Kirin Beer University Report Global Beer Production by Country in 2015

Kirin Company, Limited (President and CEO: Yoshinori Isozaki; hereafter “Kirin”) operates the Kirin Beer University (http://www.kirin.co.jp/entertainment/daigaku/), a virtual university on the Internet which was established in July 2001 to promote the enjoyment of beer and deep knowledge about beer to consumers. With various faculties and facilities, consumers can learn about a variety of topics, ranging from the best way to drink delicious beer to other interesting facts about beer — 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

This report publishes the details of global beer production in 171 major countries and regions for 2015. The report is based on findings obtained from questionnaires sent by Kirin to various brewers’ associations around the world, as well as the latest industry statistics available overseas. The data for global beer production has been tracked by Kirin since 1974.

Main Topics

• Global beer production reached approximately 189 million kiloliters in 2015, down 1.1% from the previous year.
• By region, Asia produced 1.3% less beer in 2015 compared to 2014, but still holds a 33.8% share of the global beer market, remaining the world’s largest beer-producing region for the seventh consecutive year. Beer production in Africa, ranked fifth with 7.5% of the global share, went up 1.6% from the previous year, marking its 15th year of growth.
• By country, China remained the largest beer-producing country in the world for the 14th consecutive year, even with a decrease of 4.3% in 2015 compared to the previous year. It is followed by the United States, which saw a decrease of 1.4%, and Brazil, which decreased by 2.0%. Japan remained in seventh place, seeing a decrease of 0.1% in 2015 compared to the previous year. In the top 10 countries, Vietnam ranked above the United Kingdom for the first time since 1974, with an increase of 20.1% in 2015 compared to a decrease of 0.7% in the United Kingdom.

In 2015, global beer production decreased about 2.07 million kiloliters to reach approximately 189 million kiloliters. In comparison with 2014, there was an annual decrease of 1.1%. The total volume of the global beer production is equivalent to about 152 Tokyo Domes, if the stadium was a beer mug with a capacity of about 1.24 million kiloliters.

1. Global Beer Production by Region in 2015 (Table 1)

Asia remains the world’s largest beer-producing region for the seventh consecutive year, despite a decrease of 1.3% compared to the previous year. Although annual production increased in Vietnam (+20.1%), and India (+2.5%), the decrease in China (-4.3%) led to the overall decrease.

Africa grew by 1.6%, marking its 15th year of consecutive growth and making it the fifth largest beer-producing region in 2015.

2. Global Beer Production by Country in 2015 (Table 2)

China remained the largest beer-producing country in the world for the 14th consecutive year, despite a decrease of 4.3% compared to 2014.

Among the world’s top 25 beer-producing countries, Vietnam and India were the two countries that have seen growth for 10 or more consecutive years, at 15 and 13 years respectively.

Japan remained in seventh place, seeing a decrease of 0.1% in 2015 compared to the previous year.

3. Comparison with 2005 (Table 3)

Comparing global beer production in 2015 with that of 10 years ago, there has been an increase of approximately 27.79 million kiloliters, a growth of 17.3%. In terms of volume, China increased by approximately 12.35 million kiloliters, Brazil by approximately 4.54 million kiloliters, and Vietnam by approximately 3.29 million kiloliters. In terms of proportion, Vietnam grew by 3.4 times, and Brazil by 1.5 times.

Looking at the top 10 countries, Vietnam rose from 24th place to eighth. For countries ranked between the 11th and 25th places, France rose from 22nd to 17th, and South Korea rose from 20th to 16th.

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Note: Production volume in Japan is a combination of beer, happo-shu (low-malt beer), and new genre (non-malt beer).
Among the countries whose previous year’s figures were revised for this year’s report, the revised figures are used to calculate year-on-year changes.
Source: Questionnaires sent by Kirin to the brewers’ associations in major countries.
The Barth Report Hops 2015/2016 (BARTH−HAAS GROUP)

(Table 1) Global Beer Production by Region in 2015

Beer Production by Region, Growth from Previous Year, and Global Market Share

• *Production volume in Japan is a combination of beer, happo-shu (low-malt beer), and new genre (non-malt beer).
• *Due to rounding, the numbers may not actually add up to the total.

Comments

• There was a global decrease, although Africa alone saw an increase.
• Asia remained at the top for the seventh consecutive year, although there was a decrease of 1.3% compared to 2014, with top-placed China decreasing by 4.3%. This was due to the strong performance of Vietnam, which grew 20.1%, and Thailand, which grew 6.4%.
• Africa saw an increase of 1.6% compared to 2014, growing for the 15th consecutive year.

2015 Global Market Share of Beer Production by Region

Asia 33.8%
Europe 27.4%
Central and South America 16.7%
North America 12.8%
Africa 7.5%
Oceania 1.1%
Middle East 0.7%

(Table 2) Global Beer Production by Country in 2015

• *Production volume in Japan is a combination of beer, happo-shu (low-malt beer), and new genre (non-malt beer).
• *Due to rounding, the numbers may not actually add up to the total.

Comments

• Global beer production was approximately 189 million kiloliters in 2015. This is the second consecutive year of decrease, with a drop of 1.1% compared to 2014 due to lower production volumes in the leading countries.
• China remains the largest beer-producing country in the world for the 14th consecutive year. There was a 4.3% decrease in annual beer production, a drop for the second consecutive year, partly due to poor weather over the summer.
• Although beer production in the United States dropped by 1.4% compared to 2014, there were more young adults drinking craft beers, which increased the market share of craft beer sales to 12% of total beer sales.
• Brazil saw a decrease of 2.0% compared to 2014, due to weakening sales after the 2014 Soccer World Cup and an increase in tax on beer.
• Russia continued to see a huge decrease, dropping by 4.7% compared to 2014 due to the deteriorating economy and tax increases. This is the eighth consecutive year of decrease since 2008.
• Japan’s ranking has remained unchanged for 13 years in a row, although there was a drop of 0.1% compared to 2014 partly due to poor weather during the summer months, when beer consumption is at its peak.

(Table 3) Global Beer Production by Country in 2015—Comparison with 2005

• *Production volume in Japan is a combination of beer, happo-shu (low-malt beer), and new genre (non-malt beer).
• *Some data not available.

Comments

• Comparing global beer production in 2015 with that of 10 years ago, there was an increase of approximately 27.79 million kiloliters, a growth rate of 17.3%. China had the largest increase in volume, growing by approximately 12.35 million kiloliters. It is followed by Brazil (at approximately 4.54 million kiloliters) and Vietnam (at approximately 3.29 million kiloliters).