Global beer production declined again in 2018

Germany – Only around 1.9 billion hl beer were consumed world-wide in 2018. This represents a decline of 38 million hl or 2 percent over the previous year, according to the latest Barth report, released in July 2019.  

The principal cause was the fall in output in China, totalling nearly 60 million hl. Even production hikes in Europe (+2 percent), in the Americas (+1 percent) and in Africa (+2 percent) could not compensate the losses in China.

Of the total of 171 beer producing countries, output rose in 85 countries, whereas in 34 countries registered output declines.

Despite the drop, China still remains by far the most important beer market in the world (see table below). Its brewers produced more than 380 million hl beer in 2018 – which is four times Germany’s beer output – yet down from 506 million hl in 2013. All in all, the five largest nations continue to account for around half of global beer production.