Since its peak in 2001, the average per adult alcohol consumption in Ireland has declined by 31%, according to a report commissioned by Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI).
The report, authored by economist and Associate Professor Emeritus at DCU Anthony Foley, shows that average per adult alcohol consumption decreased in 2023 by 1.5%.
The average consumption per adult was 9.96 litres of pure alcohol in 2023 versus 10.109 in 2022, which was also a 31% decrease from 2001.
Total consumption increased by 0.9% in 2023 in parallel with a 2.4% increase in adult population for the same period.
Drinks
The report also found that beer remains the most popular drink for Irish consumers, making up 42.9% of all consumption in 2023.
It 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% the previous year – a 1.6% increase.
Spirits rank as the third most popular drink with 22.6% last year, a 0.6% decrease on 2022.
Cider accounted for 6.2% of 2023 consumption, decreasing 0.4% on the previous year.
A recent report from Ibec group Drinks Ireland also found that sales of non-alcoholic beer grew last year by 18% as production surged 50% in response to rising consumer demand.
The representative group’s report showed that non-alcoholic bee’s market share is now 2% – an increase of almost 100% over the last four years.
‘Consuming Differently’
Speaking about the report, a spokesperson from DIGI said, ‘Alcohol consumption has seen a significant decrease of 31% since its peak in 2001 and the downward trend has continued with a decrease of 1.5% in 2023 on 2022 figures.
‘Overall, the long-term decline in alcohol consumption over the past two decades indicates that Irish adults are enjoying beer, wine and spirits more moderately.
‘We are not just consuming less alcohol, we are consuming differently with the rise in low or zero alcohol product consumption evident.
‘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 the UK.’
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