While beer production and consumption is down across the European Union, Spain‘s beer sector outperformed the wider European market last year, according to the European Beer Trends 2026 published by The Brewers of Europe.
The report shows that beer production across the EU declined by 2.9% in 2025, while consumption fell by 3.2% compared with the previous year.
Since 2019, European production of beer has fallen by 8.6% and consumption by 9.2%, reflecting changing consumer behaviour and continued economic pressures, the report found.
Spain a strong performer
As representative group Cerveceros de España noted, Spain continued to outperform many other European markets. Beer production increased by 0.5% during 2025, making Spain one of the few EU countries to record production growth. Production is now 5.1% higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Beer consumption in Spain also remained relatively stable. Total consumption reached 43.4 million hectolitres, 5.2% above 2019 levels.
Alcohol-free beer continued to be one of the fastest-growing segments of the market – across the EU, alcohol-free beer volumes increased by 5.9% in 2025 and have grown by more than 38% since 2020. In Spain, meanwhile, sales of alcohol-free beer increased by 4.6% during 2025, with alcohol-free products now representing 14% of total beer consumption.
This means that one in every seven beers consumed in Spain is alcohol-free.
In terms of beer exports, Spain recorded export growth of around 8% during 2025. Exports of traditional beer increased by approximately 10%, according to figures presented by Cerveceros de España.
Supporting the economy
Beer production represents 1.3% of Spain’s GDP and supports more than 540,000 jobs, many of them in the hospitality industry.
“Beer is much more than what is served in a glass,” commented Julia Leferman, secretary general of The Brewers of Europe. “It brings people together while sustaining farmers, brewers, hospitality businesses and local communities across Europe.
“Even in a complex economic environment, our industry continues to innovate and respond to changing consumer expectations. The continued growth of alcohol-free beer demonstrates how brewers are evolving to offer consumers more choice than ever before.” Read more here.
