- Now an alcohol-free drink consumed by every generation
- Consumption Trend Analysis
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When we talk about non-alcoholic beverages, we naturally tend to think of Gen Z.
Young consumers who drink less, take care of their health, and even think about how they’ll feel the next day.
But recent survey results tell a slightly different story.
Gen Z’s drinking participation rate was similar to that of adults overall, while Baby Boomers actually turned out to be the group that drinks the least.
Moderating alcohol consumption can no longer be seen as a trend belonging to just one generation.
Rather than giving up alcohol completely, more people are adjusting how much and how often they drink to fit their own lifestyles.
It’s Not About Not Drinking—It’s About Drinking in Moderation
IWSR, a research organization specializing in the global beverage alcohol market,
surveyed more than 32,000 consumers across 19 markets in the first half of 2026.
Across the 15 markets where comparisons were possible, Gen Z’s drinking participation rate was 74%.
That wasn’t far off the 76% average among adults overall.
By contrast, Baby Boomers had the lowest participation rate at 71%.
They also consumed the smallest amount per drinking occasion, averaging just 2.6 drinks.
Overall, the percentage of people who drink alcohol hasn’t changed dramatically, but the amount consumed per occasion has declined.
The average dropped from 4.4 drinks in 2024–2025 to 3.9 drinks in 2026.
In other words, more people are lowering the intensity of their drinking occasions rather than eliminating them altogether.
They might start with a beer for the first drink and switch to a non-alcoholic option for the second,
or slow down once they start thinking about what they have going on the next morning.
Isn’t that a calculation we’ve all made at least once? 👀
You Don’t Have to Imitate Beer Perfectly Anymore
With early non-alcoholic products, the key question was how closely they resembled existing beer or wine.
The biggest selling point was essentially, “It’s not alcohol, but it still tastes like alcohol.”
More recently, a different type of product has started to emerge.
Rather than leading with the fact that there is no alcohol, these products put more emphasis on what ingredients they use and what they actually taste like.
Spanish brewing giant Mahou San Miguel introduced a non-alcoholic sparkling malt beverage called “Vamos by Mahou” in Egypt.
It uses flavors that local consumers can easily relate to, such as pineapple and caramel, as well as apple and cinnamon.
Italian beverage brand Feral ferments birch sap and herbs instead of grapes.
Rather than trying to replicate the taste of wine exactly, it is closer to creating a new fermented beverage designed to be slowly enjoyed alongside a meal.
These products focus less on “what has been removed” and more on “what kind of flavor you want to drink.”
Non-alcoholic beverages are beginning to move beyond being copies of traditional alcoholic drinks.
An Estimated 73 Million 500mL Cans Could Be Sold in the UK This Summer
In the UK, sales of low- and no-alcohol beer were expected to exceed 64 million pints in summer 2026.
Converted into the familiar 500mL cans we see on shelves, that comes to roughly 73 million cans. That’s about 9 million more cans than the summer of 2025.
At this scale, it’s difficult to view non-alcoholic beverages as merely supplementary products quietly occupying one corner of the shelf.
However, labeling standards have yet to become consistent across countries, even as the market has grown rapidly.
In the UK, products with an alcohol content of 0.05% or below can use the term “alcohol-free,”
while several international markets use 0.5% or below as the threshold.
In other words, products carrying the same “non-alcoholic” messaging may actually contain different levels of alcohol.
For brands preparing to sell overseas, it’s important to first check which claims and expressions are permitted in the local market before even thinking about package design.
If You Build It Only for Gen Z, You’re Limiting the Market
There are more situations in which people reach for non-alcoholic beverages than you might think.
They may need to drive, or have work or a workout scheduled for the next day.
Sometimes they want to enjoy the atmosphere of a drinking occasion while keeping their head a little clearer.
And middle-aged and older consumers who are cutting back on alcohol for health reasons are also an important part of the market.
That’s why focusing a product on a specific age group can make it easy to overlook the real reasons people choose these drinks.
If it’s meant to accompany a meal, it needs acidity and aromas that pair well with food,
while for a party, the color of the drink when poured into a glass and the packaging can also influence the purchase decision.
For a product meant to be enjoyed casually on its own, size and price may matter more.
The competitors for non-alcoholic beverages aren’t limited to beer and wine, either.
At the table, they are also competing alongside soft drinks, tea, and premium juices.
Non-alcoholic beverages are no longer simply backup options for occasions when people can’t drink alcohol.
They are becoming an independent beverage category chosen by multiple generations according to their individual circumstances.
Brands now need to think first about who will drink the product, when they’ll drink it, and what kind of flavor they want rather than simply asking how closely it resembles alcohol.
🧡 Three-Line Summary
1. Multiple generations—not just Gen Z—are reducing how much and how often they drink rather than giving up alcohol completely.
2. Non-alcoholic beverages are moving beyond products that imitate beer and wine, expanding into distinct beverages with clearly defined ingredients and flavor profiles.
3. Instead of focusing on age, brands should develop products around real drinking occasions, such as meals, social gatherings, and before or after driving.
📌 Sources
Increased Gen Z drinking sustained, Boomers drinking moderates
The brands turning alcohol-free into drinks’ hottest category
UK’s alcohol-free beer boom threatened by official definition, trade body warns
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