Within the population of Russia between 2005 and 2016, the share of current drinkers, or those who consumed alcoholic beverages over the past 12 months, decreased by 12 percent, measuring at 58 percent of the total in 2016. In the same year, 27 percent of Russians were considered lifetime abstainers, referring to the persons who never consumed alcohol.

In 2023, over 696 people per 100,000 population were registered for outpatient alcoholism and alcoholic psychosis treatment in Russian healthcare establishments. Furthermore, the drug addiction morbidity rate in the country was recorded at around 145 individuals per 100,000 Russians.

In 2021, 38 percent of Russians reported not drinking alcohol, a share that slightly increased from the previous year. Among the alcohol consuming population, only five percent reported drinking it daily or several times per week.

Which is the most consumed alcoholic drink in Russia?

Despite the fact that Russians are internationally acknowledged for their predilection for vodka, statistical data reveals that it is not the most consumed alcoholic beverage in the country. As it turns out, Russians drink sizably more amount of beer than vodka. The retail sales of beer in the first 10 months of 2020 amounted to roughly 5.1 trillion liters countrywide, while the sales volume of vodka was measured at about 596 million liters over the same period. The per capita consumption of beer in Russia saw a steady decline over the past years. Namely, three liters of pure alcohol equivalent of beer were consumed on average per person in 2019.

Alcohol consumption worldwide

On the global scale, consumption levels of beer, vodka, as well as wine, have been in decline. An increased demand, on the other hand, was reported for stronger alcoholic beverages, such as gin and whiskey. When looking at the ranking of most alcohol consuming nations, Czechia was leading worldwide with 14.3 liters of pure alcohol consumption per capita in 2019.

Adults aged between 16 to 29 years were found to be spending the most on alcoholic beverages in Russia, and they were the next most frequent shoppers of such drinks in 2021. The population aged between 30 and 44 years reported buying alcoholic drinks on average five times per month, as the study findings unveiled.

The Russian alcoholic beverages market is expected to exceed USD 15.61 billion by 2025–30, driven by increasing demand for premium liquors and a rising middle-class population.

The Russian population was predicted to decrease its share of household expenditure on food and non-alcoholic beverages to 15 percent of the annual spending by 2035. In 2018, such expenses accounted for 28.3 percent of the yearly costs.

Nigerians consumed over 13 liters of alcohol per capita in 2019, making it the leading country in terms of alcohol consumption per capita that year. The Kingdom of Eswatini and South Africa ranked second and third respectively, with just under ten liters per person. Per capita consumption worldwide In 2018, Russia was the leading country and region in terms of alcohol consumption per capita. The average Russian person drank almost twice as many alcoholic servings as the average African person that year. The most sold alcoholic beverages in the Russian Federation in 2018 were beer and malt beverages: over 7 billion liters of these alcoholic drinks were sold to the population. Illicit alcohol market in Africa The production and consumption of unrecorded alcoholic beverages can be dangerous and, in some instances, lethal. However, it is quite common in Sub Saharan Africa and Asia. Producing alcohol at home is a deeply rooted tradition in certain countries and these locally produced beverages tend to be cheaper than the commercial equivalents. Over 60 percent of Uganda’s alcohol market was illicit in 2018, making it the country with the largest illicit alcohol market in Africa.