Beer Consumption Per Capita in the EU by Country

Key Takeaways

• The Czech Republic has the highest beer consumption per capita among 23 EU countries. Czechs also drink a lot of alcohol in general, mostly beer.
• The top five countries for beer consumption per capita are all in Central and Eastern Europe. People there tend to choose beer over wine or spirits as their main alcoholic drink.
• Germany’s large population gives it the highest total beer consumption in the EU. However, each German drinks less beer than each Czech, partly because Germans drink less alcohol overall.

Beer Consumption Per Capita Across EU Countries

Stay tuned!

Learn something new about Germany every week and make informed decisions with confidence.

Stay tuned!

Learn something new about Germany every week and make informed decisions with confidence.

Czech Republic Leads Beer Consumption Per Capita in the EU

Beer consumption per capita shows how much beer the average person in a country drinks in a year. It counts every resident, including children and people who don’t drink.

The Czech Republic recorded the highest beer consumption per capita among 23 EU countries in 2024. Each person drank 126 litres of beer that year.

The Czech Republic’s 126 litres equals about 252 half-litre glasses per person. That is nearly five glasses a week for every man, woman, and child in the country.

Four more Central and Eastern European countries complete the EU’s top five for annual beer consumption per capita:

• Austria: 98 litres
• Germany: 88 litres
• Poland: 86 litres
• Romania: 83 litres

Beer was the main alcoholic drink in all five Central and Eastern European countries from 2000 to 2019. That long-standing habit keeps their beer consumption per capita high.

Three things help explain why the Czech Republic ranks first in beer consumption per capita among 23 EU countries:

• Long beer history: The world’s first golden Pilsner lager was brewed in the Czech city of Plzeň in 1842.
• Pub culture: Czech pubs are places where people meet friends and spend time together. In January 2025, the Czech government added Czech beer culture to its official list of national traditions worth protecting.
• High alcohol intake: Czechs drink a lot of alcohol overall. Beer makes up most of it.

Germany Drinks the Most Beer in the EU but Ranks Third Per Capita

Germany ranks first in the EU for total beer consumption. Germans consumed about 7.35 billion litres of beer in 2024. That total made up about a quarter of all beer consumed in the EU that year.

Germany has the most people in the EU. More people drinking means more beer in total. Beer consumption per capita divides that total by every resident, which takes away Germany’s size advantage.

Per person, Germans drank 88 litres of beer in 2024. Beer is the main alcoholic drink in both Germany and the Czech Republic. Because Germans drink less alcohol overall than Czechs, they also drink less beer.

Germany’s most famous beer festival does not close the gap with the Czech Republic. Munich’s Oktoberfest served about 7 million litres of beer in 2024. Even this huge festival made up only about 0.1% of all beer consumed in Germany that year.

In the end, beer consumption per capita depends less on how big a country is and more on what its people choose to drink every day.