Australians are drinking less alcohol than at any time since the early 1960s, as new figures show the country's gradual downturn in booze consumption has resumed.

The average Australian drank 9.39 litres of pure alcohol last year – down from 9.66 litres in 2016 and 10.76 litres a decade ago, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The decrease – to the lowest level since 1962 – marks a return to trend following an uptick in apparent alcohol consumption the previous year.

Beer has long been Australia's most popular drink but it is on the precipice of being beaten by wine. Credit:Shutterstock

Per capita consumption of alcohol fell in every major category, including beer, wine, spirits, cider and ready-to-drink mixers.