Government statistics show that girls aged under 15 are consuming an average 11.3 units of alcohol a week, the equivalent of six medium glasses of wine or five pints of beer.
This compares with 11.9 units for an average male teenage drinker who is aged 11 to 15.
Young females are also turning their back on drinks such as wine and lager and instead choosing to consume dangerous levels of spirits, the NHS figures disclosed.
It is the first time girls have been closer than five per cent behind their male counterparts.
