New Zealanders drink less alcohol: statistics

The number of standard drinks of alcohol per person available for consumption declined to 1.96 per day in 2022, a fall of 1 percent, the statistics department Stats NZ said on Monday.

This is the lowest number of standard drinks of alcohol available per person in the last 15 years, international trade manager Alasdair Allen said.

The total volume of spirits available increased 3.2 percent in 2022 to 103 million liters, while the volume of wine available dropped 5.9 percent to 101 million liters. This continues the trend seen over the last two years, Allen said.

Mid-strength beers available have seen a long-term decline with alcohol content between 2.5 and 4.35 percent beer and an increase in 4.35 to 5 percent beer, he said.

Beer with alcohol content from 2.5 to 4.35 percent decreased 21 percent to 76 million liters in 2022, while beer with alcohol content from 4.35 to 5 percent increased 26 percent to 177 million liters, statistics show.

Overall, the total volume of beer available was little changed in 2022 with 294 million liters available for consumption. Both low- and high-strength beers declined, Allen said.

Beer with alcohol content of up to 2.5 percent decreased 12 percent to 6.9 million liters, while beer with alcohol content of more than 5 percent decreased 29 percent to 34 million liters, he said.