The US continues to easily top a key ranking of which countries drink the most wine in terms of total volume. On average, though, people in Portugal drink more wine per person than anywhere else. That’s according to the latest preliminary figures released in April 2025 by the International Organisation for Vine & Wine (OIV).
Top 10 countries that drink the most wine
Here is an updated list of the 10 countries that drink the most wine, according to OIV’s preliminary figures for 2024.
- US: 33.3mhl | Down 5.8% versus 2023
- France: 23mhl | Down 3.6%
- Italy: 22.3mhl | Up 0.1%
- Germany: 17.8mhl | Down 3%
- UK: 12.6mhl | Down 1%
- Spain: 9.6mhl | Up 1.2%
- Russia: 8.1mhl | Up 2.4%
- Argentina: 7.7mhl | Down 1.2%
- Portugal: 5.6mhl | Up 0.5%
- China: 5.5mhl | Down 19.3%
Globally, consumers are buying fewer bottles. World wine consumption fell 3.3% in 2024 to 214 million hectolitres (mhl), its lowest level since 1961, OIV’s preliminary data showed.
A 19% drop in China was significant, but many other major wine-drinking nations also saw a decline.
This reflects long-term shifts in some countries, as well as heightened pressure on household budgets and economic uncertainty, the OIV said.
‘Fifteen of the top 20 markets in the world experienced a reduction in consumption compared to 2023,’ it said, although it added that some countries showed more resilience.
Many industry reports have highlighted the rising popularity of moderation, and also alcohol-free alternatives – including alcohol-free wine.
Which countries drink the most wine per person?
On a per capita basis, Portugal tops the leaderboard by some distance and Switzerland also ranks highly.
The OIV published a list showing consumption per capita in major wine-drinking countries, as of 2024:
- Portugal: 61.1 litres per capita
- Italy: 42.7 litres
- France: 41.5 litres
- Switzerland: 29.7 litres
- Austria: 28.6 litres
- Australia: 24.5 litres
- Germany: 24.5 litres
- Hungary: 24.4 litres
- Spain: 23.8 litres
- UK: 22.3 litres
Italy has pushed France into third place and the UK is much less prominent, despite being the world’s second-largest wine importer, behind Germany.
The US has per capita consumption of 11.8 litres, slightly behind Canada on 13,7 litres and above South Africa, on 9.2 litres, according to the OIV data.
Some traditional wine-producing countries have seen consumption patterns wane from a relatively high level over a long period, with French winemakers having been concerned about falling domestic consumption for decades.
On a per capita basis, wine consumption in France has dropped by around 65% since the 1960s, said an EU Wine Market Observatory report last year.
