12/05/2026

US beverage alcohol consumption drops -5% in volume during 2025

11 May 2026 (London) Total consumption of beverage alcohol in the United States declined by -5% during 2025 according to new data released by IWSR today.

This finding comes from IWSR’s US Navigator product, which reports volume data for the US at the national and state level, and has now completed its 2025 cycle ahead of the global data release later this quarter.

National level data

At the national level, nearly every category of beverage alcohol in the US saw volume declines during 2025:

• Alcohol beer saw a volume decline of -6%.
• Wine also declined in volume by -6%.
• Spirits declined in volume by -4%.
• RTDs, a recent source of growth for the industry, saw a volume drop of -1%. This decline was driven by a -5% volume drop in malt-based RTDs. Spirits-based RTDs saw volume growth of +14%.

Despite the difficult overall conditions, several smaller categories enjoyed healthy growth. These include:

• No-alcohol beer, which grew by +15% volume,
• Prosecco, which grew by +3% volume,
• National Spirits, roughly 80% of which are accounted for by the Korean spirit Soju, enjoyed another year of strong growth with a +18% volume increase.

State level data

At the state level, total beverage alcohol volumes declined in 49 states, with Nevada being the sole exception. Total beverage alcohol volume grew by +3% in 2025 in the Silver State.

Alcohol beer saw volume decline in every state except Illinois (+1%) and Nevada (+4%).

Spirits volumes were down in 37 states. Most volume increases were relatively small, but volumes were up +4% in Minnesota and Idaho, and up +2% in Oregon.

Wine volume declined in every state except West Virginia (up +1%).

The state level picture for RTDs was very mixed in 2025, with RTD volume in California down -8%, flat at 0% change in Texas, and up +7% in Florida.

Speaking about the 2025 results from IWSR’s US Navigator data, IWSR President and Managing Director Marten Lodewijks says: “Affordability concerns are forcing many consumers to cut discretionary spending, and this is putting the beverage alcohol industry under pressure.

“According to IWSR data, the number of people drinking is not changing. Instead, we’re finding that more people are drinking less often, and enjoying fewer drinks when they do. Moderation trends are also playing a role, but when consumer confidence rebounds, we expect volumes in many categories currently in decline to start growing again.”

About IWSR: For over 50 years, IWSR has been trusted by the leaders of global beverage alcohol businesses as an integral part of their strategic planning and decision-making processes. We uniquely combine proprietary longitudinal market data, consumer insights and AI-enhanced data science, with valuable on-the-ground human intelligence in 160 markets worldwide, to decipher what is really happening in the global beverage alcohol market. With access to our data, clients from across the drinks industry, including multinational spirits, beer, and wine businesses; packaging and ingredient manufacturers; distributors; and financial institutions, plan their strategies and future investment with a reliable, consistent and complete understanding of the global landscape.

Notes to Journalists

Where appropriate, please cite “IWSR, the global leader in beverage alcohol data and insights.”

Interviews are available on request.

A note on IWSR data releases:

• Preliminary 2025 data for 21 key markets and global travel retail was released in March.
• The data in this press release is confirmed 2025 data from IWSR’s US Navigator system (volume only, and for the US only).
• Confirmed 2025 global data will be published to clients in late May, followed by a press release in early June.

For questions or interview requests, please contact:

press@theiwsr.com