Beer sales in Switzerland dropped 1,8 percent in 2025

Beer in Switzerland is often seen as an integral part of the culture. Yet figures are increasingly showing that the alpine nation is drinking less beer, and this is having an impact on the country’s brewing industry. 

People in Switzerland are drinking less alcoholic beer

In the 2024/5 brewing year, which runs from October 1 to September 30, beer sales dropped by 1,8 percent compared to 2023/4 and reached 4,72 million hectolitres, according to a Swiss Brewers Association (SBV) press release. When non-alcoholic beers are taken out of the picture, beer sales dropped a further 2,8 percent to 4,37 million hectoliters

Figures suggest that more and more people are turning to alcohol free drinks. Non-alcoholic beer sales increased 13 percent year-on-year to 353.307 hectolitres and now hold a 7,5 percent share of the Swiss beer market.

SBV also revealed that “the craft beer boom is waning”, with people in Switzerland opting for more traditional beer such as lager, pale lager and increasingly pilsner.

People drinking beer at home more often

The brewing industry is currently juggling the challenges of rising brewing costs and changing beer consumer habits. People aged between 14 and 29 years old are spending less time at bars, restaurants, parties and clubs and instead “retreating into their private lives”. As a result, more people are turning to Swiss supermarkets to buy their beers, the SBV report continued.

These changing habits are impacting the hospitality sector, which is suffering from lower beer sales. "Rural restaurants, especially those heavily reliant on beverages, are struggling with dwindling customer numbers and thus fighting for survival."

According to the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking, drinking habits are changing not only in Switzerland but also worldwide. Global alcohol consumption decreased by 12 percent per capita between 2010 and 2022.