World beer output grows 1.6% in 2010

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Following a slight decrease in output in 2009, world beer production increased again in 2010. Production totalled 1.85 billion hectolitres, representing an increase of 29 million hectolitres or 1.6% on the previous year, Heinrich Meier, editor of the Bath report said in a statement for the press conference on Monday in Munich. Looking back over the last decade, beer output has grown by an average of 45 million hectolitres, or 3%, every year, the Bath-Haas Group said in its report. The increase in output in 2010 can be attributed to different developments throughout the world.

In Europe, output is down for the third year in a row, this time by twelve million hectolitres, taking it to 542 million hectolitres. There has been a sharp decline in production in Russia, Germany (-2.4 million hectolitres), Romania, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. In contrast, output in Poland increased by 1.7 million hectolitres.

On the American continent, North and Central America experienced a slight decrease in output: the main fall in production was in the USA and Mexico. The large increase in output of seven million hectolitres in Brazil was decisive for growth in South America.

As in previous years, the beer market in Asia boomed. With an increase of more than 34 million hectolitres, output was up by almost six percent. Output increased by almost 25 million hectolitres in China alone, which gives it an 86% share in world growth. A considerable increase in output of almost four million hectolitres was also recorded in Vietnam.

Africa saw production increase by 7.2 million hectolitres. An output increase of 7.2 percent meant that Africa was simultaneously the continent with the highest growth rate. The result was contributed to by Nigeria, where output grew by 1.6 million hectolitres, Zimbabwe, with production up by around a million hectolitres, and South Africa, where 0.8 million hectolitres more were produced.

In 2010, almost 92% of total world beer output was brewed in the 40 main beer-producing countries. The world’s top beer-producing country is and remains China, with an output of more than 448 million hectolitres, followed by the USA. Third place goes to Brazil, pushing Russia back into fourth place. As in the previous year, Germany, with beer output of around 95.7 million hectolitres, is number five in the international rankings.

Five brewing groups account for 50% of world beer production

Almost half of the world beer market is dominated by the five major brewing groups AB InBev, SABMiller, Heineken, Carlsberg and China Resource Brewery Ltd..

Only three German groups take their place among the 40 biggest brewing groups: the Radeberger Group in 20th place, Oettinger in 34th place and the Bitburger brewing group in 37th place. The world market share of these three groups together is just 1.5%.

Barth-Haas Group