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Decreased traveler imports of alcohol to Sweden

Decreased traveler imports of alcohol to Sweden

16.10.2025 - The amount of alcohol that Swedes bring back with them when returning from trips abroad has decreased sharply. Between 2019 and 2024, the decline amounted to just over 40 percent. This is shown in a new report from CAN (the Swedish Council for Information on Alcohol and Other Drugs).


“The decline is due to fewer people bringing alcohol home from abroad,” says Björn Trolldal, researcher and analyst at CAN.


It is primarily the import of spirits that has decreased, but the import of wine and strong beer has also gone down during the same period.


“The reason is probably partly the weak Swedish krona, and partly the general economic situation in recent years,” Trolldal continues.


The table below shows total alcohol consumption divided by the share of different sources in 2024, expressed as pure alcohol per inhabitant aged 15 and older.

Source

Share 2024

Systembolaget

72.0%

Restaurants

11.3%

Traveler imports

7.3%

Low-alcohol beer sales

4.0%

Home production

2.4%

Purchase of smuggled alcohol

1.6%

Internet sales*

1.4%

Total

100%

*Systembolaget’s online sales are not included in the internet sales category.


Background

The Monitor surveys began in 2000 and have been conducted continuously since then. Their main purpose is to estimate total alcohol consumption in Sweden and changes between different years.


The surveys compile both registered alcohol sales (Systembolaget, restaurants, and grocery stores) and unregistered consumption, which includes traveler imports, purchases of smuggled alcohol, online purchases, and home production. The unregistered components are captured in a questionnaire survey administered by CAN within the framework of the Monitor surveys. By combining the registered and unregistered data, the surveys provide a picture of total alcohol consumption in Sweden.


Since 2020, data on unregistered alcohol consumption have been based on both self-administered questionnaires and telephone interviews conducted continuously among people aged 17–84 in Sweden. Around 18,000 individuals participate each year. Since the start, more than 410,000 people have taken part. The reported figures are based on pure alcohol per inhabitant aged 15 and older.


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