Mapped: Beer Consumption by Region Around the World
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The global beer industry is as vast as it is diverse, with many corners of the world creating distinct brews from blends of hops, malts, and brewing styles.
From Tsingtao in China to Peroni in Italy, many countries have cultivated beers with long histories. At the same time, microbreweries have been growing in numbers on an international scale. While beer is more common across regions such as Asia and Europe, it is far less consumed in the Middle East.
This graphic shows beer consumption by region, based on data from Kirin Holdings.
Asia Dominates Worldwide Beer Consumption
For 15 years straight, Asia has been the top region in beer consumption around the world.
Overall, the region makes up 34% of the global share, more than North and Latin America combined. Driven by double-digit increases in Vietnam and India, beer consumption across Asia increased 4.9% annually in 2022.
RegionGlobal Market ShareTotal Consumption 2022
(Thousand kl)Growth Rate 2021-2022
Asia34%65,1604.9%
Europe26%49,6300.8%
Central and South America19%36,0826.2%
North America12%22,280-4.0%
Africa8%15,4324.8%
Oceania1%2,251-0.1%
Middle East1%1,2507.1%
Global Total100%192,0862.9%
Europe follows next, with Czechia, Austria, and Poland standing as the leading nations by beer consumption per capita worldwide.
In terms of beer production, Germany exceeded all other European nations by far, at 7.6 billion liters, making up more than 22% of production in the European Union. Spain followed next, at 3.9 billion liters in 2022.
Overall, South and Central America saw among the fastest annual growth rates in beer consumption across regions, led by a 14.5% increase in Mexico. Furthermore, Mexico is the world’s largest beer exporter, with exports in 180 countries, totaling $6.1 billion in 2023.
With 12% of global consumption, North America follows next. While Bud Light was the top-selling beer in the U.S. between 2001 and 2022, it now falls in third place. Today, Modelo Especial, made by Constellation Brands, and Michelob Ultra, brewed by Anheuser-Busch, have captured the most beer sales in America.
When it comes to Africa, Namibia drinks the most beer per capita, ranking in 10th overall globally. In fact, it is the only country outside of Europe that is found in the top 10. The broader region accounts for 8% of global beer consumption, outpacing both Oceania and the Middle East.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
To learn more about this topic from a country-based perspective, check out this graphic on the nations with the highest beer consumption per capita around the world.
The post Mapped: Beer Consumption by Region Around the World appeared first on Visual Capitalist.