FinExpertiza: in 2022, Russians began to drink more strong alcohol

The consumption of strong alcohol in Russia in 2022 increased by 7.5%, according to the data of the audit company FinExpertiza. On average, over the past year, one person accounted for 6.8 liters. Wine consumption, on the contrary, decreased by 5.5% to 6.2 liters per inhabitant of the country per year. Beer consumption remained stable, with sales dropping by only 0.06% in 2022 to 52.2 liters per person.

At the same time, beer consumption increased in 53 Russian regions. Over the past year, residents of the Jewish Autonomous Region bought 1.8 times more beer than the national average (93.2 liters per person per year). In the Murmansk and Sakhalin regions, each person accounted for 87.4 and 83.8 liters of beer.

The inhabitants of Ingushetia consume the least amount of beer: only 0.4 liters per person living in the region per year, which is 130 times less than in the country. Beer sales in Chechnya in 2022 amounted to 1.6 liters per person, in Dagestan – 5.5 liters, in Kabardino-Balkaria – 6.2 liters.

According to the FinExpertiza materials, retail sales of strong alcohol increased in most regions of Russia compared to 2021. The leaders in the consumption of vodka, cognac and other spirits in 2022 were mainly northern regions with a harsh climate. So, in Karelia, one person accounted for an average of 15.5 liters of strong alcohol per year, in the Sakhalin region – 14.9 liters, in Komi – 14.6 liters.

The sales of vodka and cognac grew due to the smallest increase in prices over the past year relative to wine and beer. In addition, Aghvan Mikayelyan, member of the Board of Directors of FinExpertiza, noted that drinking alcohol is traditionally perceived by many people as the easiest and most affordable way to reduce anxiety and stress. According to the company, by mid-2022, Russians’ spending on alcohol, tobacco products and sweets has increased by a fifth.

Milena Kostereva