On average, French adults consume 2.71 alcoholic beverages a day—less than half as much as their relatives did a half-century ago (5.65 drinks/day in 1957).

Related Fact: That 2.71 figure includes 1.55 glasses of wine, just over half a shot of spirits, a half a glass of beer, and 7% of a glass of cider or some other alcoholic drink.

[Sources: The Week (4/8/11 issue)/Le Monde. See previous Numbers of the Day here. ]