According to the research company IWSR, the most noticeable drop was recorded in the United States and China, while a number of countries, including India, Brazil and Colombia, showed an increase in alcohol consumption.
Analysts attribute the reduction in consumption to the spread of the trend towards moderate alcohol consumption, as well as the increased use of GLP-1 drugs used to treat obesity.
However, according to experts, these factors cannot fully explain the significant decline in the two largest markets.
In particular, in China, the situation is affected by the slowdown in economic growth, the protracted crisis in the real estate market and the aging of the population.
In the United States, import duties, inflation, and economic uncertainty are putting additional pressure on consumers.
In the first half of 2026, alcohol consumption in the United States decreased by 4%. In China, the total decreased by 3%.
At the same time, India showed the highest growth rates, where total alcohol consumption increased by 10% in the first half of 2026. Growth was recorded in all categories. This was the highest rate among the 21 major markets tracked by the research company IWSR.
Despite a 1% reduction in consumption, the rate of decline in the first half of 2026 was lower than in the same period of 2025, when this figure was 2%, Kazinform reports.
