Global beer industry - statistics & facts
The global beer market is facing uncertain times as consumption has declined in some key regions and costs have risen. While industry revenue has rebounded from the lows of the pandemic, it remains to be seen how the market will fare in the years to come as consumers seem to be choosing beer less often than they used to.
The market landscape
On-premise beer sales dropped by over 29 percent in 2020 due to the pandemic but have since rebounded, growing and surpassing off-premise as consumers have resumed life as normal. China is the leader in global beer consumption. While the United States still has high total consumption, beer has been steadily losing market share in the country, shrinking by over 12 percent in the last decade.Â
Leading countries in the beer market
In terms of beer production, China was the world leader here as well, producing over 359 million hectoliters of beer, 86 percent more than the amount produced by the United States. When it comes to trade, Mexico reaped the largest profit from beer exports, shipping over 5.8 billion U.S. dollars worth in 2023. The United States was by far the world's biggest buyer, importing beer valued at over seven billion dollars. Much of that beer comes from Mexico.Â
Key industry players
The leading companies in the global beer market are giants such as AB Inbev, Heineken Holding, Kirin Holdings, and Asahi Group Holdings. AB InBev topped the ranking with sales amounting to about 59.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. The company's iconic beer brand Budweiser had a global brand value amounting to about 13.8 billion U.S. dollars. Despite being the top selling beer producer, it was Corona from Grupo Modelo that had the largest brand value at over 19 billion dollars.
As beer consumption continues to decline in key markets like the United States, and more consumers are concerned about the health effects of alcohol than ever before, beer producers may have to focus more on the non-alcoholic drinks market where beer is still king.
