3 January 2008 - Belgians are the world's most habitual champagne drinkers per capita. That's according to figures released the daily De Morgen.

Last year, Belgium imported 9.3 million bottles of champagne, but figures for 2007 should set a historic record of more than 10 million. This means that on average, every Belgian citizen drinks one bottle of champagne each year as there are about 10.6 Belgians.

Worldwide, sales figures for champagne are boosting. Until now, almost 400 million bottles of champagne have been sold worldwide this year.

It is expected that the number of 400 million will be reached before the end of the year. The previous record was set in 1993 with 327 million bottles.

Worldwide, the big increase in demand can be explained by the interest of vast countries like China and Russia. In Belgium, no precise explanation has been given so far for the increasing consumption.

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