Germany's beer market has seen a fall in both consumption and production over this period. Total consumption in hectolitres declined from 85,532,000 in 2016 to 79,094,000 in 2022, and per-capita beer consumption fell from 101 litres to 92 litres.

Beer consumption in Germany has been gradually decreasing since the 1990s, now averaging only 88 liters per person annually, down from nearly 143 liters following the Berlin Wall's collapse.

The most substantial decline was recorded in the per capita beer consumption; it fell by 5.4% to 86.9 litres, which was the strongest decline in the past 10 years. This means that an inhabitant’s average beer consumption was down by five litres in 2020 compared with the previous year. This was a decrease of 2.1% and 0.9%, respectively, compared with 2019.

Personal beer consumption decreased by almost a quarter between 2013 and 2023, from around 107 liters to 88 liters annually. The report says beer consumption in Germany is on a decline, while non-alcoholic beer is becoming more popular.

Alcohol per capita consumption (aged 15 years and older) within a calendar year in litres of pure alcohol: 2010: 12.2; 2011: 12.4; 2012: 12.3; 2013: 12.2; 2014: 12.1; 2015: 11.9; 2016: 11.9; 2017: 11.8; 2018: 11.9; 2019: 11.5; 2020: 11.2; 2021: 11.1; 2022: 11.3; 2023: 10.8; 2024: 11.0. The data state is noted as last updated on 2026/01/16.

Germany's Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reported that total beer sales, domestic and imported, fell below 8 billion liters in 2024, the first time this has happened since records began in 1993.[12] More than 80% of this beer was sold within Germany and the statistics exclude non‑alcoholic beers and malt beverages, underscoring a substantial decline in traditional beer consumption.[12] The press release highlighted that 2023 had already seen the lowest beer sales volume in decades, at only 8.4 billion liters.[12]

Beer consumption in Germany has been on a downward trend for decades. In previous years, the share of people saying they drink beer was around 46 to 48 percent, but this year it fell to 41 percent.

Germany, which ranked 8th the previous year, dropped to 10th, while Slovenia moved up from 10th to 8th. Second-place Europe recorded an increase of 1.4% from the previous year, despite declines in countries such as Germany (down 2.2%) and Spain (down 1.3%).

Germany’s per-capita beer consumption has fallen by about 40% since its peak around 1980. It has declined from roughly 145.9 liters in 1980 to 88 liters per person in 2024. Around 1980, beer consumption in Germany peaked at 145.9 liters per person per year. By 2024, that figure had eased down to 88 liters. That’s a decline of around 40% over four decades.

In 2008, the annual volume of beer consumed in Germany amounted to 111 liters per capita, the largest amount consumed in the recorded period. In 2023, the annual volume of beer consumed amounted to 88 liters per capita. This statistic shows the volume of beer consumed in Germany per capita from 2008 to 2023.

Beer consumption in Germany is on a decline, and non-alcoholic options are increasingly popular. According to Destatis, sales of non-alcoholic beer have surged by 109% since 2013, while overall beer consumption reached its lowest point in more than three decades.

The article reports that in 2024 Germans consumed 8.3 billion liters of beer, a drop of 119.4 million liters (1.4%) compared to 2023.[5] Over the past decade, total beer consumption in Germany has fallen by 15.1%, while per capita beer consumption declined from an average of 111 liters per year to 88 liters in 2023.[5] It adds that between January and May 2024, 3.41 billion liters of beer were sold, the lowest figure since reunification, marking a 7% drop compared to the same period the previous year.[5]

Destatis said beer consumption within Germany has fallen by 15.1% over the past ten years, with domestic sales dropping to 6.8 billion litres in 2024 from 8 billion litres in 2014.

The EU beer trends data table lists Germany’s beer consumption in 2023 at 74,564 (1,000 hectoliters), equivalent to about 7.456 billion liters.[1] Compared to the Germany country sheet showing 85,532,000 hl in 2016 and 79,094,000 hl in 2022, the 2023 figure confirms a continued downward trend in total beer consumption.[1][2] The report characterizes Germany as having a strong beer industry but notes that domestic beer production continues to exceed domestic consumption, which has fallen over the last decade.[2]

European Union beer production continued its gentle slide, declining from roughly 367 million hectolitres in 2019 to 345 million in 2024. Consumption actually seems to have marginally stabilised in 2024 compared to the previous year, but it is continuing to fall in 2025 and is still well below the pre-pandemic level of 320 million hectolitres in 2019. For Germany, the table "Beer consumption per capita 2018–2024 (litres)" shows values decreasing over the period, with per capita consumption lower in 2024 than in 2018.

Statista’s beer sales volume series shows that around 69.34 million hectoliters of beer were sold in Germany in 2023, compared with approximately 79.7 million hectoliters a decade earlier.[11] The commentary notes that "figures had generally been falling annually" over the specified timeline, despite a small increase in 2022.[11] A related Statista dataset on per capita beer consumption in Germany indicates that after increases up to around 1990, consumption has followed a decreasing pattern in subsequent decades, with individual consumption at about 89.4 liters in 2022.[11]

German beer sales volume has generally decreased in the last decade, though annual figures mostly remained similar in recent years. Per capita consumption of beer from Germany: 88 l (latest figure in the topic overview). The topic page notes that German beer sales and per capita consumption have been on a downward trend over time.

Domestic beer consumption was down 2% year-on-year to 58 million hectolitres in 2024, equal to per-capita consumption of 88 litres. The report says overall beer output fell 1.4% to 82 million hectolitres.

Overall, the per capita consumption of pure alcohol in Germany has declined slightly in recent decades. In 2019, Germany was one of the countries with the highest level of alcohol consumption in international comparison, with an average of 12.8 litres of pure alcohol consumed per person aged 15 and over. The study describes a downward trend in per capita alcohol consumption, including beer, over time.

Since the pandemic, total beer volume has entered a decline, shaped by a broader societal shift toward reduced alcohol consumption. Beer consumption in Germany is decreasing, with consumers shifting toward moderation or abstention due to health concerns and changing lifestyles. Beer consumption declines for another year in Germany, as volume sales continue to fall, impacting traditional brewers.

Germany's beer-producing and storing establishments sold 39 million hectolitres in the first half of 2025, down 6.3% year on year, the lowest first-half level in over three decades. Domestic consumption fell 6.1% to 32 million hectolitres.

Great graph on per capita beer consumption in Germany from 2011-2024 where overall per capita beer consumption has declined by 23%, BUT non-alcoholic beer has gained 38% to the point it is about 9.4% of the total beer per capita consumption. Per capita beer consumption in Germany (2011-2024) has been declining from 109.3 liters in 2011 to 88 liters in 2024 (-19.5%).

This analysis states that "beer consumption in Germany is set to decline further in 2024, continuing a long‑term downward trend" according to the German Brewers Association, as reported by DPA.[10] It notes that 2023 recorded the lowest beer sales volume in decades with only 8.4 billion liters sold, and that November 2024 beer consumption fell by 2.1% year‑on‑year.[10] The Brewers Association president attributes the ongoing decline to factors such as bad weather, inflation and changes in consumer spending.[10]

Germany’s beer market just hit a historic low: sales fell 6% in 2025, dropping to 7.8 billion liters, the steepest decline since 1993. This adds to a long-term downward trend in beer consumption and sales in the German market, with per capita volumes also decreasing over the past decade.

Beer sales in Germany reached about 7.8 billion litres in 2025, down 6.0% from 2024, and the decline was the largest since the statistics began in 1993. Destatis also pointed to a broader decrease over the last ten years.

A visual from this post shows per capita beer consumption in Germany declining from 109.3 liters in 2011 to 88 liters in 2024, a decrease of 19.5%.[4] It specifies that regular beer consumption fell by 22.8% over this period, while non‑alcoholic beer grew by 38.3%, raising non‑alcoholic beer’s share of total per capita consumption from 5.5% to 9.4%.[4] The data illustrate both a significant decline in overall beer drinking and a shift within remaining consumption toward non‑alcoholic varieties.[4]

This academic study traces long‑term trends and finds that per capita beer consumption in Germany peaked at 150.9 liters in 1976 and then declined to 111.8 liters by 2007.[14] It notes that most of the decline in total per capita alcohol consumption over the past 30 years "is driven by changes in the demand for beer," with beer consumption falling steadily from its mid‑1970s peak.[14] By 2007, overall pure alcohol consumption had fallen back to its early 1960s level, indicating a structural, multi‑decade decline rather than short‑term fluctuation.[14]

Over the past 25 years (1995–2019), sales data demonstrate falling per capita consumption of beer and spirits (from 7.5 to 5.7 l of ethanol and from 2.8 to 2.1 l, respectively), while the per capita consumption of wine remained unchanged (3.0 l). For males, there was a general decrease in beer consumption and a general increase in wine and spirit consumption across time periods.

The per capita consumption of Beer segment in Germany reached 92.67 litres in 2022. The indicator recorded a historical decline (CAGR) of 1.69% between 2019 to 2022, and is expected to grow by... GlobalData projects the indicator to decline at a CAGR that signals a declining tendency over these five years.