Weak hospitality industry causes further decline in European beer market

For the fifth consecutive year, beer production, consumption, and exports in Europe are declining. This is due to low consumer confidence and a severely weakened hospitality industry. Only non-alcoholic beer is still growing.

Dynamics slowing down

Beer production in the EU has fallen from 367 million hectoliters in 2019 to 345 million in 2024, and figures for early 2025 show a further decline. During the same period, consumption fell from 320 to 303 million hectoliters. Non-alcoholic beer is the only growth category, with an increase of 25% in five years. The segment already accounts for 7.5% of beer consumption in the EU. Exports, once a buffer for domestic declines, have also slowed for the second year in a row, according to the recently published European Beer Trends Report 2025 by The Brewers of Europe.