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Wine, a world-famous and appreciated beverage. But while wine is deeply rooted in French culture, there are other countries where it is less consumed, in favor of other alcoholic beverages such as beer. Let’s take a look at the top wine-consuming countries.
A ranking dominated by Western countries
First of all, it should be pointed out that it’s quite difficult to find recent studies on wine consumption around the world. Data are not easy to reconcile: while it is possible to measure volumes of wine sold, it is more difficult to assess consumption per person.
Using the various studies carried out, here is the ranking of the world’s biggest wine-consuming countries (based on 2019 figures, the most representative before the global epidemic):
1. The United States, with 4.7 billion bottles consumed in one year
2. France, with 3.7 billion bottles consumed in one year
3. Italy, with 2.6 billion bottles consumed in one year
4. Germany
5. United Kingdom
6. China
7. Russia
8. Spain
9. Argentina
10. Australia
The United States is therefore in pole position, with a dominance that has been confirmed for several decades, accounting for 14% of global consumption. On the podium, France and Italy account for 11 and 10% respectively of global consumption.
With the exception of China, Western countries dominate the ranking. In fact, Europe leads the way in terms of pure alcohol consumption per capita per year, accounting for almost half the world’s annual consumption. This is mainly due to the culture of these countries, most of which have important wine-growing regions. The leading wine exporter by volume is Italy, ahead of France. In terms of value, France ranks first, ahead of Italy and Spain. Big producers are big consumers!
Differentiated alcohol consumption
In 2019, global alcohol consumption was split as follows: 50% spirits, 35% beer, 8% wine and 7% other alcohols. But wine consumption accounted for 26% of alcohol consumption in Europe, compared with 12% in the USA and 0.4% in Asia. Wine is consumed more in European countries. However, since 2013, China has become the leading consumer of red wine, overtaking France, Italy, the USA and Germany. Conversely, Asian countries will account for half of the world’s spirits consumption in 2019 (including Japanese sake).
Finally, it’s important to note that there is a particular trend in wine consumption around the world. In France, the trend is for a steady decline in consumption: between 1975 and 2019, wine consumption fell by 61.5% (from 100 liters per person per year to 40 liters). Relatively stable worldwide, wine consumption is on the rise in China, with the emergence of the Chinese middle class.
In short, we may consume less, but we consume better!
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