MOSCOW, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Vodka sales in Russia dropped 16.6 percent in 2017 compared with the previous year to 675 million liters, as the households' income in the country declined in the same period, according to official data released on Tuesday.
The retail sales of other alcoholic drinks, such as brandy, champagne and wine, also decreased in 2017 compared with 2016, according to the data released by the Russian Association of Consumer Protection.
The agency said the decrease of purchasing power of Russian residents is part of the reason behind the decline of alcoholic drinks sales.
Yevgeny Brun, chief narcologist of the Russian Ministry of Health, said earlier that in 2010, each person in Russia drank 18 liters of alcohol in average. The amount dropped to 10.5 liters in 2017, but it was still higher than the standard recommended by the World Health Organization.
