The key facts

  • India is the only one of the 21 IWSR countries with alcohol consumption growth across all categories (+10% in the first half of 2026)
  • The US (-4%) and China (-3%) drove the overall 1% decline in global consumption
  • IWSR links the decline to the moderation trend, GLP-1 drugs, inflation and the slowdown of China's economy

India leads in growth while the US and China drag the global market down

India has shown the fastest growth in alcohol consumption in the world: in the first half of 2026, volumes in the country increased by 10%. This was reported by The Times of India citing data from IWSR, a research company specializing in analytics of the global alcohol market. India turned out to be the only one of the 21 countries tracked by IWSR where consumption grew across all categories.

What exactly is drunk in India

Strong beer showed the largest increase — +16%. Consumption of ready-to-drink cocktails (RTD) grew by 12%, blended Scotch whisky by 8%, vodka and gin by 6%, Indian whisky by 4%, and rum and brandy (excluding cognac) by 3%. The most noticeable growth — 25% — came in the non-alcoholic beer segment. “India remains one of the most important markets for the global alcohol industry,” said the president and managing director of IWSR Marteen Lodewijks. After India, the fastest-growing markets are Colombia (+9%), South Africa (+5%), Brazil (+3%) and the United Kingdom (+2%).

Why the overall figure declined

The countries on the IWSR list that account for 76% of global alcohol consumptioncollectively drank 1% less — and this decline was entirely driven by two countries: the US (-4%) and China (-3%). Without them, the other countries on the list, on the contrary, increased consumption by 1%. According to Lodewijks, IWSR links the decline in global consumption to the moderation trend and the use of GLP-1-based weight-loss drugs; American consumers are additionally pressured by inflation and tariffs, while Chinese demand is affected by the economic slowdown.