British Alcoholic Drinks Weaker on Average Since 2022, Study Finds
A University of Sheffield study indicates a notable decrease in alcohol content for beer, wine, and spirits, potentially linked to tax duty changes.
The average alcohol strength of beer and wine in Britain has decreased by approximately one percent since 2022, according to a study from the University of Sheffield. Researchers observed a significant rise in the sales of beers containing less than 3.5 percent alcohol, contributing to an overall reduction in the average alcohol content of beverages.
The study analyzed data from six million alcohol purchases by 30,000 households. It found that before tax and duty adjustments in 2022, the average alcoholic content of all drinks remained stable between 17.2 and 17.7 percent. Following these changes, the average dropped to 16.6 percent by the end of last year. Specifically, the average alcohol content of beer fell from 4.5 percent in 2022 to 4.4 percent in 2025. For wine, it decreased from 12.6 percent to 12.3 percent, and for spirits, from 36.5 percent to 36.2 percent during the same period.
The proportion of beer consumed in Britain that was below 3.5 percent alcohol increased substantially, from three percent to 18.1 percent, now representing nearly one-fifth of the beer market. This shift is associated with new duty laws that encourage brewers to lower their products' alcohol content to benefit from lower taxes.
Researchers suggest that the decline in average product strength could have positive implications for public health, as alcohol is a major risk factor for illness and premature death. The study's lead, Professor Colin Angus, noted evidence indicating that consuming lower-strength drinks tends to result in lower overall alcohol intake. The research team estimates that this reformulation could reduce average alcohol consumption by 2.7 percent since 2022.
Despite these findings, the study acknowledges that alcohol-specific deaths in the UK remain about 25 percent higher than in 2019. The researchers stated that while the timing of the duty reforms and the increased reformulation activity strongly suggest the changes have played a role, they cannot definitively confirm causation. They emphasized that reformulation alone is unlikely to resolve the ongoing high rates of alcohol-related harm.