Non-alcoholic drinks surge as “zebra striping” trend grows

Swedes are not only drinking less alcohol—they are changing how they drink, with health trends and calorie counting pushing breweries to reinvent beer, SVT reports.

Alternating alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks in a night out, dubbed “zebra striping,” is becoming more common, according to Carlsberg CEO Jacob Aarup-Andersen in SVT’s Alex möter.

While younger generations have long driven the decline in alcohol consumption, the trend has now spread across age groups. Preliminary figures from CAN show Sweden’s overall consumption fell by another 2.6% last year.

General practitioner Jesper Salén has noticed a shift in how patients discuss drinking, crediting younger attitudes toward alcohol. “We have a new generation questioning old truths,” he said.

The change is visible in sales: between 2014 and 2024, non-alcoholic beer sales more than quadrupled, per Swedish Brewers’ statistics. New brands now focus solely on alcohol-free options.

Stockholm publican Ruben Blomdahl has observed the shift firsthand, noting rising demand for mocktails and non-alcoholic wine.

Carlsberg reports non-alcoholic beer is growing rapidly. “For the first time in our 179-year history, regular beer now accounts for less than half of our sales,” Aarup-Andersen said. He predicts the next step will be “functional beers” with added vitamins, even positioning beer as a sports drink.

On average, Swedes aged 15 and older consume 8.2 litres of pure alcohol annually, down from 8.98 litres between 2019 and 2025. Among high school sophomores, average consumption in 2024 was 2.6 litres per year, while ninth-graders averaged 0.9 litres, according to CAN.