On this page

Alcohol consumption has decreased for nearly twenty years

In 2025, recorded alcohol consumption in Finland—comprising on-premise consumption and retail sales—was 6.9 litres of pure alcohol per capita among persons aged 15 and over. No estimate is available for total or unrecorded consumption for 2025.

The long-term trend in total consumption shows a steady decline. In 2024, total consumption was roughly at the same level as in the 1970s, although the figures are not fully comparable in terms of unrecorded consumption. Recorded consumption has decreased almost every year since 2008. Although the exact level of total consumption cannot currently be determined, the development in recorded consumption in 2025 indicates that alcohol use has continued to decline.

Consumption of alcoholic beverages as 100% alcohol per capita aged 15 and over, 1960–2025 (total consumption and unrecorded consumption 1960–2024), litres
Year Total consumption Recorded consumption Unrecorded consumption
1960 3,7 2,7 1
3,9 2,9 1
4 3 1
4,1 3,1 1
4,1 3,1 1
1965 4,3 3,3 1
4,5 3,5 1
4,6 3,6 1
4,9 3,9 1
6,4 5,7 0,7
1970 6,5 5,8 0,7
7,1 6,4 0,7
7,6 6,8 0,8
8,2 7,4 0,8
9,1 8,4 0,7
1975 9 8 1
9 8,1 0,9
9,2 8,2 1
8,9 7,9 1
9 7,8 1,2
1980 9 7,9 1,1
9,3 8 1,3
9,2 7,9 1,3
9,3 7,9 1,4
9,5 8,1 1,4
1985 9,4 8 1,4
9,9 8,5 1,4
10,2 8,8 1,4
10,4 9 1,4
10,9 9,4 1,5
1990 11 9,5 1,5
10,8 9,2 1,6
10,3 8,9 1,4
10 8,4 1,6
9,8 8,2 1,6
1995 11 8,3 2,7
10,6 8,2 2,4
10,9 8,6 2,3
10,8 8,6 2,2
10,7 8,6 2,1
2000 9,81 8,6 1,18
10,03 9 1,08
10,36 9,2 1,12
10,37 9,3 1,07
11,79 9,9 1,89
2005 12,06 10 2,11
11,79 10,1 1,65
12,04 10,5 1,59
11,9 10,3 1,65
11,72 10 1,76
2010* 11,48 9,7 1,76
11,55 9,8 1,74
10,96 9,3 1,69
11,02 9,1 1,94
10,6 8,8 1,84
2015 10,28 8,5 1,75
10,27 8,4 1,83
9,96 8,4 1,6
10,05 8,4 1,7
9,76 8,2 1,6
2020 9,24 8,2 1,05
8,98 8,1 0,84
8,9 7,649 1,25
8,7 7,4 1,2
8,3 7,2 1,1
2025** 6,9

Beer is the most common alcoholic beverage

Beer continues to account for the largest share of alcohol sold domestically, representing nearly half of recorded consumption. Wine and spirits are the next largest beverage groups.

Consumption of ready-to-drink beverages (mixed drinks) has increased since 2018, and their share of recorded consumption has grown steadily.

Retail is the most common procurement channel

In Finland, alcohol is mainly purchased from retail outlets. In 2025, retail sales through grocery stores and Alko accounted for 87% of recorded consumption (i.e. domestic sales). The share of alcohol consumed in restaurants has declined over the past slightly more than twenty years. In the early 2000s, restaurants accounted for around 20% of total consumption, compared with 11% in 2024.

Break in the statistics for passenger imports and online purchases

The data collection method for passenger imports and online purchases of alcohol changed at the beginning of 2025. The previous monitoring, based on telephone interviews, has been replaced by an internet panel. The estimates produced by the panel are not comparable with statistics from previous years.
Due to the methodological change, data on passenger imports and online purchases will not be published as part of the Official Statistics of Finland for the statistical years 2025–2027. Estimates for these years will be published as separate THL Working Papers. Based on external sources, there is reason to believe that the internet panel produces estimates higher than the actual level; therefore, the results should be treated with caution. External sources refer to, among others, estimates by the Estonian Institute of Economic Research regarding the amount of alcohol purchased by Finnish tourists.

Read more:

Jääskeläinen et al. (2025): Selvitys alkoholin matkustajatuonnin ja verkko-ostamisen aineiston tiedonkeruumenetelmän muutoksesta ja sen vaikutuksesta. [Report on the change in the data collection method for passenger imports and online purchases of alcohol and their impact]. [Only in Finnish]

About the data in more detail

Background information

Source

Consumption of alcoholic beverages 2025.
Statistical Report 19/2026, 2 June 2026.
Official Statistics of Finland, Consumption of alcoholic beverages. THL.

Description of the Statistics

The statistics include data on recorded and unrecorded consumption of alcohol at the national level. The statistics also contain information on the structure of alcohol consumption, regional sales, and the distribution network for alcoholic beverages.

Data on recorded consumption (e.g. domestic sales of alcoholic beverages) is obtained from the Alcoholic Beverage Administration Register maintained by the Finnish Supervisory Agency (LVV). Data on the sales of alcoholic beverages are collected at the municipal and national aggregate levels.

Data on unrecorded consumption are based on weekly monitoring of passenger imports and alcoholic beverages purchased from abroad via the internet, conducted by Verian (formerly Kantar Public). Data on unrecorded consumption will not be available for the years 2025–2027. The data collection method has changed at the beginning of 2025, and the results are not comparable with previous years. Results will be published separately annually but not as part of the official statistics or as part of total alcohol consumption.

Update schedule

The Consumption of alcoholic beverages statistics are published annually in the spring following the statistical year. A more detailed publication date can be found in the publication calendar for statistics.
Statistics publication calendar

Contact details

Marke Jääskeläinen

Development Manager
tel. +358 29 524 7654
[email protected]

Updated: