Global alcohol sales plummet during lockdown, with South Africa reporting biggest decline

Worldwide alcohol sales dropped by 6% during the last year, the equivalent of 15.8billion litres during the pandemic, according to new research from Euromononitor International.  

The data, which was based on responses from over 100 countries, focused on the top twenty alcohol markets, and revealed that the biggest decline in sales volume year on year were seen in South Africa, which posted a 20.4% decline after not only closing its hospitality venues during the pandemic, but also banned the domestic sale of alcohol in three separate lockdowns totalling 20 weeks.  

India also saw sales volume crash by 19%, while Spain was down 14.4%, Vietnam by 14%, the UK by 1-0.1%, and Thailand by 9.3%, while Italy and China both saw  8.5% drops.

France, meanwhile, saw its sales decline by 8%, while Mexico was down by 7.2%, and Japan and Poland posted drops of 5.9%. Germany recorded sales down by 5.2%. The US, the second largest market for alcoholic drinks, posted flat sales, with year on year decline of 0.6%.  

But there were some countries where sales were up; notably South Korea and Canada, which both posted a 0.4% increase, Australia up by 1.3%, Russia up 1.7%, Argentina 2.7%, and Brazil  growing by 4.1%.