January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
21 (USA, etc.)
18 (UK, Australia, Canada, etc.)
19 (South Korea, some Canadian provinces)
20 (Japan, Iceland, Thailand)
16 (Some European countries for beer/wine)
How the Legal Drinking Age Calculator Works
This calculator determines if an individual has reached the Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) based on their birth date and the local laws of their current jurisdiction. While the age of majority is often 18, many countries—most notably the United States—maintain a higher threshold for the purchase and consumption of alcohol.
Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) by Country
The legal age for consuming alcohol varies significantly across the globe. Understanding these laws is crucial for travelers and young adults to ensure compliance with local regulations.
Country
Legal Age
Notes
United States
21
Strictly enforced nationwide under the National Minimum Drinking Age Act.
United Kingdom
18
Applies to purchase; 16-year-olds can sometimes drink beer/wine with a meal.
Germany
16 / 18
16 for beer and wine; 18 for spirits.
Canada
18 or 19
Varies by province (e.g., 18 in Quebec, 19 in Ontario).
Why is the Age 21 in the US?
The United States raised the legal drinking age to 21 in the 1980s following research that linked lower drinking ages to higher rates of alcohol-related traffic fatalities among youth. Organizations like MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) were instrumental in passing the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, which penalized states that did not adopt the 21-year-old threshold by reducing their federal highway funding.
Calculation Example
If a person was born on July 15, 2003, and they are visiting a country where the legal drinking age is 21:
Current Date: May 2024
Age: They are currently 20 years old.
Result: They will be legally allowed to drink on July 15, 2024.
function calculateDrinkingAge() {
var birthMonth = parseInt(document.getElementById("lda-birth-month").value);
var birthDay = parseInt(document.getElementById("lda-birth-day").value);
var birthYear = parseInt(document.getElementById("lda-birth-year").value);
var targetAge = parseInt(document.getElementById("lda-target-age").value);
var resultDiv = document.getElementById("lda-result-display");
if (!birthDay || !birthYear || birthDay 31 || birthYear < 1900) {
resultDiv.style.display = "block";
resultDiv.className = "lda-result not-eligible";
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter a valid birth date.";
return;
}
var today = new Date();
var birthDate = new Date(birthYear, birthMonth, birthDay);
// Calculate current age
var age = today.getFullYear() – birthDate.getFullYear();
var m = today.getMonth() – birthDate.getMonth();
if (m < 0 || (m === 0 && today.getDate() = targetAge) {
resultDiv.className = "lda-result eligible";
resultDiv.innerHTML = "YES! You are " + age + " years old.You have been of legal drinking age since " + formattedDate + ".";
} else {
var diffMs = eligibilityDate – today;
var diffDays = Math.ceil(diffMs / (1000 * 60 * 60 * 24));
resultDiv.className = "lda-result not-eligible";
resultDiv.innerHTML = "NOT YET. You are " + age + " years old.You will be legally eligible on " + formattedDate + ".(Only " + diffDays + " days to go!)";
}
}