The world's nations, ranked by drunkenness

Canada likes the sauce more than America

The World Health Organisation has released a map detailing alcohol per capita around the world, showing Russia and Portugal to be the most hardened drinkers and Great Britain not far behind.

Enlarged map here

Russia's penchant for vodka proves to be more than just a stereotype in the study, its land mass creating a black smudge on the map representing more than 12.5 litres per person over the age of 15 in 2010.

Portugal joins it among the drunkest nations, joined in the category by smaller countries Grenada and Andorra.

Europe shows a fairly consistent level of alcohol consumption, bar Italy which drinks a little less, while Canadians take on more units a year than their American neighbours.

Consumption is very low in northern Africa meanwhile, steadily getting heavier as you move south and at its worst in Namibia and South Africa.

Russia's drinking is a cause for concern, with a recent study finding that a large amount of its early deaths could be attributed to causes associated with drinking such as liver disease, alcohol poisoning, getting into accidents and fighting.

The country's immediate neighbours, Ukraine and Belarus, have similar levels of alcohol consumption.