This was based on the recently-published Global Beer Consumption Report 2024, which comprises data collected by beer giant Kirin Holdings across 170 global markets.
While many traditionally strong beer markets such as Germany (-2.2%) and Australia (-2.6%) saw beer consumption decline from 2023 to 2024, overall international beer consumption managed to remain in the green due to rising demand in several emerging markets.
“Global beer consumption reached approximately 194.1bn litres, which was a growth of 0.5% year-on-year,” Kirin told us.
“This was primarily driven by sharp increases in India (+14.6%), Russia (+9.0%) and Thailand (5.8%).”
In addition to these three top performers, other major growth contributors were Mexico (+5.4%), Ethiopia (+5.1%), South Africa (+4.5%) and Colombia (+3.2%) – all of which are emerging markets.
That said, the leader in terms of consumption volume was China which topped the list with total beer consumption of 40.5m litres and 20.9% of the global market share, followed by the United States which drank 22.3m litres and made up 11.5% of global market share.
Both markets saw declines in consumption rates, at -3.7% and -0.5% respectively.
“China has ranked first for the 22nd year in a row since it first topped the chart in 2003, and [it has bolstered] Asia’s overall role as the top beer-consuming region in the world for the 17th consecutive year as well,” Kirin added.
| 2024 Ranking | Country | Total Consumption (million litres) | Global Market Share | Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 40.5 | 20.9% | -3.7% |
| 2 | United States | 22.3 | 11.5% | -0.5% |
| 3 | Brazil | 15.3 | 7.9% | 1.1% |
| 4 | Mexico | 10.8 | 5.6% | 5.4% |
| 5 | Russia | 9.5 | 4.9% | 9.0% |
| 6 | Germany | 7.2 | 3.7% | -2.2% |
| 7 | South Africa | 4.59 | 2.4% | 4.5% |
| 8 | Vietnam | 4.58 | 2.4% | 0.6% |
| 9 | United Kingdom | 4.51 | 2.3% | 1.7% |
| 10 | Spain | 4.36 | 2.2% | -1.3% |
| 11 | Japan | 4.12 | 2.1% | -2.7% |
| 12 | India | 3.44 | 1.8% | 14.6% |
| 13 | Poland | 3.34 | 1.7% | -1.7% |
| 14 | Colombia | 2.63 | 1.4% | 3.2% |
| 15 | South Korea | 2.31 | 1.2% | 0.7% |
| 16 | Italy | 2.18 | 1.1% | 0.9% |
| 17 | France | 2.10 | 1.1% | -1.0% |
| 18 | Thailand | 1.96 | 1.0% | 5.8% |
| 19 | Canada | 1.82 | 0.9% | -0.1% |
| 20 | Australia | 1.74 | 0.9% | -2.6% |
Data above from Kirin Holdings; Top 20 markets in terms of beer consumption by volume shown
Per-capita beer consumption shows available opportunities
Looking at global per-capita consumption, the leading markets are quite different: Czech Republic tops the list with 148.8 litres of beer per capita, followed by Lithuania (110.6 litres), Austria (104.6 litres), Ireland (99 litres), and Croatia (95.1 litres) – but with this year’s top grower India near the bottom of the list at 102nd place and just 2.4 litres of beer consumed per-capita.
“India has shown the highest growth in beer consumption [but its per-capita consumption is still low],” the company added.
“But in terms of volume, [despite its low per-capita consumption] India drank 3.44m litres of beer in total, almost double that of Czech Republic’s 1.56m litres.”
This is an indication of strong potential in the Indian market for beer growth. Its large population mean that successful beer brands in this market have access to an increasing, relatively new consumer base, whereas rising income levels also make beer increasingly attractive to drinkers.
That said, beer is not a new beverage in this market: According to Mintel data, 81% of consumers are familiar with and favour beer as an alcoholic drink, so obviously there is a gap that needs to be solved by the market in order to fully unlock beer’s potential.
The key for beer here is to really understand local consumer trends and act accordingly: At present, the top-performing beer category in this market is strong beer, which is beer that has an ABV of 5% and above.
Many global breweries such as Kingfisher and AB InBev have already moved to penetrate this market with strong beer products such as the 8% Kingfisher Strong and 7% Haywards 5000; whereas the rise of craft breweries in the market is also bringing an increasing number of new high-ABV innovations in.
Tech to grow beer consumption
Technology and food science could really make a difference when it comes to beer innovations as well, according to Kirin.
“Consumer beverage choices and drinking behaviours are shaped by complex interactions between a variety of factors, including taste, aroma, ingredients, packaging, and living environments – we are looking to scientifically integrate these factors when advancing our product development,” the firm said.
Most of Kirin’s R&D is currently focused in its home base in Japan, but is transferable to beer innovation for global markets.
For instance, the firm is collaborating with digital powerhouse Hitachi to use the latter’s multimodal AI platform, in combination with the former’s consumer and ingredient data, to discover what drives consumer beverage choices and influences their drinking behaviours.
