Global Beer Consumption by Country in 2020

TOKYO, Thursday January 27, 2022 -Kirin Holdings Company, Limited (Kirin Holdings) published the Global Beer Consumption Report for 2020 which summarizes the details of global beer consumption in 170 major countries and regions. The report is based on findings obtained from questionnaires sent by Kirin Holdings to various brewers’ associations around the world, as well as the latest industry statistics available overseas. The data for global beer consumption has been tracked by Kirin since 1975.

Main Topics

■Global beer consumption stood at approximately 177.50 million kiloliters in 2020, down 6.7% from the previous year for the first time in three years. To illustrate this, if the volume of the Tokyo Dome was compared to a beer mug, this level of consumption would be equivalent to filling up the Tokyo Dome about 143 times over. ■China remained the largest beer-consuming country in the world for the 18th consecutive year; however, consumption decreased in 2020 by 8.0% year-on-year. Countries among the world’s top 10 beer-consuming countries which saw an increase were the United States of America, Brazil and Russia. ■By region, Asia consumed 11.7% less beer in 2020 compared to 2019, yet still holds a 31.2% share of the global beer market, remaining the world’s largest beer-consuming region for the 13th consecutive year. Beer consumption in Africa decreased in 2020 by 9.4% year-on-year and fell for the first time in ten years.

In 2020, the global beer consumption was 177.50 million kiloliters (equivalent to approximately 280.4 billion 633 ml bottles) - with a decrease of about 12.81 million kiloliters due to effects from the spread of COVID-19 – amounting to approximately 20.2 billion 633 ml bottles. The total volume of the global beer consumption is equivalent to filling the Tokyo Dome 143 times over, if the Tokyo Dome itself was a like a beer mug with a capacity of about 1.24 million kiloliters.

1. Global Beer Consumption by Country in 2020 (Table 1)

・ China remained the largest beer-consuming country in the world for the 18th consecutive year since 2003, despite a decrease of 8.0% compared to 2019.
・ Japan was ranked seventh for the 14th consecutive year since 2007, consuming 9.3% less beer than 2019.

2. Global Beer Consumption by Region in 2020 (Table 2)

・ Although beer consumption increased in North America, other regions saw a decrease.
・ Asia remained the world’s largest beer-consuming region for the 13th consecutive year, consuming 11.7% less beer than 2019. There was a decrease across the board except for Malaysia.
・ Beer consumption in Africa decreased by 9.4% year-on-year and fell for the first time in ten years.

3. Per-capita Beer Consumption by Country in 2020 (Table 3)

・ The Czech Republic remained the world’s top in per-capita beer consumption for the 28th consecutive year since 1993.
・ Among the top 35 countries, nine countries saw an increase in consumption from 2019 to 2020.
・ Japan consumed 34.9 liters of beer—the equivalent of about 55.1 633 ml bottles —on a per-capita basis in 2020, down 5.5 bottles year-on-year.

Sources: Questionnaires sent by Kirin to the brewers’ associations in major countries.
The Barth Report Hops 2019/2020 (BARTH−HAAS GROUP)
Global Beverage Forecasts September 2020 (GlobalData Plc)
*As of 2013, there has been a change in the industry statistics data source. Therefore, some of the data may not necessarily correspond with past reports.
The Jozo Sangyo Shimbunsha estimates consumption in Japan.
*Consumption volume in Japan is a combination of beer, happo-shu (malt liquor), and new genre (non-malt beer).

Note: Due to rounding, the figures may not necessarily add up.
Among the countries whose figures for the previous year were revised for this year’s report, the revised figures are used to calculate year-on-year changes.
*The volume of global consumption for the previous year has been updated (revised from 189.05 million kiloliters to 190.31 million kiloliters).

About Kirin Holdings

Kirin Holdings Company, Limited is an international company that operates in the Food & Beverages domain (Food & Beverages businesses), Pharmaceuticals domain (Pharmaceuticals businesses), and Health Science domain (Health Science business), both in Japan and across the globe.

Kirin Holdings can trace its roots to Japan Brewery which was established in 1885. Japan Brewery became Kirin Brewery in 1907. Since then, the company expanded its business with fermentation and biotechnology as its core technologies, and entered the pharmaceutical business in the 1980s, all of which continue to be global growth centers. In 2007, Kirin Holdings was established as a pure holding company and is currently focusing on boosting its Health Science domain.

Under the Kirin Group Vision 2027 (KV 2027), a long-term management plan launched in 2019, the Kirin Group aims to become “A global leader in CSV* creating value across our world of Food & Beverages to Pharmaceuticals.” Going forward, the Kirin Group will continue to leverage its strengths to create both social and economic value through its businesses, with the aim of achieving sustainable growth in corporate value.

*: Creating Shared Value. Combined added value for consumers as well as for society at large.

(Table 1) Global Beer Consumption by Country in 2020

Comments
・ Global beer consumption stood at approximately 177.50 million kiloliters in 2020, down 6.7% from the previous year, decreasing for the first time in three years.
・ China remained the largest beer-consuming country in the world for the 18th consecutive year since 2003, despite a decrease of 8.0% compared to 2019 due to the COVID-19.

(Table 2) Global Beer Consumption by Region in 2020

Comments
・ Annual beer consumption in Asia was the highest in the world for the 13th consecutive year, with a decrease of 11.7% from the previous year and its global market share was 31.2%.
・ Asia remained the top beer-consuming region although decreased by 11.7% led by China, India, and the Philippines, which saw year-on-year decreases of 8.0%, 39.8%, and 34.2% respectively.
・ Europe, ranking second, recorded a decrease of 5.2% from the previous year due to decreased consumption in Germany and the United Kingdom of 5.1% and 13.2% respectively, although consumption increased in Russia by 4.1%.
・ Central and South America, ranking third, decreased by 4.4% from the previous year due to decreased consumption in Mexico and Colombia of 11.1% and 9.0% respectively, even though consumption in Brazil increased by 4.2%.
・ North America, ranking fourth, increased due to increased consumption in United States of America by 0.8%.

(Table 3) Per-capita Beer Consumption by Country in 2020

Comments
・ The Czech Republic led all other nations in per-capita beer consumption for the 28th consecutive year.
・ Among the top 35 countries ranked by per-capita beer consumption, nine increased consumption levels from 2019 to 2020.