Beer is a very popular beverage. It can be spotted at sporting events, parties, backyard barbecues, and more. However, few people have thought about what goes into the can or bottle of beer. No, we’re not talking about the ingredients but the economics or the numbers. The beer brewing industry is quite complex, and it takes a lot of effort to get your favorite beer into a local store or bar near you.
In this article, we are giving you some of the important numbers that you need to know when it comes to the beer industry. Did you know that in 2020, the global beer market reached $623.2 billion? Yes, and it is expected to reach $727.5 billion in 2026. What do you think are the factors that contributed to that amount? To learn more, below are some statistics about the beer industry.
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Top Beer-Producing Countries
The worldwide top beer producers are all making millions of kiloliters of beer annually. The top five on our list are China, the USA, Brazil, Mexico, and Germany. Among these countries, China is the leading beer-producing country, making 38 million kiloliters of beer in a year. The top beer brands from China in 2020 are Tsingtao, Yanjing, and Snow.
Following China is the United States, which produces 21 million kiloliters of beer annually. In recent years, the sale of craft beers in the US has increased. But in general, some of the top brands of beer in the US include MolsonCoors and Anheuser-Busch. Some of the other top beer-producing countries that made it to our list are Russia, Japan, Vietnam, the UK, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, India, Colombia, and France.
Top Beer-Consuming Countries
If there are top beer-producing countries, there are also the top beer-consuming countries. According to our research, Europe is the top beer-consuming continent in the world, with the Czech Republic on the number one spot on our list. It has consumed 143.3 liters of beer per capita. Another fact is that beer is much cheaper compared to water in this country. It is also where Pilsner came from.
Next to the Czech Republic is Namibia with 108 liters of beer per capita, Austria with 106 liters of beer per capita, Germany with 104.2 liters of beer per capita, and Poland with 100.8 liters of beer per capita. Other countries that made it to the top 15 include Ireland, Romania, Seychelles, Estonia, Lithuania, Belize, Spain, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Croatia.
Most Valuable Beer Brands in the World
In 2020, the brand value of beers curved slightly and led to a loss of 16%, totaling around $14.7 billion loss among the top 50 beer brands in the world. In this graph, you will see that all the value of the various beer brands declined in 2021, except for Asahi. It is the only brand on this list that increased its value.
However, even though Corona’s brand value dropped about 28%, it was still the most valuable beer brand in the world in 2021. It had a closed fight with Heineken. Some of the other valuable beer brands worldwide are Budweiser, Victoria, Bud Light, Snow, Modelo, Kirin, Miller Light, and Asahi.
Biggest Beer Companies in the World
There are definitely lots of different breweries in the world. But when we talk about the biggest, you will see some of the most familiar companies and brands. Based on our research, the biggest beer company in the world is Anheuser-Busch InBev. It is a multinational drink and brewing holdings company in Belgium. The company became bigger when AB InBev purchased SABMiller and merged the two companies. However, even before the acquisition and merger, AB InBev was still the largest brewer worldwide. It produces 61,250 million liters of beer annually.
Following Anheuser-Busch InBev is Heineken. It is among the most popular beer brands in the world. Heineken produces 21,800 million liters of beer each year. It is followed by China Resources Snow Breweries with 12,600 million liters of beer annually. Other big breweries on our list are Carlsberg, Molson Coors, Tsingtao Brewery Group, Asahi, Yanjing, BGI/Groupe Castel, and Kirin.
Most Popular Beers in the United States
The United States is among the top beer producers in the world. Many people are also into drinking beer in this country. With this, there are brands of beer that have become very popular and famous for beer lovers in the country. On the graph above, fame refers to the percentage of people who have heard of the beer. Popularity, on the other hand, refers to the percentage of people who have a positive opinion about the beer.
Based on our research, the top five most popular beers in the United States are Guinness, Heineken, Corona, Samuel Adams, and Budweiser. The rankings are based on the number of surveyed individuals who ranked their opinions towards a specific brew as positive. For the fame part, the most famous beers in the United States are Budweiser, Coors, Corona, Guinness, and Heineken.
Most Popular Styles of Beer Brands in the United States
Beer lovers have their own preferences when it comes to the styles and types of beer. In the US, among the many styles of beer available, the most popular is lager or pilsner. Based on Statista, in 2019, there were 60.6% of beer drinkers that voted for lagers and pilsners as their favorite style of beer. It was followed by Amber Ale (42%), Pale Ale (41.30%), Wheat (37.10%), Belgian (32.20%), Stout or Porter (25.10%), Brown Ale (24.90%), and Sour (10.30%).
Top Beer Brands in the United States
There are lots of beer brands that dominate the United States market. This is because beer companies are doing their best to adapt their brands to match the demands of beer consumers. As the taste of beer consumers changes, the popular and best-selling beers also change annually. On the graph above, you can see the top brands of beer in the United States based on their 2020 sales.
In 2020, Budweiser topped the list of the top beer brands in the US, having $7.07 billion in sales. The brand is followed by Michelob, Modelo, Corona, and Coors. In this list, you will see that AB InBev is among the four of the best-selling brands of beer in the US, together with Constellation and Molson Coors beers.
U.S. Beer Market Growth (2010-2021)
From 2010 to 2021, the beer market in the United States has grown continuously. There are many reasons behind this growth, and one of those is the introduction of new brands and flavors of beers. Back in 2017, the beer market in the United States was valued at $74 billion. In the medium term, it has grown to $83 billion. You can see on the graph above the size of the US beer market from 2010 to 2021 and how much it has grown. From $62,021 million in 2010, the beer market has reached $83,711 million in 2021, and it will surely grow more in the coming years.
