Last updated on 8-8-2025 by Laïla Boulbayem
Why do we study dietary patterns of the population?
- What we eat and drink has a direct impact on our health and well-being. By studying dietary patterns in the population (What foods are eaten? At what frequency? By whom?), we can identify areas for improvement and make informed decisions to promote better diets. This knowledge helps address the risk of diet-related diseases and supports the development of healthy, sustainable food systems.
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The current page is focused on general consumption of alcoholic beverages. More information on the comparison of the habitual intake of alcoholic beverages with dietary guidelines can be found here.
How do we study the consumption of alcoholic beverages?
- The consumption of alcoholic beverages, overall and for different population groups, using data from two non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls. Trained interviewers recorded twice, on two non-consecutive days, all the foods and drinks that participants had consumed on the previous day using a specialised computer program (GloboDiet®).
- The mean consumption (in grams/day) of alcoholic beverages was calculated using the average consumption, overall and by subcategories of products, over the two recall days of each participant. Since mean distributions are skewed, comparison between population subgroups should be interpreted with caution.
- The detailed methodology can be found here.
What is included in the group of “alcoholic beverages”?
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This group includes all drinks containing alcohol:
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Wine, cider, fruit wine, sparkling wine, champagne;
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Fortified wines (e.g. Sherry, Porto, Vermouth);
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Beer;
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Aniseed drinks, spirits, brandy, liqueurs;
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Cocktails, punches and other beverages with alcohol.
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This group also includes alcoholic beverages contained in dishes consumed by the participants (e.g. wine used to prepare risotto).
KEY RESULTS
The mean consumption of alcoholic beverages in the population aged 3 years and older is 109 g per day
Men have a higher mean consumption of alcoholic beverages (172 g per day), compared to women (49 g per day)
The mean consumption of alcoholic beverages is 131 g per day for adults aged 18-39 years, 144 g per day for adults aged 40-64 years and 140 g per day for adults aged 65 years and above
The mean consumption of wine is higher among persons with a high education level, whereas the mean consumption of beer is higher among persons with a low education level
Beer makes the largest contribution to the consumption of alcoholic beverages in Belgium
By sex
Mean consumption of alcoholic beverages (g/day) in the population aged 3 years and older, by sex, Belgium: 2022-2023
- The “Wine” subcategory includes wine, cider, fruit wine, sparkling wine and champagne. The “Spirits” subcategory includes aniseed drinks, spirits, brandy, liqueurs. The “Fortified drinks” subcategory includes drinks such as Sherry, Porto, Vermouth.
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- Mean consumption refers to the population mean consumption, calculated from the individual mean consumption over two non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls.
- The mean consumption of alcoholic beverages in the population aged 3 years and older is 109 g/day, of which 72 g/day of beer, 33 g/day of wine (including cider, fruit wine, sparkling wine and champagne), 1 g/day of fortified wine, 1 g/day of spirits and 2 g/day of cocktails and other alcoholic beverages.
- Men have a higher mean consumption of alcoholic beverages than women (172 g/ day versus 49 g/day), which is mainly explained by their higher mean consumption of beer (130 g/day in men versus 16 g/day in women).
By age
Mean consumption of alcoholic beverages (g/day) in the population aged 3 years and older, by age, Belgium: 2022-2023
- The “Wine” subcategory includes wine, cider, fruit wine, sparkling wine and champagne. The “Spirits” subcategory includes aniseed drinks, spirits, brandy, liqueurs. The “Fortified drinks” subcategory includes drinks such as Sherry, Porto, Vermouth.
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- Mean consumption refers to population mean consumption, calculated from the individual consumption over two non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls.
- Older adults (65 years and above) do not include those residing in care facilities, hospitalised individuals, or those who would have required significant assistance during interviews (e.g., people with cognitive impairments).
- No alcoholic beverages are consumed by children (mean consumption of 0 g/day). The mean consumption of alcoholic beverages is 20 g/day in adolescents aged 10-17 years. It increases then until 131 g/day in adults aged 18-39 years, 144 g/day in adults aged 40-64 years and 140 g/day in older adults aged 65 years and above.
- For all age groups, beer and wine are the main contributors to the mean consumption of alcoholic beverages. However, adults aged 18-39 years have a higher mean consumption of beer and a lower mean consumption of wine than adults aged 65 years and above.
By educational level
Mean consumption of alcoholic beverages (g/day) in the population aged 3 years and older, by educational level, Belgium: 2022-2023
- The “Wine” subcategory includes wine, cider, fruit wine, sparkling wine and champagne. The “Spirits” subcategory includes aniseed drinks, spirits, brandy, liqueurs. The “Fortified drinks” subcategory includes drinks such as Sherry, Porto, Vermouth.
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- Mean consumption refers to population mean consumption, calculated from the individual consumption over two non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls.
- The educational level is calculated at the household level by considering the highest diploma obtained by: (i) the respondents or their partner for adults (aged 18 years and above), or (ii) the father and mother (or carer, if applicable) for children and adolescents (aged 3 to 17 years). However, for simplicity, we refer to the educational level of individuals rather than the educational level of their households.
- The mean consumption of alcoholic beverages is 124 g/day among individuals with a low level of education, 91 g/day among individuals with a medium level of education and 103 g/day among individuals with a high level of education.
- On the one hand, individuals with a high level of education have a mean wine consumption of 46 g/day, compared to 25 g/day for individuals with a low level of education. On the other hand, individuals with a low education level have a mean beer consumption of 95 g/day compared to 52 g/day for persons with a high education level.
By region
Mean consumption of alcoholic beverages (g/day) in the population aged 3 years and older, by region, Belgium: 2022-2023
- The “Wine” subcategory includes wine, cider, fruit wine, sparkling wine and champagne. The “Spirits” subcategory includes aniseed drinks, spirits, brandy, liqueurs. The “Fortified drinks” subcategory includes drinks such as Sherry, Porto, Vermouth.
- Crude = results weighted for season, age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
- Mean consumption refers to the population mean consumption, calculated from the individual mean consumption over two non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls.
- Brussels is excluded from the regional comparison due to an insufficient number of participants, but is included in the national data for Belgium.
- The mean consumption of alcoholic beverages is 101 g/day in Flanders and 126 g/day in Wallonia.
- The mean consumption of wine is 29 g/day in Flanders and 41 g/day in Wallonia.
- The mean consumption of beer is 68 g/day in Flanders and 79 g/day in Wallonia.
More results
Explore our data by region, sex, and other variables on our interactive dashboard EatMoveStats where you can easily export data.
Please cite this page as: Sciensano. Food Consumption: Alcoholic Beverages, Food Consumption Survey 2022-2023, June 2025, Brussels, Belgium, https://www.sciensano.be/en/results-national-food-consumption-survey-2022-2023/food-consumption/alcoholic-beverages