Russian sugar and confectionery consumption falls to lowest level since 2004
Russian consumption of sugar and confectionery fell to 28.2 kg per person in 2025, down from 28.8 kg in 2024 and the lowest level since 2004. Pure sugar, jam and honey declined, while consumption of chocolate and other confectionery remained unchanged.
Annual consumption falls by 600 grams
Consumption of sugar and confectionery products in Russia declined to 28.2 kg per person in 2025, according to statistics reviewed by RIA Novosti and reported by Life.ru and Lenta.ru. That was 600 grams below the 28.8 kg recorded in 2024 and represented the lowest level since 2004. The comparable figure in 2004 was 26 kg per person.
The aggregate decline was driven by products consumed as traditional household sweeteners and preserves rather than by all confectionery categories. For sugar producers, processors and retailers, the breakdown is significant: it points to weaker demand for pure sugar and certain sugar-rich products, while established chocolate and confectionery segments held their ground.
Pure sugar, jam and honey lose ground
Life.ru reported that consumption of pure sugar fell by 3.5%, or 460 grams per person, from 13.2 kg in 2024 to 12.7 kg in 2025. Consumption of jam and fruit preserves decreased from 6.34 kg to 6.25 kg per person. Honey consumption fell from 1.01 kg to 960 grams.
These movements were modest in absolute terms but broad across the main household sweetener categories. The 460-gram reduction in pure sugar accounted for most of the 600-gram fall in the combined indicator. The data therefore suggest that direct household use was the principal source of contraction, rather than an across-the-board retreat from sweet products.
Chocolate demand remains stable
Consumption of chocolate and chocolate confectionery was unchanged at 5.8 kg per person, while other confectionery products remained at 4.4 kg. The contrast with falling consumption of pure sugar, jam and honey shows a divided market: Russian consumers reduced some forms of sweetness without cutting the measured volumes of chocolate and other manufactured confectionery.
The category split matters for companies assessing raw sugar demand and finished-product sales. Suppliers exposed mainly to household sugar and preserves face a softer domestic consumption base, while chocolate and broader confectionery manufacturers have not yet seen the same volume decline in these figures. The domestic shift is occurring as the international sugar market faces a potentially firmer price environment: Lenta.ru reported forecasts of a sharp rise in global sugar prices in 2026, partly linked to El Niño, after prices reached a 10-month high. The consumption statistics do not establish how prices affected Russian demand, but lower use of pure sugar may limit the extent to which higher raw-material costs can be passed through that segment without further pressure on volumes.
