A new global study has found that Irish women are some of the heaviest drinkers in the world.

Irish female drinkers ranked fourth in a league table of 189 countries with the study showing that 40% of Irish people are classed as binge drinkers.

Only women in Lithuania, Moldova and the Czech Republic drink more than the Irish.

Overall, Irish people come fifth in the world rankings, drinking more than 13 litres of alcohol a year, according to the study in the Lancet medical journal.

The number of teetotalers is also dropping, going from 19% in 1990 to 9% in 2017.

The study estimates that by 2030, half of all adults in the world will drink alcohol and almost a quarter will binge drink at least once a month.