Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The European Union produced 32.7 billion liters of beer containing more than 0.5% alcohol by volume, and 2 billion liters of beer containing less than 0.5% alcohol by volume or completely alcohol-free, bringing total production to 34.7 billion liters in 2024.
Compared to the previous year, 2023, production of beer containing more than 0.5% alcohol by volume in the EU increased slightly by 0.6% (+0.2 billion liters), while production of beer containing less than 0.5% alcohol by volume increased by 11.1% (+0.2 billion liters).
The list of the largest beer producers in the EU will remain unchanged until 2024. Germany maintained its lead as the largest producer of beer with an alcohol content of more than 0.5%, producing 7.2 billion liters (22.2% of the total EU production), the same as in 2023. Spain followed closely behind, producing 4.0 billion liters. (12.3% of total EU production), and Poland with 3.4 billion liters (10.6%). The top five producers also included the Netherlands, with 2.2 billion liters (6.8%), and Belgium, with 2.1 billion liters (6.3%).
The Netherlands is the largest exporter and France is the largest importer.
The Netherlands maintained its position as the largest beer exporter, leading the EU with a total of 1.5 billion liters (both within and outside the EU) of alcoholic beer in 2024. However, compared to 2023, the Netherlands experienced a 12% decrease (-0.2 billion liters) in beer exports.
Germany and Belgium (both exporting 1.4 billion liters), the Czech Republic (0.6 billion liters), and Ireland (0.5 billion liters) were the top exporters in 2024.
Regarding imports, France maintained its position as the largest importer of alcoholic beer in 2024. 2024, with a total of 0.8 billion liters. Italy was among the other major importers, with over 0.7 billion liters, followed by Spain and Germany, each with about 0.6 billion liters, and the Netherlands with about 0.5 billion liters.