European beer market - statistics & facts
The beer market in Europe has faced several years of hardship driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and more recently by the war in Ukraine and the ensuing inflation. Lockdowns caused the closure of many on-trade establishments and the war caused steep increases in commodity and manufacturing prices. While sales have begun to rebound from their recent lows as inflation has cooled, the alcoholic beer industry had already been experiencing years of stagnation as consumers have reduced consumption and explored other alcoholic beverages or non-alcoholic beers.
Consumption on the whole is down, despite revenues being up, reflecting the impact of higher prices on the market. It's not just beer that's suffering though, higher prices have hit other segments of the alcohol drinks market, with spirits showing a similar trend. This means that influences outside the beer market itself will likely have to change if consumption is to see a turnaround.
Market revenue slowly recovering
All told, the beer market in Europe generated revenue of 159 billion euros in 2024. This marked a recovery from the contraction in revenue of the last few years. This rebound coincides with a shift in share of revenue by channel, with the bump that off-premise received during the pandemic disappearing as consumers have returned to bars and restaurants.Germany leads production
Germans are known worldwide, not only for their love of beer, but also the quality of beer they produce. Luckily for the world, they produce a lot of quality beer to enjoy. Germany was the leading producer of beer in Europe in 2023, at nearly 85 million hectoliters. Despite this, Germany was not the biggest exporter of beer in Europe. Belgium took the top spot, shipping 15 million hectoliters.Europe's biggest beer lovers
It should be no surprise that as Europe's biggest beer producer, but not the biggest beer exporter, Germany is saving a lot of its beer for itself. With 76 million hectoliters consumed, Germany was the biggest beer consuming country in Europe. Germany did not keep that title when comparing per capita beer consumption though. In that case, it was the people of Czechia who consumed the most, at 128 liters per capita compared to second place Austria at 99 liters per capita.Consumption on the whole is down, despite revenues being up, reflecting the impact of higher prices on the market. It's not just beer that's suffering though, higher prices have hit other segments of the alcohol drinks market, with spirits showing a similar trend. This means that influences outside the beer market itself will likely have to change if consumption is to see a turnaround.
