Fewer people in Germany are drinking alcohol, with the number significantly down over the last decade — although alcohol drinkers are still strongly in the majority.
In 2024, 68% of consumers said they drank alcohol, down from 78% in 2015, according to data released Wednesday by the polling institute YouGov.
Younger respondents especially are drinking less often. Among Generation Z, defined as those born in or after 1997, 61% said they drink alcohol. The figure rises to 71% among millennials, born between 1981 and 1996.
“Alcohol is increasingly losing its everyday role,” said YouGov expert Anouk Buskens.
Health concerns were cited by 38% of people who reduced their alcohol consumption over the past five years. Campaigns such as “Dry January” have reinforced the trend, Buskens said, adding that alcohol is being skipped more deliberately, leading consumers to buy alcoholic drinks less often and in smaller quantities.
More people are now using the first month of the year to abstain completely from alcohol. While January has long been a weak sales month for beer, wine, and spirits, YouGov data show a steady decline since 2022. In early 2021, 60.7 million people in Germany bought alcoholic beverages. The number fell to 57.7 million the following year and most recently to 51.2 million.
YouGov only questioned people aged 18 and over. In Germany, however, people as young as 16 are legally allowed to buy and consume beer and wine.
