Global gin volumes up 2% in 2024
Gin volumes grew by 2% globally last year, led by emerging markets such as Italy and India, while the UK and the US continued to decline.
Chris Pitcher, drinks analyst at Redburn Atlantic, hosted a seminar at The Gin Guild’s annual Ginposium conference last Friday (13 June) on insights into category consumption trends across key markets.
Citing data from IWSR, Pitcher noted that worldwide gin consumption reached approximately 107 million nine-litre cases in 2024. Gin consumption was 25% ahead of 2019 levels.
Globally, volumes grew by 2% but slowed from the 4% increase seen in 2023.
Gin’s value, however, rose by 3% last year to approximately US$14 billion – 29% above 2019 levels.
The average price for the category was back in growth, up by 1%, mostly driven by inflation in emerging markets.
In terms of the category’s share of international spirits (excluding local spirits like Chinese baijiu), gin increased its share in both volume and value from 2014 to 2024.
Vodka, brandy and rum have lost share, while Tequila and whisky posted the largest increases in share of international spirits retail sales.
Pitcher pointed out that, excluding the lower price bracket, gin became the fourth-biggest category in premium-plus international spirits last year, overtaking vodka.
Looking at its geographical performance, Pitcher noted that during the gin boom, the category’s consumption worldwide soared by 36% between 2015 and 2019.
During this time, there was broad-based growth across the Americas, Europe, Southern Africa and Asia Pacific.
“Even the US was obviously up and India back then was not growing,” Pitcher recalled.
Looking at IWSR data for gin volume consumption between 2019 and 2024, Pitcher noted that some important markets have been on a downward trend, pointing to the likes of the US, the UK, Spain and Germany. North America was weak over this period while South America recovered.
He notes that the category’s growth over the past five years has started to come from other markets, including Nigeria, South Africa, Australia, the Philippines and China, while India saw modest growth.
Gin’s 2024 performance
In 2024, category growth was concentrated in emerging markets, with Asia led by the Philippines, China and India.
Africa saw a mixed performance. Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo were in growth, but South Africa and Ethiopia were in decline.
Most of Western Europe was also in decline in 2024, alongside South America (apart from Chile and Bolivia), Australia and New Zealand.
“The shape of the world gin market is changing,” Pitcher explained. “India is in growth, which is important. China and Africa [are] very mixed in terms of markets up or down. So if you’re just looking at the UK or Europe, it’s still quite tough. But globally, there is growth.”
One positive note that Pitcher highlighted is how gin is seeing increased popularity across multiple markets, unlike categories such as Tequila.
“One thing I always find intriguing about spirits categories is how concentrated they are in their top three markets,” he said. “Obviously, a lot of this is driven by population.”
In his presentation, Pitcher noted that three countries account for more than half of consumption for most spirits categories. As an example, he says Tequila is the “most concentrated of the main spirits”, with the US and Mexico making up more than 80% of its volume.
Meanwhile, India is the biggest market for whisky, brandy and rum.
In comparison, gin is “relatively internationalised,” he noted, and is less dependent on a few key markets.
The category’s biggest market is the Philippines, followed by Nigeria and the US. These markets are dominated by local brands such as Ginebra San Miguel, Uganda Waragi and Old Buck.
UK remains in decline
Looking specifically at the UK, Pitcher noted that gin’s volume is in decline and “has been for a while”, alongside the wider spirits category.
The gin sector has lost seven percentage points of UK spirits volume share between 2020 and 2024, while most other categories gained.
At its peak, gin represented approximately 22% of UK spirits consumption. Consumption is down by approximately 40% from its peak.
Furthermore, the number of distillers in the UK plateaued in 2024, as Pitcher noted: “The rate of rollout has slowed, so the market is clearly having a bit of a pause, a bit of a hiatus.”
Nielsen data for the off-trade showed that UK gin volumes were flat in the 52 weeks to 20 April 2025, which Pitcher called “good news” after periods of decline.
“Gin is improving, it’s getting less bad,” he said more positively of the off-trade.
The UK on-trade, however, is still an area of concern, he said, citing CGA data that states annual volumes fell by 16% to March 2025.
Moving on to UK gin export data, Pitcher noted this area was “under pressure”.
Total exports for the category plummeted by 28% from the 2022 peak.
“Italy is still growing, which is encouraging,” he said, while the US is the largest export market currently, according to HMRC data.
He noted that the 10% tariff on UK imports to the US at least provided some certainty for gin makers.
Pitcher also noted growth in UK gin exports to Canada, Brazil and Australia.
European bright spot
Italy overtook Spain as the top European destination for UK gin exports in 2023, with Spain continuing to decline.
“Italy is the European saviour,” Pitcher highlighted, with wine “declining consistently” while “spirits have been gradually growing”.
He notes an opportunity for gin in Italy (a traditionally wine market), with the gin and tonic serve surpassing the Negroni as the number three cocktail in the market, behind Aperol Spritz and Campari Spritz.
In the US, Pitcher noted that alcohol consumption remains in decline, with spirits demand weakening and gin losing share.
He calls spirits-based ready-to-drink products the “real phenomenon in the US right now”, where vodka is leading gin, which is “still lagging behind in that space”.
Pitcher points out that the industry is still seeing some of the same problems from last year, including consumers having extra inventory in their home bars and destocking by wholesalers and retailers.
To end his talk on a positive note, Pitcher believes there is still demand for gin, particularly in emerging markets.
He also pointed out investments in the category in the past 12 months, with Pernod Ricard taking full ownership of South African gin brand Inverroche and Patrón founder John Paul DeJoria launching Texan brand Waterloo Gin.
Total beverage alcohol volumes fell by 1% last year, but spirits outperformed beer and wine, according to IWSR.
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