Beer sales fell by 1.4% in Germany last year, or 119.4 million litres, according to new data from Destatis, the federal statistics office.
Domestic sales fell by 2.0%, however beer exports increased by 1.6%, with German breweries and other beer producers selling a total of 8.3 billion litres of beer last year.
This decline continues the ‘long-term trend of falling sales figures’, Destatis noted, despite the Euro 2024 football championship taking place during the summer – a competition that has traditionally boosted sales.
Compared to 2014, breweries sold 13.7% less beer in 2024, or 1.3 billion fewer litres, according to the data.
Seasonal fluctuations were also evident, with beer sales rising in the spring and summer before falling back in the autumn and winter. This is consistent with long-term trends, Destatis noted – a month-by-month guide to beer sales in Germany can be found here.
Domestic sales and exports
Domestic beer sales, which account for 82.3% of total sales, amounted to 6.8 billion litres, while beer exports increased by 1.6%, totalling 1.5 billion litres.
Of the beer exported, 808.4 million litres were sent to other EU countries (+3.1%), while exports to non-EU countries decreased slightly by 0.3%, amounting to 644 million litres.
Sales of ‘beer blends’, such as radler-style beers, also fell back last year, according to the data, seeing a 4.6% drop. These blends accounted for 4.7% of total beer sales, with 384.8 million litres sold.
The data does not include figures on non-alcoholic beers and malt drinks, nor beer imported from countries outside the European Union. Read more here.
