Overview
- Only Italy posts cheaper alcohol prices in the EU at roughly 19% below the average, while Finland is the most expensive at 110% above.
- Non‑alcoholic drinks in Germany were priced about 2% above the EU mean, with Latvia leading on price levels for soft drinks, partly due to a sugar tax.
- Germany’s per‑capita consumption stood at 11.2 liters of pure alcohol in 2022, down from 12.1 liters a decade earlier and ranking ninth alongside France and Portugal.
- The figures were released during Dry January, with health insurers touting abstinence benefits and the hospitality sector noting more restrained orders from guests.
- Coverage highlights tax policy as a key driver of price differences, noting Germany’s low alcohol levies, no excise on wine, and a beer tax unchanged since 1993.