Control and sale of alcoholic beverages and cannabis, April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024
Released: 2025-03-07
Government earnings from cannabis rise as those from alcohol fall
Federal and provincial governments earned $15.7 billion (+1.1%) from the control and sale of alcohol ($13.5 billion, -0.5%) and recreational cannabis ($2.2 billion, +12.6%) in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024. This includes net income from provincial liquor and cannabis authorities, excise taxes, retail sales taxes, other specific taxes, and licences and permits.
Historic drop in volume of alcohol sales
Overall, liquor authorities and other retail outlets sold $26.2 billion worth of alcoholic beverages in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, down 0.1% from fiscal year 2022/2023. The decrease in alcohol sales occurred despite a 2.5% increase in the price of alcoholic beverages in stores from March 2023 to March 2024.
On a volume basis, sales of alcohol declined by 3.8% to 2,988 million litres in 2023/2024. This was the largest volume decline ever recorded since Statistics Canada began tracking alcohol sales in 1949. On average, Canadians of legal drinking age purchased the equivalent of 8.7 standard alcoholic beverages per week in 2023/2024, down from 9.2 the previous fiscal year.
Chart 1
Sale of standard drinks per week per person of legal drinking age, provinces and territories, 2023/2024
Domestic products account for more than half of alcohol sales
In 2023/2024, domestic products represented 59.0% of alcohol sales in Canada , up from 58.7% the fiscal year prior. Beer (88.0%) and ciders and coolers (85.0%) had the highest proportion of domestic sales. Spirits (46.1%) and wine (28.8%) had much smaller proportions of domestic sales in comparison.
Record decline in the volume of beer sales
By volume, beer sales declined 4.5% to 1,950 million litres in 2023/2024, a record decrease since Statistics Canada began tracking alcohol sales in 1949. The 2023/2024 fiscal year marks the eighth consecutive annual decline in beer sales by volume. Beer sales were equivalent to 3.4 standard bottles of beer per week, per person of legal drinking age.
The total value of beer sales by liquor stores, agencies and other retail outlets dropped 1.3% to $9.2 billion in the 2023/2024 fiscal year. Beer maintained its position as the top selling beverage category in 2023/2024, accounting for just over one-third (35.1%) of total sales. However, this is down significantly from two decades ago when beer accounted for almost half of all alcoholic beverage sales (49.4% in 2004/2005).
Wine (29.9%) and spirits (26.3%) were not far behind beer in 2023/2024 in terms of market share. Ciders and coolers accounted for 8.7% of total sales.
Chart 2
Market share by type of beverage and fiscal year, 2004/2005 to 2023/2024
Wine sales volume continues to fall
Wine sales by volume fell by 4.8% to 476 million litres in 2023/2024, marking the third consecutive year of decline. The total litres of wine sold was equivalent to approximately 2.1 standard glasses per week for each person of legal drinking age.
In terms of dollar value, wine sales fell 0.3% to $7.8 billion in 2023/2024. While beer was the alcoholic beverage of choice across much of Canada, wine claimed the top spot in Quebec (43.2% of total sales).
Chart 3
Market share by alcoholic beverage type, provinces and territories, 2023/2024
Canadians buy fewer spirits
Total spirit sales dropped 0.5% to $6.9 billion in 2023/2024. Whisky (29.5%), vodka (23.0%) and liqueurs (15.0%) were the top-selling spirits by share of total sales.
Overall, spirits sales by volume decreased by 3.9% to 184.9 million litres in 2023/2024. The total amount of spirits sold was equivalent to 2.4 shots per week for each Canadian of legal drinking age.
Spirits were the top seller in the Northwest Territories (44.6%) and British Columbia (31.0%).
Sales of ciders and coolers grow
Sales of ciders and coolers rose 6.9% from the previous fiscal year to $2.3 billion in 2023/2024. Ciders and coolers was the lone alcoholic beverage category with increased sales in 2023/2024. Residents of Nunavut (17.7% of total sales) were the most likely to buy ciders and coolers, while those of Quebec (2.3% of total sales) were the least likely.
The volume of ciders and coolers sold increased by 1.3% to 377 million litres in 2023/2024. The total amount sold was equivalent to approximately 0.8 standard drinks per week for each person of legal drinking age.
Recreational cannabis sales rise
Sales of recreational cannabis by provincial cannabis authorities and other retail outlets increased 11.6% or $0.5 billion from one fiscal year earlier, reaching $5.2 billion in 2023/2024. This was a slower pace than the 15.8% sales growth observed one year earlier. The growth in cannabis sales in 2023/2024 occurred despite a 2.8% decrease in the price of recreational cannabis from March 2023 to March 2024.
Inhaled extracts was the fastest growing cannabis category in 2023/2024, up 31.4% after growing 59.0% the previous fiscal year. This category was the biggest contributor to the increase in cannabis sales in 2023/2024, accounting for over two-thirds (67.5%) of the $0.5 billion overall increase.
Cannabis sales in 2023/2024 were equivalent to $163 per person of legal age to consume cannabis. Yukon had the highest sales per person of legal age to consume cannabis ($356), while Quebec had the lowest ($96). Quebec's sales were impacted by its ban on cannabis vapes and topicals, as well as limited edible offerings in the province.
Inhaled extracts gain market share
Although dried cannabis remained the most popular type of cannabis in 2023/2024, it has been steadily losing market share to inhaled extracts. Over the three-year period from 2021/2022 to 2023/2024, dried cannabis decreased from 71.0% to 61.4% of the recreational cannabis market. Meanwhile, inhaled extracts increased from 18.1% to 29.3%. Ingested extracts, edibles, beverages, and other cannabis products accounted for the remaining market share.
Chart 4
Market share by cannabis product and fiscal year, 2021/2022 to 2023/2024
Focus on Canada and the United States
In 2023/2024, Canada imported $1.1 billion of alcoholic beverages from the United States. During the same period, Canada exported $1.3 billion of alcoholic beverages to the United States.
Imported and exported values do not necessarily reflect final sales to consumers.
For detailed and up-to-date figures on Canada-US trade by product type, please refer to the Canadian International Merchandise Trade Web Application.
For more data and insights on areas touched by the socio-economic relationship between Canada and the United States, see the Focus on Canada and the United States webpage.
Did you know we have a mobile app?
Get timely access to data right at your fingertips by downloading the StatsCAN app, available for free on the App Store and on Google Play.
Note to readers
Comparability and limitations of the data
Statistics on sales of alcoholic beverages by volume should not be equated with data on consumption. Sales volumes include only sales as reported by the liquor authorities and their agencies, including sales by wineries, breweries and other outlets that operate under licence from the liquor authorities.
Statistics on sales of alcoholic beverages by dollar value should not be equated with consumer expenditures on alcoholic beverages. The sales data refer to the revenues received by liquor authorities and their agents, and a portion of these revenues include sales to licenced establishments such as bars and restaurants, some of which would be considered as business intermediate expense.
The value of sales of alcoholic beverages excludes all sales taxes, the value of returnable containers and deposits. Absolute volume of sales of alcoholic beverages is calculated by multiplying the sales volume by the percentage of alcohol content for each product category.
Statistics on sales of cannabis exclude illicit market transactions. Cannabis sales values include only legal, non-medical sales (excluding all sales taxes) as reported by the cannabis authorities and outlets that operate under licence from the cannabis authorities.
Differences in provincial and territorial legislation have an impact on the types of cannabis products each jurisdiction deems legal. As a result, each jurisdiction's cannabis sales by product type reflect not only consumer preference but limitations placed on the availability of certain products.
The data collected for cannabis have been sourced from the Government Liquor Authority – Report of Operations survey and the Health Canada Cannabis Tracking System.
Standard drink
According to Health Canada guidelines, a standard drink is defined as a 341 mL (12 oz.) beer, cooler or cider with 5% alcohol content; a 142 mL (5 oz.) glass of wine with 12% alcohol content; or a 43 mL (1.5 oz.) spirit drink with 40% alcohol.
Legal drinking age versus per capita
Standard drinks per week per person are calculated for each person of legal drinking age in Canada. The legal drinking age is 19 years and older in every province and territory except Quebec, Manitoba and Alberta where it is 18 years and older.
Per capita sales by value and volume for alcohol are based on the population of inhabitants aged 15 years and older. This allows comparability with other countries, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the World Health Organization, as they also present alcohol per capita data using the population of inhabitants aged 15 years and older.
Cannabis sales per person
Cannabis sales per person are based on the population of inhabitants of legal age to buy, use, possess and grow recreational cannabis, which is 19 years of age and older across most of Canada, except for Alberta (18 years of age and older) and Quebec (21 years of age and older).
Inflation rates
Inflation rates are referenced from the Consumer Price Index, monthly, not seasonally adjusted.
Products
The infographic "Alcohol and cannabis sales in Canada, April 2023 to March 2024," which is part of Statistics Canada – Infographics (11-627-M), is now available.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
- Date modified: