India is the number 1 country in the world in terms of alcohol consumption. Yes, we are not saying this. Rather, this has been revealed in a report. Citing data from global alcohol research firm IWSR, the TOI report said India has recorded the highest growth in total beverage alcohol (TBA) consumption among the world’s 20 major markets for the third consecutive half. According to the latest half-yearly data from IWSR, TBA volumes in India grew by 7 per cent year-on-year to cross 440 million 9-litre cases during the January-June 2025 period, the media reported. IWSR’s standard measure, a 9-litre case, is equivalent to 12 standard 750 ml bottles. In the spirits sector, Indian whiskey continued to dominate the market, growing by 7 per cent to reach 130 million 9-litre cases. During the same period, vodka increased by 10 percent, rum by 2 percent and gin and jenever by 3 percent.
Left these 20 countries behind
Sarah Campbell, Asia-Pacific Research Head, IWSR, said in a TOI report that Indian whiskey remains the core growth engine for the spirits category in India, which has been possible due to superior quality, growing consumer base and favorable economic conditions. Spirits at the high end of the Standard Value Limit and above are outperforming value spirits, reflecting improvement in quality across domestic distillers. India’s ranking is based on the percentage growth in TBA volumes across all 20 global markets tracked by IWSR, including China, US, Brazil, Russia, Mexico, Germany, Japan, UK, Spain, South Africa, Italy, France, Poland, Philippines, Thailand, Australia, Canada, Colombia and Netherlands.
India can become the 5th largest alcohol market
According to IWSR’s long-term forecast, India is on track to become the 5th largest alcohol market globally by volume, expected to overtake Japan by 2027 and Germany by 2033. The four markets that are expected to be ahead are China, America, Brazil and Mexico. Premium and above alcohol categories in India also outpaced overall growth, with 8 per cent growth in both volume and value in the first half of 2025. Among key segments, ready-to-drink beverages grew by 11 per cent, followed by beer by 7 per cent, spirits by 6 per cent, while wine growth remained stable.
decline in american whiskey
IWSR data has also shown rapid growth in special categories. There has been 23 percent growth in Irish whiskey, 19 percent growth in agave-based spirits. Whereas a decline of 10 percent has been seen in American whiskey. Campbell said in the media report that India is becoming one of the most important global markets for the beverage alcohol industry. He attributed this growth to “continued demand growth across categories and steady trends of premiumisation”. The report further said that Scotch malt made some gains over Indian single malt, blended Scotch remained stable, brandy saw more flavored variants and consolidation in southern states, and flavored vodka continued the growth trend.