Alcohol consumption in Sweden continues to decline
15.10.2026 - Alcohol consumption in Sweden fell by 2.7% in 2025 compared with 2024. Over the past three years, consumption has declined by 8%. These are the final figures presented by the Swedish Council for Information on Alcohol and Other Drugs (CAN) in its new report, Alcohol Consumption in Sweden 2001–2025.
The latest figures confirm a long-term downward trend in Swedish alcohol consumption, with the decline becoming more pronounced in recent years.
“We are seeing a gradual decrease averaging 1% per year over the past 20 years, but this decline has accelerated in recent years,” says Björn Trolldal, analyst and researcher at CAN.
Total alcohol consumption in Sweden amounted to 8.16 litres of pure alcohol per inhabitant aged 15 and older in 2025.
Where does the alcohol come from?
Systembolaget, Sweden's government-owned alcohol retail monopoly, remains by far the largest source of alcohol consumed in the country, accounting for 72% of total consumption. Restaurants account for 12%, while alcohol brought into the country by travellers represents 7%.
The distribution of total alcohol consumption by source in 2025 was as follows:
Source | Share in 2025 |
Systembolaget | 72% |
Restaurants | 12% |
Alcohol brought in by travellers | 7% |
Medium-strength beer sold in grocery stores | 4% |
Home production | 2% |
Online purchases* | 2% |
Purchases of smuggled alcohol | 1% |
Farm sales | 0% |
Total | 100% |
Online sales by Systembolaget are included in Systembolaget's registered sales, not in the separate online purchases category. Farm sales are rounded to 0% in the table.
Farm sales remain marginal
Sweden introduced farm sales of alcoholic beverages on 1 June 2025. However, during the second half of the year, these sales accounted for only 0.03% of total alcohol consumption.
“This share will certainly increase as the number of permits for this type of sale grows,” says Björn Trolldal.
Although farm sales currently represent a very small share of total consumption, they introduce a new sales channel into Sweden's alcohol retail system.
How is alcohol consumption measured?
CAN's findings are based on the Monitor surveys, which began in 2000 and have continued since then. CAN has been responsible for conducting these surveys since 2013.
The purpose of the surveys is to estimate total alcohol consumption in Sweden by combining registered and unregistered consumption.
Registered consumption includes alcohol sold through Systembolaget, restaurants and grocery stores (medium-strength beer). Since 2025, farm sales have also been included in this category. These figures are based on documented sales volumes.
Unregistered consumption includes alcohol brought into Sweden by travellers, home-produced alcohol, purchases of smuggled alcohol and online purchases from suppliers other than Systembolaget.
This consumption is estimated through continuous surveys. Since 2020, the surveys have combined self-administered questionnaires and telephone interviews with people aged 17 to 84. Approximately 18,000 people participate each year, and more than 460,000 have participated since the surveys began.
All reported consumption figures are expressed in litres of pure alcohol per inhabitant aged 15 and older.
The findings provide further evidence of the long-term decline in alcohol consumption in Sweden and underline the importance of consistent monitoring of both registered and unregistered alcohol sales.
Sources:
CAN, press release, 15 October 2026:https://via.tt.se/pressmeddelande/4591898/fortsatt-minskad-alkoholkonsumtion?lang=sv&publisherId=3237328
CAN, Alkoholkonsumtionen i Sverige 2001–2025, Report 246:https://www.can.se/publikationer/alkoholkonsumtionen-i-sverige-2001-2025/
