Which Countries Smoke The Most Weed? [2024 Update]

When people think of countries that are famous for getting high, many jump immediately to the Netherlands, due mostly to the reputation Amsterdam and its coffeeshops have built for it. However, it may come as a surprise that only around 8% of Dutch people actually smoke cannabis. So, given that, which countries actually smoke the most weed?

We’ll look at the amount of weed smoked per capita, rather than the amount of weed smoked overall, as otherwise the bigger countries would simply win. And what we really want to know is which countries have the biggest stoners.

Now, of course, there are some methodological issues, as with any huge study. Given the varied nature of the legality and illegality of cannabis in different parts of the world, we can probably assume that some of these statistics are perhaps a little skewed. However, what we’ll have is a rough idea of the percentage of people that smoke weed in any given country.

Who Loves Cannabis the Most?

Our statistics take the annual prevalence of cannabis consumed by those aged 15–64. This is the number of people aged 15–64 who have smoked cannabis at least once in the last year. The statistics were drawn from the World Drug Report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. They themselves gathered their information from a range of sources, hopefully giving a fairly accurate depiction of global cannabis use.

This table reveals the top ten countries in the world for cannabis consumption—and some of the results may come as a surprise! We have Chile in the lead, with over a third of their population using cannabis at least once a year, with (perhaps unsurprisingly) Canada following in second place. But who would have thought that Papua New Guinea would come in a close third? And the Netherlands doesn’t even make the list!

A Change in Consumption Methods

Once upon a time, people only really smoked cannabis—be it in a spliff or a bong—or made edibles. Some lucky individuals may have had access to hash, but largely in a rudimentary form. However, as modernity has powered on, the ways in which cannabis can be consumed have soared, making it more accessible than ever. The rise of vaping, concentrates, and dabbing has certainly made it more readily consumable for those who don’t want to smoke.

Not only this, but modern breeding and extraction methods have allowed people to find products that better meet their needs. If you want a super-strong sativa, for instance, you can have it. If you want a high-CBD concentrate, that’s also readily available. This huge amount of choice, and choice of high-quality products to boot, means that some seed-filled bag-weed isn’t the only option for those who want to get stoned anymore.

Smoking Weed Around the World

It’s clear that cannabis consumption is not as synonymous with western Europe and North America as many of us may have thought. In fact, the use of cannabis stretches far and wide across both the world and throughout time.

It is likely that the recent boom in cannabis products has increased consumption and helped to destigmatise the use of cannabis outside of certain circles. And this is exciting, because as more people openly use cannabis, the more we can discover about it.

Luke Sumpter

With a BSc (Hons) degree in Clinical Health Sciences and a passion for growing plants, Luke Sumpter has worked as a professional journalist and writer at the intersection of cannabis and science for the past 7 years.

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