New Zealand: Total volume of beer available for consumption drops 1.7% in 2020

The total volume of alcoholic drinks available for consumption in New Zealand was little changed in 2020, up 0.8 percent, following a rise of 1.7 percent in 2019, the statistics department Stats NZ reported on February 25.

The total volume of beer available fell 1.7 percent in 2020. The fall this year contrasted with rises of 1.6 percent in 2019, and 1.4 percent in 2018, Stats NZ said.

"The volume of beer available was down across most of the alcoholic content categories, with the exception of high-strength beer", international trade manager Alasdair Allen said.

"The volume of wine available to the New Zealand market was up 4.3 percent in 2020, in contrast to falls in each of the previous two years," Allen added.