Per capita consumption of alcohol in Finland 1960-2019

In 2019, per capita consumption of alcohol in Finland was 8.4 liters per capita, measured in liters of pure alcohol. Compared to the previous year, alcohol consumption declined by 0.3 liters per person. Alcohol consumption peaked at 10.5 liters in 2005 but dropped below ten liters in 2012 and has steadily decreased since then. In 1970, per capita consumption of alcohol in Finland was measured at 4.8 liters.

Changing drinking habits

Finnish alcohol consumption reached its record levels by 2005 but has decreased by roughly a fifth since then. While total alcohol consumption has seen a steady declining trend, drinking habits among Finns remain polarized. Compared to other European countries, Finnish people still drink large quantities of alcohol in one go, although binge drinking has somewhat decreased. In general, interest in milder alcoholic beverages is increasing and young people are drinking less than previous generations. While strong alcoholic beverage consumption has decreased over the past decades, wine consumption has increased. Even so, beer is still the most popular alcoholic beverage among Finns. It accounted for nearly 50 percent of the total consumption of different alcoholic beverages in 2019.

Alko

In all the Nordic countries, except for Denmark, sales of alcoholic beverages are strictly controlled by the state retailing monopolies. Alko is the only chain of stores in Finland selling beer containing over 5.5 percent alcohol by volume, wine, and spirits. The company is fully owned by the Finnish government and controlled by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. Alko was founded in 1932 and ever since, the company has retained its alcohol sales monopoly based social and health policy objectives. In 2019, Alko generated roughly 1.14 billion euros in revenue. That year, the company operated 362 stores and 100 pick-up points across the country.