Vatican City Has the Highest Wine Consumption Per Capita in the World

Vatican City, with just 800 residents, holds the surprising record for the world's highest wine consumption per capita - about 74 liters per person per year, more than double that of France. This statistic initially seems shocking until you consider several factors. First, sacramental wine is used extensively in Catholic ceremonies throughout the Vatican. Second, the Vatican's duty-free shop sells wine to the thousands of daily visitors, tourists, and pilgrims, but this is statistically counted as local consumption. Third, many Vatican residents are from wine-producing countries like Italy and France, where wine with meals is culturally normal. Finally, the Vatican regularly hosts diplomatic dinners and official functions where wine is served. The high number is more a quirk of how consumption statistics are calculated for a tiny nation-state than evidence of excessive drinking habits among the clergy.