.9%). The gender gap in binge drinking has been narrowing over recent years.
Men are twice as likely to be binge drinkers than women.
The Narrowing Gender Gap in Binge Drinking
For decades, binge drinking was overwhelmingly a male behavior. The conventional wisdom held that men were twice as likely as women to engage in heavy episodic drinking, and the statistics backed it up. But like many assumptions about gender and health, this one has evolved dramatically.
According to the most recent 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 24.9% of adult men reported binge drinking in the past month compared to 18.7% of women—a ratio of about 1.3 to 1, not 2 to 1. While men still lead, the gap has narrowed considerably from what it was in previous decades.
The Young Adult Surprise
Perhaps most striking is what's happening among younger Americans. In the 18-25 age group, the gender gap has essentially vanished entirely. The data shows 26.5% of young men and 26.9% of young women reported binge drinking—making young women actually slightly more likely to binge drink than their male peers.
This represents a remarkable shift in drinking culture. The traditional college party stereotype of male-dominated heavy drinking no longer reflects reality.
What Changed?
Several factors have contributed to this convergence:
- Changing social norms around women and alcohol consumption
- Increased stress and mental health challenges affecting both genders
- Marketing of alcohol products increasingly targeting women
- Greater gender parity in work, education, and social settings where drinking occurs
Why the Difference Still Matters
Even though the rates are converging, the consequences remain different. Women generally have lower body water content and different enzyme levels for metabolizing alcohol, meaning they reach higher blood alcohol concentrations from the same amount of drinking.
Research shows that people who drank at twice the sex-specific binge drinking thresholds were 70 times more likely to have an alcohol-related emergency department visit. This is why binge drinking is defined differently for men (5+ drinks) and women (4+ drinks) in a two-hour period.
The narrowing gender gap in binge drinking represents both progress toward equality and a troubling public health trend. While it dismantles old stereotypes about gender and alcohol, it also means more people overall are at risk for alcohol-related harm.