Sales of alcohol declined for the fourth straight year in 2024-25, according to a Statistics Canada report released Wednesday.
From April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025, sales dropped by three per cent to 2,898 million litres on a volume basis, marking the fourth consecutive year volume sales have declined.
This was also reported as “the largest annual decrease since Statistics Canada began tracking this series in 2004/2005.”
Liquor authorities and other retail outlets “sold $25.8 billion worth of alcoholic beverages in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, down 1.6 per cent from fiscal year 2023/2024.”
This decrease happened despite a 1.6 per cent increase “in the price of alcoholic beverages in stores from March 2024 to March 2025.”
Value of beer sales drops
The overall dollar value of beer sales by liquor stores, agencies and other retail outlets dropped 1.6 per cent to $9.1 billion in the 2024-25 fiscal year.
By volume, beer sales declined 3.8 per cent to 1,876 million litres in 2024-25, the ninth consecutive annual drop in beer sales by volume.
However, beer held its position as the top-selling beverage category in 2024-25; its market share went unchanged from a year earlier at just over one-third (35.1 per cent) of total sales.
Following the tariffs imposed by the U.S. on aluminum and steel, Canadian breweries have noted a struggle with producing beer cans in Canada, as the country switched gears from U.S.-reliant supply chains and as consumers double down on the “Buy Canadian” sentiment.
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In addition, American alcohol was removed from the shelves of many provincial liquor stores in response to the first round of tariffs levied by U.S. President Donald Trump on March 4, 2025.
Ontario imported roughly $965 million worth of booze from America before the ban.
As a result, roughly $2 million worth of U.S. products have either expired or will expire in the next few months. Most of those products, according to the government, are beer, ready-to-drink beverages and wine.
Sales of imported wine decline for the first time
Wine sales fell 2.2 per cent to $7.7 billion in 2024-25, which was driven by a decline in imported wine sales (-3.9 per cent). Imported wine accounted for 70 per cent of total wine sales.
The report noted that “this was the first time imported wine sales have decreased since Statistics Canada began tracking alcohol sales by origin in 1992/1993.”
Domestic wine sales were found to be stable, increasing 1.9 per cent to $2.3 billion.
This was the fourth consecutive year of decline for wine sales by volume, equalling 460 million litres.
Ontario (-5.3 per cent) and Quebec (-4.3 per cent) saw the largest declines in imported wine sales in 2024-25.
Spirits sales also took a dive
Total sales of spirits dropped 3.2 per cent to $6.7 billion in 2024-25. Whisky (29.6 per cent), vodka (22.9 per cent) and liqueurs (15.4 per cent) were the top-selling spirits by share of total sales.
Overall, sales of spirits by volume decreased by 4.4 per cent to 177 million litres in 2024-25.
However, spirits were found to be the top seller in the Northwest Territories (44.1 per cent) and British Columbia (30.8 per cent).
Ciders and coolers lone beverage to see growth
For the second straight year, ciders and coolers were the sole alcoholic beverage category with increased sales.
Sales of ciders and coolers rose 4.8 per cent from the previous fiscal year to $2.4 billion in 2024-25, seeing increases in nine provinces and two territories but down in British Columbia (-2.0 per cent) and Yukon (-1.8 per cent).
The volume of ciders and coolers sold also rose by 2.2 per cent to 385 million litres.
Cannabis sales are growing
Despite the sales of alcohol tanking across the country, cannabis sales are rising.
The report also evaluates the sales of cannabis in Canada, finding that recreational cannabis garnered $2.5 billion in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, up 11.5 per cent.
Sales of recreational cannabis by provincial cannabis authorities and other retail outlets also increased 6.1 per cent, rising $0.3 billion from the previous fiscal year to $5.5 billion in 2024-25.
Yukon was found to have the highest sales per person with an average of $384, while Quebec had the lowest with $105.
Quebec’s lower sales partly reflect restrictions in effect during the fiscal year, including a ban on cannabis vaping products and topicals, as well as limited edible offerings.
Canada is doing things wrong. When the Soviet Union made lives miserable for their citizens, they made Vodka cheap to distract the people. In Canada when they make the citizens miserable and poor, they tax booze more. Canada can’t get anything right.
Because a lot of alcoholics are dead and weed is cheaper
Excuse me, why are they returning to shelves? This is the first I’m hearing of it, guess we the People will have to take matters, and baseball bats, into our own hands
Bob that’s what you think…
No more US booze.
This article failed to mention anything about the sober curious movement which is no doubt part of the decline.
Lots of stats, no analysis, some implications. Great story.
Muslims don’t drink!
Somewhere along the line we got our priorities bungled.
Prudence is one of the Seven Cardinal Virtues..
Huh?
Cardinal Virtues? Cardinal Sins?
Woe … begone dull care.
Nevertheless. Righteousness always prevails…and when we are ready…
The trolls coming for you James!
who can afford 34 bucks for a case of beer or 30 bucks for a 26er,the government tells people to quit smoking,and they do,so where are they going to make up the tax deficit, booze
Too expensive, too much tax! Recently in Arizona and purchased 12-pack of Moosehead Radler beer from Nova Scotia for $10.99 USD (about $15 CDN). Back in BC and same 12-pack cost $32.99 CDN…Yikes!
Nobody can *afford* booze anymore, because our wages never grow and our costs never shrink.
No mention of the 45 – 50% tax of the retail price Canadians pay for beer or spirits. Another example of the excellent reporting by the propaganda ministry known as Global, CTV and CBC.
Too expensive due to Trump destroying global economy
I drink man milk most nights down here on the rail trail keeps me raging about Trump
Sounds like bootlegging is making a comeback.
Good, alcohol is bad for you
How much did their loss due to theft go up during the same period? I bet there is a correlation between the two. People aren’t buying – they are taking.
Who can afford to buy it with all the taxes and fees that are added on at the cash out
The only people in the country that can afford to drink are the politicians. Ask Carney about premium wines and the accompanying cuisine he enjoys regularly
My bet is that the amount of $ that Canadians spent importing their own US booze went up by a proportionally similar amount
Please do i love the taste xoxoxo.
James Bilo-Slow, i will send you a cup of my nut milk.
Chug that bottom-feeder. Lol
You all need to send me money so I can keep being a racist human
I am sure the Elbows Up crew will find a way to blame someone else
They always do
If everyone cut back on booze, we’d need fewer police for domestic calls.
Elbows up losers!