Retail alcohol sales in Russia hit a record 184.2 million decaliters between January and October 2024, the RBC business news outlet reported Monday, citing data from market regulators.
This marks the highest volume recorded since 2017, when regulators began tracking the data. Sales during this period were 21% higher than between January and October 2017 and 0.8% above the same period in 2023, RBC said.
Vodka led the market, with 62.5 million decaliters sold, slightly higher than 2022 levels. Wine sales reached 46.9 million decaliters, up 0.9% from 2023 and 22.5% higher than in 2017.
Sparkling wine sales saw a significant jump of 10.9% from 2023, totaling 16.3 million decaliters, and 61% more than in 2017. Liqueur and spirits sales also increased, with liqueur sales rising 16.6% to 13.2 million decaliters and whisky, rum, and gin sales up 15.7% to 11.3 million decaliters.
The increase in alcohol consumption coincides with a rise in alcohol dependency rates reported by Russia’s state statistics agency, marking the first such increase in a decade.
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