Dry January increasingly popular in Germany

Figures from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) have revealed that people in Germany purchased 50 percent less alcohol in January 2024 than in December 2023.

Dry Jan on the rise in Germany

An increasing number of people in Germany are opting for a sobering January following a festive period of excess, figures from Destatis suggest.

Alcohol consumption has been declining steadily in Germany for a while now, and while concrete figures of Dry January participation are difficult to find, Destatis data offers some clues.

Consumers in Germany purchased a whopping 50 percent more alcohol in December 2023 than they did in January 2024, the office has found.

Dry January, which challenges people to abstain from drinking alcohol for the first month of every year, was first developed by the UK charity Alcohol Change in 2013. 

An official offshoot campaign in the federal republic, Dry January Germany, was launched by the Blaues Kreuz Deutschland (Blue Cross) in 2023.

General alcohol consumption on the decline in Germany

2023 figures from the Federal Ministry of Health confirm that the long-term trend extends beyond Dry January abstinence. Overall, people in the federal republic drink less beer, wine, sparkling wine and spirits than in 1995.

That said, 55,2 percent of the population regularly drink beer, 50,8 percent regularly drink wine and 32,8 percent have drunk spirits in the past month. In comparison to other countries, however, Germany is still considered a high-consumption country.

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