Alcohol consumption in Ireland continues to fall

Hannah Kate Costello

According to the latest figures from the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland, alcohol consumption per capita by Irish adults fell once again in 2025, continuing the major downward trend recorded over the past 25 years.

The report shows that average alcohol consumption per adult fell by 2.1% last year to 9.30 litres of pure alcohol (LPA). This marks a drop of more than one third (35.6%) since consumption peaked in 2001.

The report also shows that consumption habits and tastes have continued to evolve among Irish consumers over the last year.

Beer was the most popular alcohol last year, holding a 42.1% market share, despite experiencing a 2.7% drop in total volume.

Wine remained the second most popular drink, increasing its volume by 4.0% to claim a 29.4% market share. Wine’s popularity has more than doubled since 2000.

Spirits saw a minor volume increase of 0.2%, resulting in a 22.4% market share (up slightly from 22.3% the previous year).

Cider volume dipped by 0.2%, maintaining a stable 6.1% market share.

These figures show that the vast majority of Irish people are increasingly drinking alcohol responsibly and in moderation.

Following an international report, out of 17 EU countries plus the UK tracked by the OECD in 2023, ten exceeded the Irish average consumption level in 2025.

This means that alcohol consumption in Ireland is well within the European average, proving the country is no longer an international outlier for high alcohol consumption.