Alcohol Consumption

All categories of alcoholic beverages had little or no growth in supplier gross revenue in 2023 compared to the previous year. In 2023, spirits accounted for 42.2 percent of the overall alcohol market in the U.S., compared to 33.3 percent in 2010. Meanwhile, beer has lost seven percent of its market share over the same period. Gross revenue explained Supplier gross revenue is the total amount of sales of suppliers before any deductions for costs of selling the product. The term differs from net revenue, which is the remaining revenue after all deductions have been made. Spirits leadersWithin the spirits category, the biggest share of the supplier gross revenue belonged to high end spirits, with 33 percent of the gross revenue in 2023.

The Cost of Sobriety and Treatment

1. A scathing new report by MPs has described the City watchdog as “incompetent at best, dishonest at worst” and too slow to act on complaints from consumers.
2. Further discussion on these risk factors can be found on our topic page on drug use.
3. Vodka was the most popular base for spirits RTDs, followed by whiskey and tequila, then rum and gin.
4. Hard seltzers represent a 56.7% share of the total RTD category in the US, followed by flavored alcoholic beverages (FABs) (25.9% share) and ready-to-drink cocktails/long drinks (6.9%).
5. NielsenIQ indicated that Wine RTD innovation will include “wine cocktail RTDs, especially sparkling versions.” Spirits seltzers and cocktails are “driving growth,” especially those with an ABV of 5% and under and an ABV between 5.1 and 10%.

Additionally, expect to see whiskey from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and other up-and-coming producing countries such as Italy, Wales, Netherlands, and Singapore enter or become more prominent in the U.S. market. Seventy-six percent of U.S. wine trade members who responded to a Wine Opinions survey “at the end of 2022” expect at least “some growth” in the “better for you” wine category, compared to 64% and 61% who expect the same for “zero alcohol” wine and “lower alcohol” wine, respectively. In South Africa and Papua New Guinea, more than half of all traffic deaths are attributable to demi lavato age alcohol consumption. Global data on the prevalence and effectiveness of alcohol use disorder treatment is incomplete.

Wine volumes were 431.8 million 9LE cases, +1.4% (which includes 23.7 million cases of Cider). The average retail price for a 750ml equivalent bottle increased to $10.84 (excluding on-premise markups). Other formats that decreased in growth during this period included 500 mL, 1 L, and larger containers. Formats that experienced an increase in growth rate were 300 mL (28.3%), 187 mL (6.2%), 250 mL (5.8%), and other smaller containers. However, the combined market share is significantly lower than the market share of traditional 750 mL and larger containers.

Dry January

BevAlc Insights also suggests that “sparkling rose wines will experience above average growth in 2022.” While these wines only account for a small share, 2.5% of the wine category, compared to 2020, sparkling rose “was up nearly 50 percent year-over-year in 2021.” While trends generally indicate an increased interest and purchasing of premium-priced alcoholic beverages, there is evidence that younger consumers are particularly interested in trading up. The lockdowns and closures helped ensure that the beer market continued its annual volume decline finishing the year down -2.8%. While the domestic beer category finished the year down -4.4%, the import side continues to attract consumers finishing the year up 3.1%. This led to imported beer finishing the year at a market share of 21.8%, up +1.2% from 2019.

Alcohol, crime, and road deaths

Of the states in the region, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia experienced the greatest increase in the number of wineries with growth rates of 14, 12, and 10%, respectively (Adams, 2022). High-income drinkers, earning over $150,000, were especially secure, and across all demographics, Millennials show more confidence than older drinkers. IWSR consumer data shows consumer spending and purchasing volume are up in 2022 vs 2021 in most tracked categories. Compared to wine and spirits, non-alcoholic beer “dominates” the no-alcohol category. Of the non-alcoholic beer available, non-alcoholic craft claims 28% of the share, and non-alcoholic domestic premium has a 16% share.

“A key driver of US beverage alcohol consumption is flavor,” says Brandy Rand, IWSR’s COO of the Americas. “Flavored subcategories – from beer to vodka to US whiskey – are significantly outperforming traditional non-flavored subcategories. Flavor is also the top consumer driver of the fast-growing ready-to-drink (RTD) category, and that’s likely creating a halo effect on total alcohol as well.” In 2021, Gallup, Inc. reported that 60% of U.S. adults drank alcoholic beverages, which decreased from 65% as reported in 2019. The average number of drinks consumed in the previous seven days also decreased.

There is no clear evidence that high overall consumption (particularly in moderate quantities) is connected to the onset of alcohol dependency. This topic page looks at the data on global patterns of alcohol consumption, patterns of drinking, beverage types, the prevalence of alcoholism, and consequences, including crime, mortality, and road incidents. The report also stated that consumers’ thirst for alcoholic beverages is not slowing down as the country returns to normal. It is accelerating with year-to-date 2021 performance trending higher than 2019, with projections to end at +3.8% in volume. While 2020 saw unprecedented upheaval in Americans’ lives, it did not slow their taste for alcohol.

The prevalence of alcohol dependence in men is typically higher than in women across all countries. With the change country feature, it is possible to view the same data for other countries. Sweden, for example, increased the share of wine consumption and, therefore, reduced the share of spirits. By default, the data for France is shown – in recent decades, here, the share of beer consumption increased to make up around a fifth of alcohol consumption in France. Global trends on alcohol abstinence show a mirror image of drinking prevalence data. This is shown in the charts as the share of adults who had not drunk in the prior year and those who have never drunk alcohol.