Total alcoholic beverage available for consumption
Compared with the December 2007 year, the total volume of alcoholic beverage available for consumption during the December 2008 year increased 16.1 million litres (up 3.4 percent), to reach a new high of 486.4 million litres. Contributing to the increase were rises in the volumes of beer, up 10.3 million litres (3.3 percent); spirits, up 3.7 million litres (5.5 percent); and wine, up 2.1 million litres (2.3 percent).
Total pure alcohol available for consumption
The pure alcohol available for consumption time series are a measure of the alcohol content contained within the various alcoholic beverages.
The total volume of pure alcohol available for consumption was 32.1 million litres during 2008, an increase of 4.5 percent compared with the 2007 year. The volume of pure alcohol available from wine increased 2.1 percent (to 10.4 million litres), and for spirits the increase was 9.4 percent (to 8.0 million litres). The total volume of pure alcohol available from beer was 13.6 million litres, a 3.6 percent increase.
The volume of pure alcohol available per person aged 15 years and over increased 3.3 percent from 2007, to reach 9.5 litres. This is the highest volume since 1994.
Beer
Compared with 2007, the volume of beer available for consumption in 2008 rose 3.3 percent, to reach 322.5 million litres. Beer is still the most popular type of alcoholic beverage in New Zealand and it contributed 66.3 percent of the total beverage available for consumption in 2008. Beer's proportion has been in decline since 1992, when its proportion of the total beverage available for consumption was 84.2 percent.
Of the total increase in the volume of beer available for consumption in 2008 (10.3 million litres), the majority was from beer with an alcohol content of between 4.36 and 5 percent, which was up 9.2 million litres from 2007. Beer with an alcohol content of between 2.5 and 4.35 percent increased 1.1 percent for the year. The volumes of beer with an alcohol content of less than 2.5 percent, and beer with an alcohol content of greater than 5 percent, decreased in 2008.
Wine
The total volume of wine available for consumption in 2008 was 94.2 million litres, up 2.3 percent compared with the previous year. Wine contributed 19.4 percent of total alcoholic beverage available in 2008, compared with 19.6 percent in 2007.
Table wine (up to 14 percent alcohol by volume), increased by 2.3 million litres (2.5 percent) in 2008 compared with the previous year, and contributed 99.2 percent of total wine available for consumption.
The volume of fortified wine (greater than 14 percent alcohol by volume), decreased by 193,000 litres (20.2 percent) in 2008.
Spirits and spirit-based drinks
The total volume of spirits and spirit-based drinks available for consumption rose 5.5 percent, to 69.7 million litres during 2008. The rate of increase slowed in 2008 when compared with increases in recent years, with 2008 having the lowest percentage increase since 1999.
Spirits and spirit-based drinks now represent 14.3 percent of the total alcoholic beverage available for consumption. The total share of spirits and spirit-based drinks has increased steadily since 1996.
The volume of spirits (containing more than 23 percent alcohol) available for consumption increased 12.9 percent, to reach 10.5 million litres in 2008.
The availability of spirit-based drinks (containing not more than 23 percent alcohol) continued to rise in 2008, although the rate of increase has slowed compared with the previous three years. The volume available in 2008 (59.2 million litres) was an increase of 2.5 million litres (4.3 percent) when compared with 2007.
In the year ended December 2008, the total volume of pure alcohol available from spirits and spirit-based drinks increased 9.4 percent. The volume of pure alcohol available for consumption from spirits increased 12.9 percent, and that available from spirit-based drinks increased 5.5 percent.
Cigarettes and tobacco
During the December 2008 year, the number of cigarettes available for consumption increased 4.3 percent, to reach 2.5 billion.
The number of cigarettes available for consumption has been gradually increasing since 2004, although this number is still significantly less than the peak in 1977 when there were 6.3 billion cigarettes available.
In 2008, the volume of tobacco available for consumption decreased 3.7 percent, to 870 tonnes, compared with 2007. The tobacco volume has been generally increasing since 1985.
For technical information contact:
Scott Davis or Stuart Jones
Christchurch 03 964 8700
Email: info@stats.govt.nz
Next release ...
Alcohol and Tobacco Available for Consumption: Year ended December 2009 will be released in February 2010.