Australians are now drinking less than they have in more than half a century, with the amount of alcohol consumed per person dropping to the lowest levels since 1960.

More than 186 million litres of pure alcohol was consumed last year, equating to 9.4 litres for every Australian aged 15 years and over. However, data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed the lowest annual figure for the financial year 2016-17 since 1961-62.

“Over three-quarters of alcohol consumed was from either beer (39%) or wine (38%),” said Louise Gates, ABS Director of Health Statistics.

“And while alcohol consumed from wine has declined recently, the drop in beer consumption has been the main driver for falling alcohol consumption with an average decline of 2.4% per year over the last ten years.”

According to ABS data, the average 9.4 litres of pure alcohol consumed per person is the equivalent of 38 bottles of wine, 17 bottles of cider, four bottles of spirits, 33 cans of premixed drinks and a staggering 224 stubbies of beer.

The new data also reveals a continuation of a downward trend in alcohol consumption, which first appeared around 2008-09, with one in five Australians now not drinking alcohol at all.

“If 224 stubbies sounds like a lot, contrast that with 1974-75 when Australia reached ‘peak beer’ and the consumption was equivalent to over 500 stubbies per person,” said Ms Gates.