Alcohol consumption drops nearly one-third in 20 years

A new report commissioned by DIGI reveals a 31% drop in alcohol consumption since 2001

Since the peak of 2001, the average per adult alcohol consumption has declined by 31%, according to a report authored by Economist and Associate Professor Emeritus at DCU Anthony Foley published today.  

The report, commissioned by the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI) to calculate the 2023 average level of consumption, shows that average per adult alcohol consumption decreased in 2023 by 1.5% (9.96 litres of pure alcohol vs 10.109 in 2022), a 31% decrease since 2001. 

Total consumption increased by 0.9% in 2023 in parallel with a 2.4% increase in the adult population for the same period.  

Consumer trends

The report also shows that Irish consumer trends and tastes are changing in terms of consumption habits.  

• Beer is the most popular drink, making up 42.9% of all consumption in 2023 and remains the highest despite a small decrease on 2022 beer consumption which stood at 43.5%. 
• Wine is the second most popular at 28.3% of all consumption in 2023 compared with 26.7% in 2022 – a 1.6% increase.  
• Spirits rank as the third most popular drink with 22.6% of the 2023 total consumption, a slight decrease on 2022 which stood at 23.2% – a 0.6% decrease. 
• Cider accounted for 6.2% of the 2023 total consumption which was 6.6% in 2022 – a 0.4% decrease.

According to a recent report from Ibec group Drinks Ireland, sales of non-alcoholic beer grew last year by 18%, as production surged by 50%, in response to rising consumer demand. The representative group’s report showed that non-alcoholic beer’s market share is now more than 2%, an almost 100% increase within the last four years. 

A DIGI spokesperson said: “The Irish drinks market is competitive and constantly evolving to meet changing consumers tastes and preferences. Ireland has seen significant growth in the formation of new businesses – distillers and breweries – right across the country who are creating new products and services to meet these shifts in consumer tastes. Importantly, they are also serving our tourism market with significant investments in visitors centres across both urban and rural Ireland. 

“As one of Ireland’s most successful domestic industries, DIGI will be seeking support from the government in Budget25, calling for an excise tax cut of 15% over the next two years. Ireland’s excise tax rate is currently the second highest in the EU and UK.”