Russia entered the top five world leaders in beer production by the end of 2024, pushing Germany into sixth place, the annual report of the Bavarian company BarthHaas states.
According to its data, in 2024 Russia produced 90 million hectoliters of beer, while in Germany it was over 7 million hectoliters less. Thus, Russia is the leader in this industry in Europe. The volume of the drink produced in the Russian Federation in 2024 increased by 7.4 million hectoliters (almost 9%), which provided the lion's share of the increase in production in Europe. In contrast, Germany produced 0.8 million hectoliters less.
The first four positions are occupied by China, the United States, Brazil and Mexico. Chinese breweries are leading by a significant margin, accounting for 18.2% of global production of this product. Overall, the report characterizes global beer production as stable, but the long-term downward trend persists - compared to 2024, production volumes have decreased slightly (-0.3%). Of all continents, only Africa shows pronounced growth (+6.7%).
Despite the deterioration of Germany's position as a beer producer, the country continues to hold the lead in terms of cultivated hops. In 2024, it accounted for 41% of global production of this agricultural crop, the United States took second place with a share of the global market of 35%.