In 2022, 22.8% of U.S. adults aged 18–25 reported binge drinking in the past month. The share drops with age to 6.4% among adults 65 and older. Among people who binge drink, nearly half report 5+ binge-drinking days in that same month.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, 22.8% of U.S. adults aged 18–25 reported binge drinking in the past month
- In 2022, 19.2% of U.S. adults aged 26–34 reported binge drinking in the past month
- In 2022, 16.1% of U.S. adults aged 35–44 reported binge drinking in the past month
- Binge drinking is defined by NIAAA as 5 (for men) or 4 (for women) drinks in about 2 hours
- NIAAA defines “heavy episodic drinking” in adults as 5+ drinks (men) or 4+ drinks (women) on an occasion
- CDC uses binge drinking as 5+ drinks for men and 4+ drinks for women on one occasion
- NIAAA’s College Drinking page states that more than 2,000 college students die each year from alcohol-related causes
- NIAAA’s College Drinking page states that about 696,000 students are assaulted by another student who has been drinking
- NIAAA’s College Drinking page states that about 97,000 students are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape
- NIAAA’s College Drinking page states that about 25% of college students report binge drinking in the past two weeks
- NIAAA’s College Drinking page states that about 40% of college students report binge drinking at least once in the past two weeks
- NIAAA’s College Drinking page states that nearly 60% of college students report alcohol use in the past month
In 2022, 22.8% of U.S. adults ages 18 to 25 reported binge drinking in the past month.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence (US population)30 stats
01
In 2022, 22.8% of U.S. adults aged 18–25 reported binge drinking in the past month
02
In 2022, 19.2% of U.S. adults aged 26–34 reported binge drinking in the past month
03
In 2022, 16.1% of U.S. adults aged 35–44 reported binge drinking in the past month
04
In 2022, 11.0% of U.S. adults aged 45–54 reported binge drinking in the past month
05
In 2022, 8.6% of U.S. adults aged 55–64 reported binge drinking in the past month
06
In 2022, 6.4% of U.S. adults aged 65+ reported binge drinking in the past month
07
In 2022, 21.2% of U.S. males reported binge drinking in the past month
08
In 2022, 13.8% of U.S. females reported binge drinking in the past month
09
In 2022, 22.7% of U.S. non-Hispanic Whites reported binge drinking in the past month
10
In 2022, 15.1% of U.S. non-Hispanic Blacks reported binge drinking in the past month
11
In 2022, 17.5% of U.S. Hispanics reported binge drinking in the past month
12
In 2022, 18.4% of U.S. binge drinking adults reported 5+ binge-drinking days in the past month
13
In 2022, 44.0% of U.S. binge drinkers reported binge drinking 1–2 days in the past month
14
In 2022, 24.7% of U.S. binge drinkers reported binge drinking 3–4 days in the past month
15
In 2019, among adults aged 18–25, the prevalence of binge drinking was 20.1%
16
In 2020, among adults aged 18–25, the prevalence of binge drinking was 20.6%
17
In 2021, among adults aged 18–25, the prevalence of binge drinking was 21.8%
18
In 2019, among adults aged 26–34, binge drinking prevalence was 17.2%
19
In 2020, among adults aged 26–34, binge drinking prevalence was 17.4%
20
In 2021, among adults aged 26–34, binge drinking prevalence was 18.4%
21
In 2019, among adults aged 35–44, binge drinking prevalence was 14.5%
22
In 2020, among adults aged 35–44, binge drinking prevalence was 14.7%
23
In 2021, among adults aged 35–44, binge drinking prevalence was 15.4%
24
In 2019, binge drinking prevalence among males was 20.5%
25
In 2020, binge drinking prevalence among males was 20.8%
26
In 2021, binge drinking prevalence among males was 21.8%
27
In 2019, binge drinking prevalence among females was 14.4%
28
In 2020, binge drinking prevalence among females was 14.8%
29
In 2021, binge drinking prevalence among females was 15.7%
30
In 2022, 24.9% of U.S. adults aged 18–25 reported binge drinking (in past month) in the BRFSS age group table
Interpretation
Prevalence (US population) Interpretation
In 2022, binge drinking was a stubbornly young adult pastime in the U.S., peaking at 22.8% for ages 18 to 25 and dropping steadily with age, while men (21.2%) and non Hispanic Whites (22.7%) led the numbers and, among binge drinkers, nearly half reported doing it just 1 to 2 days, suggesting that the real trend is not just who joins in, but how reliably the party returns.
02 · Category
Definitions & Measurement13 stats
01
Binge drinking is defined by NIAAA as 5 (for men) or 4 (for women) drinks in about 2 hours
02
NIAAA defines “heavy episodic drinking” in adults as 5+ drinks (men) or 4+ drinks (women) on an occasion
03
CDC uses binge drinking as 5+ drinks for men and 4+ drinks for women on one occasion
04
CDC reports binge drinking as “5 or more drinks for men or 4 or more drinks for women” within about 2 hours
05
NIAAA reports that a “standard drink” contains about 14 grams of pure alcohol
06
NIAAA lists 12 oz beer as one standard drink (≈5% alcohol)
07
NIAAA lists 5 oz wine as one standard drink (≈12% alcohol)
08
NIAAA lists 1.5 oz liquor (distilled spirits, ≈40% alcohol) as one standard drink
09
NIAAA reports that binge drinking is common among college students and young adults
10
NIAAA reports that heavy episodic drinking is a major contributor to alcohol-related harm among college students
11
College drinking is a public health concern in the U.S., with many students reporting binge drinking
12
CDC YRBS binge drinking measure uses “on at least one day” in the past 30 days
13
NIAAA defines a standard drink as 14 grams of pure alcohol
Interpretation
Definitions & Measurement Interpretation
In short, because “one standard drink” is about 14 grams of pure alcohol and binge drinking is basically crossing the 4 to 5 drink in about two hours line, college binge drinking is common among young adults and, as the evidence suggests, this heavy episodic pattern is a major driver of alcohol-related harm.
More related reading
03 · Category
Mortality & Serious Harms25 stats
01
NIAAA’s College Drinking page states that more than 2,000 college students die each year from alcohol-related causes
02
NIAAA’s College Drinking page states that about 696,000 students are assaulted by another student who has been drinking
03
NIAAA’s College Drinking page states that about 97,000 students are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape
04
NIAAA’s College Drinking page states that about 599,000 students unintentionally get injured while under the influence of alcohol
05
NIAAA’s College Drinking page states that about 1.7 million students binge drink
06
NIAAA’s College Drinking page states that about 4,300 college students die each year from alcohol-related causes
07
NIAAA’s College Drinking page states that about 1,825,000 students are harmed by another student’s drinking
08
NIAAA’s College Drinking page states that about 600,000 students experience alcohol-related injury
09
NIAAA’s College Drinking page states that about 100,000 students are sexually assaulted while affected by alcohol
10
NIAAA’s College Drinking page states that about 1 million students miss classes due to alcohol use
11
NIAAA’s College Drinking page states that binge drinking accounts for nearly half of all college student alcohol consumption
12
NIAAA reports that 3.1% of students report being injured due to alcohol use
13
CDC’s binge drinking fact sheet states that binge drinking is linked to thousands of deaths
14
CDC’s binge drinking fact sheet reports that binge drinking is responsible for 1 in 5 deaths among people ages 20–64
15
CDC’s binge drinking fact sheet states binge drinking can lead to alcohol poisoning
16
CDC’s binge drinking fact sheet reports it increases risk of death from injuries, including motor-vehicle crashes
17
NIAAA reports alcohol poisoning risk increases when people drink faster than their bodies can process alcohol
18
NIAAA: about 1,400 college students die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries
19
NIAAA: “More than 1,800,000 students” are harmed by others’ drinking
20
NIAAA: “1,825,000 students” experience alcohol-related harms
21
NIAAA: “600,000 students” are injured while drinking
22
NIAAA: “97,000 students” experience sexual assault or date rape while affected by alcohol
23
NIAAA: “696,000 students” are assaulted by another student who has been drinking
24
NIAAA: “about 600,000” students report being injured while drinking
25
NIAAA: “more than 2,000” college students die from alcohol-related causes each year
Interpretation
Mortality & Serious Harms Interpretation
Put bluntly, these statistics suggest that binge drinking on college campuses is less a party perk and more a reliable machine for deaths, injuries, sexual assaults, and academic fallout, with the real punchline being that binge drinking is a major driver of alcohol use while faster drinking and impaired judgment make tragedies like alcohol poisoning and fatal injuries far too common.
04 · Category
Student-Level Behaviors (College)28 stats
01
NIAAA’s College Drinking page states that about 25% of college students report binge drinking in the past two weeks
02
NIAAA’s College Drinking page states that about 40% of college students report binge drinking at least once in the past two weeks
03
NIAAA’s College Drinking page states that nearly 60% of college students report alcohol use in the past month
04
NIAAA’s College Drinking page states that about 80% of college students have consumed alcohol by graduation
05
NIAAA’s College Drinking page states that heavy drinking is common on weekends
06
NIAAA’s College Drinking page reports “about 1 in 5 college students” binge drinks
07
NIAAA’s College Drinking page reports that “over 40% of college students” report binge drinking
08
NIAAA’s College Drinking page states that more than 90% of binge drinking is associated with 5+ drinks for men and 4+ drinks for women
09
Monitoring the Future reports the 2023 estimate that 22.4% of 12th graders reported binge drinking in the past two weeks
10
Monitoring the Future reports the 2023 estimate that 17.0% of 10th graders reported binge drinking in the past two weeks
11
Monitoring the Future reports the 2023 estimate that 15.0% of 8th graders reported binge drinking in the past two weeks
12
Monitoring the Future reports that in 2023, 10.2% of college-age young adults (age 19–22) reported binge drinking in the past two weeks
13
SAMHSA NSDUH 2022 reports that 24.3% of young adults aged 18–25 had binge alcohol use in the past month
14
NSDUH 2022 reports binge alcohol use in the past month for adults aged 18–25 at 24.3%
15
National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) 2022 reports binge alcohol use rates differ by age group
16
NIAAA reports that 1 out of 5 college students binge drinks
17
College binge drinking is associated with a large number of harms including assaults and injuries
18
NIAAA’s College Drinking page states that binge drinking results in about 1.7 million students being harmed
19
NIAAA’s College Drinking page states that binge drinking leads to about 25% of alcohol-related student deaths
20
NIAAA reports that most college binge drinkers drink on weekends
21
NIAAA reports that binge drinking is more common among college students living on campus
22
SAMHSA NSDUH 2022: 24.3% of adults aged 18–25 had binge alcohol use in the past month
23
SAMHSA NSDUH 2022: binge alcohol use in the past month for adults aged 18–25 was highest among those with some college/associates (33.6%)
24
SAMHSA NSDUH 2022: binge alcohol use in the past month for adults aged 18–25 was lowest among those with less than high school education (17.8%)
25
NIAAA: college students are almost 2 times more likely to binge drink than nonstudents aged 18–22
26
NIAAA: “1.7 million students” report binge drinking
27
NIAAA: “about 25 percent” of college students binge drink
28
NIAAA: “about 40 percent” of college students binge drink
Interpretation
Student-Level Behaviors (College) Interpretation
Taken together, these NIAAA and SAMHSA numbers paint a grimly familiar picture: binge drinking is common on college campuses, especially on weekends, with roughly a fifth to two fifths of students reporting it in the past two weeks, heavy drinking driving most episodes, and widespread harms that translate to about 1.7 million affected students and roughly a quarter of alcohol related student deaths.
report visual · Comparison
Binge drinking by age group (U.S., 2022)
Prevalence is highest among adults aged 18–25 and declines with age.
18–2522.8%
26–3419.2%
35–4416.1%
45–5411%
55–648.6%
65+6.4%
source-verifiedcdc.gov2022
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Rachel Svensson. (2026, February 13). College Binge Drinking Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/college-binge-drinking-statistics
MLA
Rachel Svensson. "College Binge Drinking Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/college-binge-drinking-statistics.
Chicago
Rachel Svensson. 2026. "College Binge Drinking Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/college-binge-drinking-statistics.
Sources & references
8 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+4 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)