According to a report from Kirin Beer University, global beer consumption reached some 189.05 million kiloliters in 2019, a 0.5 percent increase from the past year. In Asia alone, consumption rose by 0.7 percent compared to 2018, and now holds a 33 percent share of the global beer market.
China has been the world’s largest beer-consuming country since 2003 with a 20.9 percent share of the market. But consumption declined in the country by 0.4 percent in 2019 due to market saturation and the maturing market.
Japan is the next largest consumer in Asia and is seventh in the world rankings. Vietnam and India also saw an increase by 3.4 and 3.1 percent, respectively.
In the Philippines, there was a 5.1 percent boost due to sustained economic growth despite a drop in production during the second half of 2019. This decline was caused by the lowering of prices, hog cholera, natural disasters, and other factors.
Next to Asia, Europe is the second largest beer-consuming region in the world, with a 26.4 percent global market share. This is followed by Central and South America with 17.3 percent, and North America with 13.7 percent.
The United States comes in second to China as the largest beer consumer. Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, and Spain also made it to the top 10.
However, the Czech Republic remains the largest beer consumer per capita since 1993. Traditional beer markets such as Austria, Romania, and Poland also come up to par.
Meanwhile, Africa is in its ninth year of consecutive growth, outpacing other regions despite accounting for only 7.8 percent of the global market.