SWEDEN

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Overview

Sweden retains one of Europe’s most comprehensive alcohol control systems. Its main pillars are the state retail monopoly Systembolaget, relatively high excise duties, separate age limits for retail purchase and licensed serving, restricted retail hours, municipal licensing of alcohol serving, and strict rules on marketing. The purpose of the model is to limit alcohol-related harm by reducing commercial pressure and controlling price and physical availability.

The core model remains in place, but the last two years have brought important changes. Small-scale farm sales began in June 2025, creating a tightly limited exception to Systembolaget’s retail monopoly. In June 2026, Sweden removed the requirement that premises serving alcohol must also have their own kitchen and serve food. From July 2026, reduced excise rates were extended to qualifying independent small producers of wine, cider and other fermented drinks, intermediate products and spirits. These reforms have increased access in selected settings while leaving Systembolaget’s nationwide monopoly as the dominant off-premise channel.

Total alcohol consumption is on a moderate downward trend. CAN’s preliminary estimate for 2025 is about 8.2 litres of pure alcohol per resident aged 15 or older, 2.6 percent less than in 2024 and 8.9 percent less than in 2019. Final 2025 figures are due in October 2026.

Political situation

Sweden is governed by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of the Moderate Party, who took office on 18 October 2022. The government is a minority coalition of the Moderate Party, Christian Democrats and Liberals. The Sweden Democrats are not part of the cabinet but cooperate with the government in the Riksdag under the Tidö Agreement, which remains the basis for the government’s parliamentary cooperation.

Sweden will hold elections to the Riksdag, regional councils and municipal councils on 13 September 2026. At the time of this update, the country is therefore entering the final stage of the electoral period. The government’s wider agenda has focused strongly on crime, migration, energy, economic growth, healthcare and welfare services. The Social Democrats remain the largest parliamentary party and lead the opposition.

Jakob Forssmed of the Christian Democrats is Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health and has political responsibility for public-health issues, including alcohol prevention. The government’s recent alcohol-policy decisions combine continued support for Systembolaget with selective liberalisation. Farm sales were introduced for qualifying small producers in 2025, restaurant food and kitchen requirements were removed in 2026, and reduced excise duties were expanded for independent small producers. These changes improve conditions for producers and licensed businesses, but they do not remove the state retail monopoly or the main national age, licensing and marketing controls.

Alcohol policy is divided across several levels. Parliament sets the Alcohol Act and excise legislation. The national government owns Systembolaget and defines its public-service mandate. The Public Health Agency of Sweden provides national supervision and guidance, while municipalities issue serving and farm-sales permits and supervise local compliance. Regions provide healthcare, and municipalities have responsibilities for social services and support.

The most recently published national strategy for alcohol, narcotic drugs, doping, tobacco and nicotine products, and gambling covered 2022 to 2025. Its objective was a society free from narcotic drugs and doping, with reduced medical and social harm from alcohol and gambling, and reduced use of tobacco and nicotine products. As of July 2026, a successor strategy had not been published. Prevention funding and agency work continue, but the 2022 to 2025 document should no longer be described as a current strategy. This leaves the longer-term national framework awaiting clarification after the strategy period and shortly before the general election.

Recent policy developments

Farm sales began in 2025

On 1 June 2025, Sweden introduced a time-limited system of direct alcohol sales by qualifying small-scale independent producers. The reform is scheduled to run until 31 May 2031 and must be evaluated before any decision on continuation.

Farm sales are not ordinary retail sales. A municipal permit is required, and the customer must take part in a paid, knowledge-enhancing visitor arrangement connected to the producer and the drink. The arrangement must last at least 30 minutes and include information about alcohol-related harm. Sales are limited to the producer’s own products and take place at the production or cultivation site.

At a single visit, each customer may buy no more than:

The purchase age is 20. Municipalities determine permitted sales hours within the national framework. CAN reported that 150 farm-sales permits had been granted during 2025. Sales volumes were not yet available for the preliminary national consumption estimate, but CAN assessed the channel as too small to change the overall finding that consumption declined in 2025.

The reform is politically significant because it is the first domestic producer-sales exception to the modern Systembolaget model. The government has argued that its narrow design is compatible with EU law and preserves the monopoly. Public health organisations and some legal experts have argued that it could weaken the monopoly or create legal risks. At present, the accurate description is that farm sales are operating as a limited six-year trial while Systembolaget remains the dominant and legally protected retail channel.

Food and kitchen requirements for serving permits were removed in 2026

From 1 June 2026, Sweden abolished the statutory requirements for a premises serving alcohol to have its own kitchen, provide food, maintain a specified number of dining seats, and comply with the former rules for drink-bar space. The own-kitchen requirement for catering permits and the food-service requirement for serving folk beer were also removed.

Municipal serving permits, age controls, suitability tests, supervision, and rules on order and sobriety remain. The change nevertheless lowers an important barrier to entry for bars and other venues whose main business is not food. Parliament approved the reform in May 2026. The government has stated that its effects should be monitored and evaluated.

Reduced excise duty for independent small producers

Reduced alcohol excise for beer from independent small breweries began on 1 July 2025. On 1 July 2026, the scheme was extended to wine, other fermented beverages such as cider, intermediate products and spirits made by qualifying independent small producers in Sweden or abroad.

The reduction depends on annual production and ranges from 10 to 50 percent below the ordinary rate. The maximum 50 percent reduction applies to the smallest production bands. The eligibility ceilings are 3 million litres of beer, 100,000 litres of wine, 1.5 million litres of other fermented drinks, 25,000 litres of intermediate products, and 1,000 litres of pure alcohol for spirits. Independence, licensing and separation conditions apply.

This is a producer-based tax reduction. It does not change the ordinary excise rates shown below for products that do not qualify.

Alcohol consumption trends in Sweden

CAN’s Monitor surveys combine registered sales with estimates of unregistered acquisition. Registered consumption includes Systembolaget, restaurants, folk beer and, from June 2025, farm sales. Unregistered consumption includes travellers’ imports, home production, smuggled alcohol and distance purchases from suppliers other than Systembolaget.

The preliminary estimate for 2025 is about 8.2 litres of pure alcohol per resident aged 15 or older. This was 2.6 percent below the final 2024 figure of 8.40 litres and 8.9 percent below the methodologically comparable 2019 estimate of 8.98 litres.

Registered consumption was about 7.2 litres in 2025, or approximately 88 percent of the total. Systembolaget accounted for 5.86 litres and around 72 percent of total consumption. Restaurant sales were estimated at about 1.0 litre, and folk beer at about 0.3 litres.

Unregistered consumption was just over 1.0 litre, around 12 percent of the total. Travellers’ imports were just under 0.6 litres. Compared with 2019, total unregistered consumption was about 45 percent lower and travellers’ imports about 46 percent lower. Cross-border online purchases increased in 2025, but remained a small part of the total.

Wine remained the largest beverage category in 2025, with a preliminary 43.2 percent of total consumption. Strong beer accounted for 32.3 percent, spirits for 18.2 percent, folk beer for 4.0 percent, and cider and mixed drinks for 2.3 percent.

Consumption graph, 2010 to 2025

The accompanying graph uses CAN’s total-consumption series. Values from 2010 to 2018 use the earlier Monitor method. CAN changed the survey method in 2019 and produced an old-method and a new-method estimate for that year. The graph uses the new-method 2019 figure so that 2019 to 2025 are comparable. The break should remain visible in the caption, because the pre-2019 and post-2019 levels are not fully comparable. The 2025 value is preliminary and rounded to one decimal.

The consumption measure is total alcohol acquired for consumption in Sweden, expressed as litres of pure alcohol per resident aged 15 or older. It combines administrative sales data with survey-based estimates of unregistered sources. CAN changed the Monitor survey method in 2019. The 2019 to 2025 estimates use the new method and are comparable with one another, but they are not fully comparable with the 2010 to 2018 series. The 2025 total is preliminary, rounded to one decimal, and excludes farm-sales volumes that were not yet available. CAN plans to publish final 2025 figures in October 2026.

Drinking patterns

CAN’s 2025 adult survey found that 85 percent of people aged 18 to 84 had consumed alcohol during the previous 12 months, down from 89 percent in 2013. Weekly drinking also declined, from 48 percent in 2013 to 39 percent in 2025. Weekly drinking was more common among men than women and increased with age.

Heavy episodic drinking remains common. In 2025, 53 percent of adults reported at least one occasion during the year when they consumed an amount of pure alcohol equivalent to a bottle of wine. The share was 62 percent among men and 44 percent among women. Nineteen percent reported such drinking at least once a month.

Just over 10 percent met the survey criteria for at least mild alcohol use disorder in 2025. This was a screening-based population estimate, not a count of clinical diagnoses. The proportion was highest among young adults and higher among men overall. The estimate declined from 12 percent in 2017 to about 10 percent in 2025.

Socialstyrelsen’s clinical threshold for risk use is 10 or more Swedish standard drinks per week, or 4 or more standard drinks on one occasion at least monthly. One standard drink contains 12 grams of pure alcohol. These thresholds guide healthcare and dental services on when support may be relevant. They are not a definition of risk-free drinking.

Young people

Alcohol use among Swedish school students is much lower than it was in the 1990s and 2000s, although the long decline has levelled off in recent years.

In CAN’s national school survey for 2025, 36 percent of students in grade 9 and 67 percent of students in the second year of upper secondary school reported drinking alcohol during the previous 12 months. CAN notes that Swedish students remain below the European average on several alcohol indicators.

The age limits and Systembolaget’s refusal rules are central youth-protection measures. It is illegal to sell or provide folk beer to anyone under 18, to serve alcohol to anyone under 18 in licensed premises, or to sell alcohol at Systembolaget or through farm sales to anyone under 20. Supplying alcohol to minors remains an important enforcement and prevention issue.

Alcohol taxation

Sweden applies beverage-specific excise duties and 25 percent VAT to spirits, wine and beer stronger than folk beer. The ordinary excise rates below have applied since 1 January 2024 and remained current in July 2026.

Sweden does not have a statutory minimum unit price. Final Systembolaget prices include the supplier’s price, alcohol excise, Systembolaget’s markup and VAT. Because excise is structured differently by beverage, equal amounts of pure alcohol are not taxed equally across all product categories.

Alcohol availability

Systembolaget

Systembolaget is a state-owned company with the exclusive right to conduct most retail sales of spirits, wine, strong beer, other fermented alcoholic beverages and alcohol-like preparations. Its mandate is public-health based. It must operate without a profit-maximising sales incentive and apply transparent, objective and brand-neutral purchasing and sales rules.

At the end of 2025, Systembolaget had 452 stores and 456 agents and was represented in all 290 municipalities. Home delivery was also available to most of the population. The purchase age is 20, and staff must refuse a sale if there is reason to suspect onward supply to a minor or if the customer appears intoxicated.

Typical maximum opening hours are 10:00 to 20:00 on weekdays and 10:00 to 15:00 on Saturdays. Stores are closed on Sundays. Actual hours vary by store and day.

In 2025, 66.6 percent of respondents to Systembolaget’s opinion survey supported retaining the company and its monopoly. Customer satisfaction was 81.8 on its index.

Folk beer

Folk beer is beer above 2.25 percent and no more than 3.5 percent alcohol by volume. It may be sold in ordinary food retail outlets that meet the legal requirements and notify the municipality. The minimum purchase age is 18. Beer above 3.5 percent is strong beer and is sold for off-premise consumption through Systembolaget, apart from the limited farm-sales exception.

Restaurants, bars and other licensed premises

Serving spirits, wine, strong beer and other fermented alcoholic beverages generally requires a municipal permit. The minimum serving age is 18. Municipalities assess personal and financial suitability, knowledge of alcohol law and the risk of disorder or harm.

The June 2026 reform removed national food, own-kitchen, dining-seat and drink-bar design requirements. It did not remove the permit system or the duty to maintain order and sobriety. Municipalities continue to determine permitted serving hours. In the absence of a different municipal decision, the Alcohol Act’s normal framework is 11:00 to 01:00.

Distance sales and imports

Individuals may bring alcohol into Sweden for personal use under EU rules. Cross-border distance sales can also be lawful when Swedish tax and delivery requirements are met. These channels sit outside Systembolaget’s direct sales network and are included in CAN’s estimate of unregistered consumption, except for Systembolaget’s own online sales.

Alcohol advertising

Swedish alcohol marketing is restricted but not completely prohibited.

The Alcohol Act requires “particular moderation”. Marketing may not be intrusive, solicitous or encourage alcohol use. It may not specifically target or depict people under 25.

Commercial alcohol advertising is prohibited in Swedish television broadcasts, on-demand television and radio broadcasts. Video-sharing platforms may not place such advertising before, during or after user-generated videos or television programmes.

In commercial advertisements, images may show only the product, ingredients, individual packages, or a trademark or comparable sign. Commercial advertisements for drinks above 15 percent alcohol are prohibited in periodical publications and comparable printed publications, except material available only at the point of sale. Permitted periodical advertisements must state the alcohol content, may not present high strength positively, and must carry an approved health information text. The 15 percent rule is therefore a restriction on periodical advertising, not a general ban on all marketing of stronger beverages.

The Consumer Agency and Consumer Ombudsman supervise consumer marketing. Municipalities and the Public Health Agency have roles under alcohol legislation, while the Swedish Broadcasting Authority supervises relevant media rules.

Prevention, healthcare and support

Sweden combines population-level controls with local prevention, healthcare and social support. The Public Health Agency coordinates national knowledge and monitoring. County administrative boards support regional and municipal prevention, licensing and supervision. Municipalities work with schools, nightlife settings, social services and permit holders. Regions provide healthcare, including screening, brief intervention and specialist dependence treatment.

Socialstyrelsen’s 2024 national guidelines recommend counselling or more intensive counselling when alcohol use is connected with a health problem, with particular priority for people at increased medical risk, people preparing for surgery, pregnant women and young people.

Alcohol-related harm remains unequally distributed. Population averages hide higher burdens among people with harmful use, dependence and social disadvantage. CAN reported that alcohol-related mortality recorded in Socialstyrelsen’s cause-of-death database fell by 13 percent between 2023 and 2024, broadly in line with the recent fall in consumption. A single annual change should nevertheless be interpreted cautiously.

Alcohol policy timeline