Non-alcoholic beer sales soar in Scandinavia as light beer consumption declines

Sales of the so-called “first beer,” or pilsner, have been declining in recent years. In contrast, the popularity of non-alcoholic beers continues to rise. According to statistics from the Breweries Association, over 7.8 million liters of non-alcoholic beer were sold last year. During the same period, sales of light beers—defined as containing more than 0.5% but no more than 3.5% alcohol—plummeted to just over 6.7 million liters.

While “first beer” no longer has an official definition, it commonly refers to light beer with around two percent alcohol content in everyday language.