Christmas may be a time for festive indulgence, but new research shows that British people are drinking less alcohol than at any point since records began in 1990. According to data from the drinks market analyst IWSR, UK adults consumed an average of 10.2 alcoholic drinks per week in 2024, a decline of more than a quarter from the peak of 14 drinks per week two decades ago.
IWSR president Marten Lodewijks attributed the drop to an ageing population, increased health consciousness, and rising living costs that have made drinking out less affordable. “The population is ageing and older consumers physiologically can’t drink as much,” he told the Financial Times, adding that “elements of health consciousness” and the cost-of-living crisis were also driving the trend.
The decline in drinking is mirrored by a sharp fall in pub attendance. Trade bodies estimate that one pub will close every day in 2025, following more than 400 closures in 2024. Pub owners have told The Independent that the upcoming festive period could be one of the most challenging on record, with many still struggling to recover from the pandemic and what they describe as unhelpful government financial policies.
Alastair Scoular, who has run The Steam Packet Inn on the Isle of Whithorn since 1995, said the situation for rural pubs in Scotland has never been worse. “Usually Christmas in Scotland tends to be a lot busier around the new year, and we’d get quite a few parties in the run-up – but we’ve certainly not had the same number of bookings,” he said. “I used to bank on a certain amount of income to get through January and February, but I’m not this year.”
The Night Time Industries Association’s 2025 consumer survey found that 61 per cent of respondents are going out less, with 68 per cent of young people citing the economic climate as the main reason. Over half (53 per cent) said they are spending less on going out compared with last year, further compounding the pressures on the hospitality sector.
