Global spirits overtake wine in volume – IWSR 

GLOBAL – Global spirits volumes have overtaken wine for the first time since records began in 1990, despite a 3% year-on-year decline, marking a major structural shift in global alcohol consumption, according to new data from IWSR. 

Both categories recorded volume declines in 2025, with wine falling by 5% and spirits by 3%. However, spirits’ relatively smaller contraction was enough to push it ahead of wine in global volume terms for the first time in more than three decades. 

IWSR’s annual global data release, published on June 11, includes confirmed 2025 consumption figures and its first ten-year forecast across 160 monitored markets. 

“No-alcohol beer was the second-largest subcategory of beer by volume in 2025 and is expected to double its share of the global beer market from 2% in 2025 to 4% by 2033,” the report stated. 

The outlook suggests global beverage alcohol consumption will continue to decline for another six years before returning to growth in 2031. By 2035, volumes are projected to recover nearly all of their 2025 level, resulting in a net decline of just 1% over the decade. 

IWSR said this stabilisation will be driven by a rebalancing of global demand and continued expansion of legal drinking-age populations. 

Marten Lodewijks, president and managing director of IWSR, said: “The forecast stabilisation in global beverage alcohol volumes is good news for the industry, but there are still plenty of challenges ahead. 2035 will be a vastly different market landscape than the one we see today.” 

He added: “Companies that only rely on past successes to carry them through the next decade will face serious challenges.” 

The forecast highlights a significant geographic shift in consumption, with growth moving away from China, North America and Europe toward India, South America and Africa. 

By 2035, servings consumed in China are expected to fall by 19% compared to 2025 levels. The United States is projected to decline by 18%, Japan by 15%, Germany by 14% and the United Kingdom by 13%. 

In contrast, Mexico is forecast to grow by 13%, Vietnam by 15%, Colombia by 26% and India by 38%. India is expected to surpass the United States in 2032 to become the world’s second-largest alcohol market by servings. 

Moderation trends are also expected to intensify, with global per capita alcohol consumption projected to decline by around half a litre of pure alcohol by 2035. 

Luke Tegner, head of consulting at IWSR, said: “Consumers continued seeking flavour exploration, convenience and ABV diversity to suit their consumption occasions. This is driving a shift away from wine and spirits toward RTDs.” 

RTDs remain one of the fastest-growing categories, with global consumption reaching 1 billion nine-litre cases in 2025 and expected to continue expanding. 

Beer is projected to decline marginally by 1% over the next decade, while wine is forecast to fall by 14% and spirits by 2%. RTDs are expected to grow by 17% over the same period. 

IWSR data also showed global beverage alcohol volume declined by 2% in 2025, with beer down 2%, wine down 5% and spirits down 3%, while RTDs rose 3%. 

At a market level, 66 countries recorded growth in alcohol servings, while 83 saw declines and 12 remained stable. India, Colombia and South Africa were among the key growth markets. 

The findings underline a long-term restructuring of global alcohol consumption, driven by shifting demographics, moderation trends and the rapid expansion of convenience-led categories such as RTDs. 

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