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Continued rapid rise of alcohol consumption in Sweden

April 28, 2003

Alcohol consumption continues to rise, according to a new study performed by the Center for Social Research on Alcohol and Drugs (SoRAD) at Stockholm University. The Swedish government commissioned SoRAD to monitor the consumption of alcohol in Sweden on a month-to-month basis.

The monitoring started in 2000. The latest mapping indicates continued increased alcohol consumption in Sweden. What is increasing is, on the one hand, sales at state monopoly retail outlets and restaurants and, on the other, alcohol legally brought into or smuggled into the country by travelers.

Increased alcohol consumption:

- The consumption of alcohol in 2002 amounted to 9.9 liters of pure alcohol per inhabitant 15 years of age and older, which is a rise of roughly 24 percent since 1996 and 9 percent since 2001.

·       In percentage terms the biggest increase since 1996 is for wine (69 percent), followed by full-strength beer (62 percent). During the last two years the consumption of spirits has also risen (by 11 percent compared to 2000) and is now on its way back to the same levels as in the middle of the 1990s. The consumption of medium-strength beer has steadily declined since 1996 (-40 percent between 1996 and 2002).

·       In 2002 the consumption of both alcohol registered in Sweden (sales at the monopoly retail outlets, restaurants, and, for medium-strength beer, grocery stores) and unregistered alcohol (that is, hidden statistics) compared with 2001. The greatest increased was at monopoly retail outlets (+0.39 liter of pure alcohol per inhabitant 15 years old and older, or 9 percent), especially their sales of full-strength beer (+10%) and wine (+12%). Restaurant consumption also continued to rise in 2002 (+0.05 liter of pure alcohol, +5%).

·       Furthermore, all three categories of unregistered alcohol rose between 2001 and 2002: travelers bringing alcohol into Sweden (+0.11 liter of pure alcohol, +6%), smuggling (+0.16 liter of pure alcohol, +40%), and home-made alcohol (+0.11 liter of pure alcohol, +26).
·       Travelers' purchases evinced great regional variation. Those regions that are closest to the continent accounted for the highest rates of importing, and those farthest away the lowest. The southernmost county of Scania showed 12 times the rate of traveler purchases than the northernmost counties: repectively, 4.8 and 0.4 liter of pure alcohol per inhabitant 15 years of age and older. What's more, Scania exhibited a relatively large increase between 2001 and 2002 (+18%). All regions in central and northern Sweden showed drops in traveler imports between 2001 and 2002. Scania is the only county in Sweden where the magnitude of traveler imports exceeded that of alcohol sales at monopoly retail outlets in 2002.

Alcohol consumption in 2002
·       Of all alcoholic beverages, wine had the highest rate of consumption in 2002.
·       Expressed in terms of pure alcohol (100%), wine consumption accounted for 39 percent of total alcohol consumption, whereas the consumption of full-strength beer and spirits totaled 27 and 26 percent respectively.
·       The consumption of medium-strength beer accounted for 8 percent of total alcohol consumption.

Where alcoholic beverages were acquired in 2002
·       Sales registered in Sweden at monopoly retail outlets, restaurants, and, for medium-strength beer, grocery stores accounted for 69 percent of total alcohol consumption, expressed in terms of 100 percent alcohol.
·       Travelers' purchases accounted for 19 percent of total consumption.
·       The consumption of home-made and alcoholic beverages smuggled into Sweden represented 5 and 6 percent respectively.

Vetenskapsrådet (The Swedish Research Council)