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What countries drink the most amount of beer per capita?

What countries come to mind when you think of big beer drinkers? Germany? The UK? The US? Well, they’re not even close to no. 1.

Joseph McMahon
jmcmahonztown

It’s not surprising that the country with the largest population in the world is also the country that consumes the most beer. China consumes over 9.5 million gallons of beer per year. However, with a population of 1.4 billion citizens, they rank at the bottom of the list when it comes to the amount of beer consumed per person (25.1 liters).

Which countries drink the most beer?

Thanks to data collected by Kirin Holdings, we are able to compare the countries with the highest beer consumption at a per capita level.

So, what about the countries known for their quality of beer and pub culture, like Ireland, the U.K., and Germany? In those areas, the per capita amount of beer drunk each year is sure to be high, right? Well, sort of. The Irish, known for their Guinness and St. Paddy’s Day, sits at number 15 on the list of beer consumption per capita list (78.5L), just behind Solvenia, which rounds out the top 10 at 78.7 liters per year.

Germany loves its beer and comes in fifth with an average of 90.4L per person per year. A lot of that is probably consumed in the months of September and October and in Munich, the capital of Bavaria and the home of the Oktoberfest. People from all over the world descend to Munich to partake in the annual festival, and many opt for the traditional dress, Lederhosen, when consuming their jars of refreshing beer.

The UK is way down on the list (no. 25), which may surprise people. The English, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish average out at 67.9L per person despite producing some of the best beers on the planet and their beloved pub culture.

The US, known internationally for Budweiser and its huge craft beer industry, is situated at number 17. The Americans average 72.6L of beer per person, which works out to roughly 220 cans of beer per year.

And the winner is…

The Czech Republic drinks the most beer per capita. It has topped the list for almost 30 years straight since 1993. The Czechs drink an average of 184.1L of beer per year per person, almost twice as much as the second-ranking country, Austria, which averages 98.7L per person.

Countries with the highest per capita beer consumption

  1. Czech Republic — 184.1
  2. Austria — 98.7
  3. Lithuania — 96.3 
  4. Romania — 95.6
  5. Poland — 94.1
  6. Estonia — 91.4 
  7. Germany — 90.4
  8. Spain — 88.5
  9. Namibia — 85.7
  10. Croatia — 82.4

Source: Visual Capitalist

The Czechs average approximately a pint of beer per day, maybe because it is cheaper than bottled water, at approximately $1 dollar for half a liter of beer. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the country, and many health experts have noted the connection between high consumption of alcohol and the disease, as the former tends to cause high blood pressure.

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