Alcohol consumption in the Netherlands 2021, by gender

Dutch men identify as alcohol consumers more often than women, as revealed by a widespread survey in the Netherlands. 79 percent of men indicated that they were alcohol consumers, the other 21 percent comprised of either ex-consumers or lifetime abstainers. Meanwhile, approximately 69 percent of women in the Netherlands regularly drank beer or wine, with the groups of ex-consumers and abstainers both being larger than in the opposite gender. These gender differences were likely caused by each gender’s attitude towards beer, the most important alcoholic beverage in the Netherlands. A recent study showed that men were twice as likely to be regular drinkers of beer as women.

Gender differences in alcohol consumption

When taking a closer look at gender differences in alcohol consumption, it is revealed that men and women have significantly different tastes. For instance, whereas men are more likely to drink regular beers, women seem to have a slight preference for non-alcoholic beer, according to a 2018 survey in the Netherlands. That the male preference for beer is not only a Dutch phenomenon was confirmed by a U.S. study. This study showed that while women preferred to drink cocktails or wine, men were sticking with beer and hard liquor.

Alcohol in the Netherlands

As the aforementioned statistics show, the consumption of alcohol in the Netherlands is widespread and beer-oriented. After all, the Netherlands is known for its internationally renowned breweries such as Heineken and Amstel. Therefore, it does not come as a surprise that the beer and craft beer markets are highly developed in the Netherlands. Aside from beer, wine is the most common alcoholic beverage. Wines, however, are imported as the Netherlands does not produce much wine itself.