OREANDA-NEWS In the first three quarters, total beer sales in Russia decreased by almost 17 percent compared to the same period in 2024. A sharp decrease in the sale of this alcoholic beverage in the country is reported by RBC Wine, citing data from Rosalokoltabakkontrol (RATK).

A total of 462.3 million barrels of beer were sold in Russia during the reporting period. For comparison, in January-September last year, the figure was at the level of 556.5 million. Thus, over the year, sales of the popular alcoholic beverage in the country sank by 94.2 million dal, or 16.9 percent, the department concluded.

Retail beer sales in Russia have been steadily declining for all three quarters. In January-March, sales decreased by 13 percent year-on—year, and by 16.3 percent in the first half of 2025. Experts called the noticeable rise in price of this alcoholic beverage the main reason for such dynamics.

Analysts considered the change in excise rates to be another factor affecting retail beer sales. If by the end of 2024 this alcoholic beverage in the country rose in price within the limits of inflation (by about 7-9 percent), then at the beginning of 2025 the price increase noticeably accelerated. Another reason was the increase in import duties on products from unfriendly countries, which have increased 10—fold since January, from 0.1 to 1 euro per liter. All this pushes beer prices up in Russia and leads to a noticeable drop in demand in the domestic market, experts concluded.