This Graphic Shows Which Countries Drink The Most Beer And It's Pretty Surprising
The team at Visual Capitalist wanted to find out which country drank the most beer and to our surprise, America didn't come first.
It’s hot out, and this summertime weather means people often turn to their favorite cold beverage to keep them cool — or as a reward after a hot afternoon of cutting the lawn. And beer is often one of those cold beverages. It’s a drink that’s been enjoyed for thousands of years, and it’s America’s favorite adult beverage—but does the U.S drink the most beer out of every other country? If you need to know the answer to this burning question, there’s a graphic that answers that for us.
The team at Visual Capitalist wanted to find out which country drank the most beer. So, using data from the Kirin Holdings Company, Limited’s Global Beer Consumption Report, which looks at beer consumption in over 170 major countries and regions, Visual Capitalist created a handy, easy-to-read graphic that gives us an excellent worldwide snapshot. And it turns out that although beer is this country’s favorite alcoholic beverage, it doesn’t top the list in terms of total consumption—but it’s close.
Looking at the graphic, it’s clear that China consumes the most beer overall, with 36,088 kiloliters (20.3% of the global market share [GMS]). The U.S. comes second, consuming 24,105 kiloliters (13.6% GMS). Rounding out the top five includes Brazil, consuming 12, 847 kilolitres (7.8% GMS); Russia at 8,646 kiloliters (4.9% GMS); and Mexico at 8,287 kiloliters (4.7% GMS).
As Visual Capitalist points out, a large population in a country doesn’t necessarily translate to high beer consumption. “For instance, India, which has the second highest population in the world, ranks 23rd on the list for beer consumption,” they explain, “and only accounts for 1% of what foamy liquid gets guzzled down each year.”
Of course, the top five list looks a lot different when we look at beer consumption per capita instead of overall consumption. China drops off the list, and the U.S. moves to 17th place.
For per capita beer drinking, the top spot goes to the Czech Republic with 181.9 liters of beer consumed per capita (BCPC), followed by Austria (96.8 BCPC), Poland (96.1 BCPC), Romania (95.2 BCPC), and Germany (92.4 BCPC).
No matter which country loves beer the most, beer culture is here to stay. And that’s a good reason to crack open a new one. To look at larger images of the graphics, check out Visual Capitalist.
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