Which Country Drinks the Most Beer?

Beer is a beverage consumed across the world.

Though it isn’t a competition, it is interesting to take a look at how each country across the globe stacks up when compared to one another’s consumption of alcohol. This consumption generally relies on each nation’s view of alcohol and whether it is more of a social beverage, a casual one or something that is reserved for special occasions only.

Added to this, religious views and cultural identity also play a major part in alcohol consumption across the nations and so these can majorly impact the consumption and investment in alcohol too. For example, Muslim nations rarely make the top lists of beer and alcohol consumption due to religion forbidding the consumption of alcohol.

In this article, we will dive into the country’s across the globe which consume the most beer. 

The Czech Republic: Consuming The Most Per Capita

Topping off the list is the Czech Republic, which may or may not be a surprise.

The Czech’s attitude toward alcohol is very different when compared to a lot of countries across the globe given that the country is relatively relaxed when it comes to the drinking age as well as the policing of alcohol consumption. 

The country has stood as the highest consumers of alcohol for more than 25 years in a row, and with annual beer consumption of just under 200 litres per year, it isn’t looking likely that anyone is going to take first place for the Czechs any time soon. 

China: Consuming The Most Overall 

One nation that tops the list which may not be surprising, due to its giant population is China. 

As a whole, the country consumes more than 39,000 kilolitres of alcohol each year. However, per-capita consumption remains rather low at just 7 litres per year on average, making this far lower than the Czech Republic. 

Something to note is that China’s consumption and approach to alcohol production, consumption and imports have begun to change and the landscape is shifting with regards to alcohol, which may see the country slowly consuming more and more beer over the coming years – a great investment opportunity for breweries looking to enter China. 

European Beer Consumption

When it comes to a land mass’s beer consumption, there aren’t too many places that come close to Europe, which is home to the top 8 beer-consuming countries, and 22 out of the 36 highest beer consuming countries landing on the list is from Europe. 

When compared to Australian consumption, which rests at 76 litres annually, European nations regularly pass the 80L mark and reach all the way into the hundreds of litres per year of the continent’s favourite alcoholic beverage – beer.

You can click here for some of Australia’s most popular beers and ciders to compare these to the EU’s.

The Rest of the World

As for the rest of the world’s biggest beer consumers, we have a list for you below. 

Seychelles 

Hitting above the 100 litres per year mark, Seychelles is one of the biggest consumers of beer outside the Czech Republic with each adult consuming around 142 litres of beer on an annual basis. 

Germany 

Home to the authentic beer-fueled October fest, Germans love their beer and their consumption of more than 104 litres a year proves it. The country also routinely ties with their neighbours the Austrians with regards to their consumptions of beer. 

Austria 

With an exact match at 104 litres of beer consumption, tying with Germany, the Austrians are as known for their love of ales and draught beers as well as their love of luxurious villa rentals throughout their beautiful country and their neighbors.

Namibia 

Heading to Africa now, and Namibia takes out the fifth spot for beer consumption on a global scale with the country’s citizens drinking over 102 litres of beer per year. 

Poland

Back to the EU and the Polish consume another rather large amount of beer on an annual basis, with more than 99 litres drunk each year. 

Ireland 

A rather surprisingly low spot on our list is taken out by the Irish, which shows that the stereotype of the alcohol-loving Irish might be just a little flawed. The lucky Irish consume just under 100 litres per year at 97 litres. 

The Takeaway 

With all of those countries listed, it is easy to see that as a global population, we all seem to drink a lot of beer, though some nations consume a whole lot more than others. As expected, Europe takes out the top spot as a continent, though as a country, China’s vast population means that the Chinese drink more beer as a whole than just about any other nation out there, and this isn’t expected to change anytime soon. 

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