Alcohol market in Romania - statistics & facts

The Romanian alcohol market registered an increase in revenue of only 0.35 percent in 2021; fortunately, a promising recovery in 2022 is expected. The impact of COVID-19 on the country’s alcohol market can also be observed in terms of sales volume and consumption. If in 2019 alcohol sales peaked at 2.08 billion liters, in 2020 the volume dropped by approximately 130 million liters. Overall, the forecast is rather discouraging, expecting alcohol sales volume of only 2.02 billion liters by 2025.

Alcohol consumption in Romania

As previously mentioned, the COVID-19 pandemic also impacted the country’s alcohol market in terms of consumption. Under the new circumstances, Romanian consumers began to drink more alcoholic beverages at home. As a result, the annual alcohol consumption per capita in Romania increased to 10.38 liters of pure alcohol in 2021. The consumers especially favor beer and wine products. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that annual beer consumption per capita increased by 16 percent since 2014, totaling 86 liters in 2019.
According to the International Organization of Vine and Wine, in 2020, Romania figured among countries with the highest wine consumption in the world. The country’s annual wine consumption amounted to 3.8 million hectoliters that year. Wine is mainly perceived as a noble drink, often preferred for dinner occasions and good companies. In 2020, Romanians favored red wine — specifically Feteasca Neagră, a Romanian variety with a black currant flavor, which acquires a strong and pleasant taste with aging.

Cider segment

The cider segment has had a powerful development over the last few years. The country’s cider segment value nearly doubled since 2016, amounting to 280 million Romanian lei in 2019. In 2015, Heineken entered the cider market in Romania and introduced its Strongbow brand. Four years later, Strongbow was the most sold cider brand, holding a 36.9 percent market share. By 2019, Heineken owned three of the five best-selling cider brands in the country: Stongbow, Cidru Mândru, and Old Mout Cider.

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