Gen Z has an above-average interest in spirits, and are more eager to try different types of drinks, the report finds.AARON BORTON/The New York Times News Service
Gen Z is as likely to consume alcohol as older drinkers, according to new research by IWSR.
The percentage of Gen Z adults (legal drinking age to 27 years old) who claim to have drunk alcohol in the previous six months increased to 73 per cent in March 2025 from 66 per cent in March 2023 across the 15 markets surveyed.
U.S. wine and spirits off the menu long-term for majority of Canadian drinkers: report
Faced with declining consumption around the world, the alcohol industry feared that consumption was fragmenting along generational lines. Received wisdom suggested the cost of wine and spirits, increasing competition from alternatives such as cannabis and mocktails, and health concerns were leading younger consumers to abandon alcohol.
Richard Halstead, chief operating officer of consumer insights and custom analytics for IWSR (formerly International Wine and Spirits Record), says the survey is a sign that the alcohol producers and retailers are adjusting to a cycle as opposed to facing structural decline. “The good news for the beverage alcohol industry is that, while moderation is set to be a long-term factor, consumption is not in a tailspin.”
The U.S. and Australia are showing the largest increases from 46 per cent to 70 per cent and 61 per cent and 83 per cent respectively, while younger Canadians who reported drinking recently rose from 56 per cent in Spring 2023 to 69 per cent in Spring 2025.
The overall rate of adults who consumed alcohol was 78 per cent. That figure falls to 73 per cent for Canadian adults — the same number from two years ago.
Gen Z’s drinking habits are increasingly in line with the behavior of preceding generations in their 20s, according to the report. They are also more inclined to visit bars, pubs and nightclubs, have an above-average interest in spirits, and are more eager to try different types of drinks.
The IWSR conducts two consumer interest surveys each year in 15 global markets to keep tabs on the global alcohol landscape.
