The United States Between 18 and 25

The US has uniformly the highest drinking age limit in the world (the legal drinking age varies between 18 and 25 across different states in India). According to the US National Underage Drinking Act of 1984, the age at which young people may start drinking alcohol across the country is 21. When certain states proposed reducing the limit to 18, the suggestion was met with public disapproval — a poll conducted by ABC News found that nearly eight in 10 Americans oppose lowering the drinking age in all states. Nonetheless, even though the US Department of Transportation insists that these laws have been instrumental in reducing traffic fatalities involving drivers between the ages of 18 and 20, the fact remains that between 1993 and 2001, this very age group showed the largest increase — 56 per cent — in binge drinking among American adults. In addition, 21 per cent of 16- to 20-year old drivers in fatal car accidents had enough alcohol in their systems to be considered legally impaired.

Mexico 18

With a drinking limit of 18, Mexico is a favourite destination for underage American revellers who pour into the border town of Tijuana by the thousands every weekend. The biggest public health concern this poses is that young drivers travelling between the two countries are often drunk. According to some sources, approximately 30 per cent of those who return to the US from Mexico between midnight and 6 am have dangerously high blood alcohol concentrations. These statistics add to the case for more lenient laws in the US.

The United Kingdom Below 18 can’t purchase liquor

Although people under the age of 18 cannot purchase liquor, 16- and 17-year olds can be served cider, beer and wine in restaurants; they are required to be under adult supervision in England and Scotland, but not in Wales. Another somewhat bizarre law stipulates that it is acceptable to serve alcohol to a minor above five years of age, but only in homes and not in public places. Pint-sized closet drinkers apart, the UK is currently facing a serious problem with underage drinking -- for example, a study in Scotland found that around 68 per cent of 13-year-old children drank alcohol. A study by Alcohol Concern, a UK-based organisation, revealed that about one in five 11-year-olds admitted to drinking regularly.

France, Italy, Netherlands & Germany 16

Known for their permissiveness, these European countries share a minimum drinking age of 16, although there are distinctions made for the type of beverage: you have to be 18 or above to buy hard liquor in France, Germany and the Netherlands, although Italy has no such restrictions. A proposal to increase the minimum age in Italy to 18 was rejected by the parliament in 2007. The argument was that more relaxed laws "demystify" alcohol to youngsters and make them less likely to binge drink. However, a 1995 poll conducted by the US Department of Justice of 10th-grade students from America and Europe found that youngsters in Europe were actually more likely to drink and binge than in the relatively strict US.

New Zealand Lowered from 20 to 18

New Zealand presents what is perhaps the most dramatic case study illustrating the urgency of enforcing higher minimum-age drinking laws. The country lowered its minimum drinking age to 18 from 20 in 1999, and recent research suggests that this may have had a direct impact on the rising traffic casualties among young people. A 2006 study published in The American Journal of Public Health found that the rate of traffic crashes and injuries increased 12 per cent for 18- to 19-year-old males and 51 per cent for females of the same age.

Japan 20

The legal drinking age in Japan is 20, but just how effectively this drinking law is implemented is questionable, especially considering that it's one of the few countries in the world with alcohol-vending machines. However, as a response to public concern, the number of machines has now dropped owing to voluntary regulation by the alcohol industry as well as retailers.