Czechs Are The World’s Biggest Beer Drinkers… By Far

Beer traces its origins back at least 5,000 years to the Middle East, where it became an integral part of early civilizations.

In ancient Sumerian and Egyptian cultures, beer was even used as a form of currency. During the Middle Ages, the introduction of hops by monks transformed the brewing process, helping to create the beer we recognize and love today.

Over the centuries, beer has become deeply woven into the cultural fabric of many societies, and it remains one of the most-consumed beverages worldwide.

As Visual Caitalist’s Dorothy Neufeld shows in the graphic below, beer consumption varies considerably per capita by country, based on data from Kirin Holdings.

Where Do People Drink the Most Beer?

Below, we show the top 35 countries globally that consume the most beer per capita as of 2023:

Ranking
Country
Per Capita Consumption Volume (L)
2022
1
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
188.5
2
🇦🇹 Austria
101.2
3
🇵🇱 Poland
99.6
4
🇮🇪 Ireland
99.3
5
🇱🇹 Lithuania
97.6
6
🇪🇸 Spain
95.1
7
🇩🇪 Germany
93.3
8
🇪🇪 Estonia
93.1
9
🇷🇴 Romania
91.6
10
🇳🇦 Namibia
90.8
11
🇭🇷 Croatia
90.0
12
🇱🇻 Latvia
86
13
🇸🇮 Slovenia
83.9
14
🇬🇦 Gabon
82.5
15
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
80.4
16
🇸🇰 Slovakia
79.9
17
🇵🇦 Panama
79.0
18
🇭🇺 Hungary
77.8
19
🇲🇽 Mexico
75.9
20
🇧🇦 Bosnia-
Herzegovina
72.3
21
🇰🇭 Cambodia
72.2
22
🇦🇺 Australia
70.6
23
🇫🇮 Finland
70.2
24
🇳🇱 Netherlands
70.2
25
🇧🇷 Brazil
69.3
26
🇿🇦 South Africa
69.0
27
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
67.0
28
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico
66.7
29
🇵🇹 Portugal
63.5
30
🇩🇰 Denmark
62.6
31
🇺🇸 United States
60.9
32
🇳🇿 New Zealand
59.4
33
🇨🇬 Republic of the
Congo
59.2
34
🇷🇺 Russia
58.3
35
🇳🇴 Norway
58.1

As we can see, nine of the top 10 countries by beer consumption per capita are in Europe.

For 30 consecutive years, Czechia has held the top spot in beer consumption per capita, with the average person drinking more than one bottle of beer daily. Czechia is home to the first pilsner, a pale lager first invented in 1842 from Czech hops. Today, Pilsner Urquell is the country’s largest brewer, and is currently owned by the Asahi Breweries conglomerate based in Japan.

Following in second by a wide margin is Austria, which neighbors Czechia. Across the country, popular brands include Ottrakringer and Stiegl. Overall, there are roughly 350 breweries in the country covering a diverse array of craft and microbreweries.

Beyond the continent, Namibia stands as the top beer-drinking country in Africa, Panama ranks highest in Latin America, and Cambodia stands at number one in Asia.

By comparison, the U.S. falls at 31st globally in beer consumption per capita, equalling about a third of Czechia’s beer consumption on a per person basis. Last year, the most popular beer among U.S. Millennials was Heineken, while Guinness ranked first among Gen X and Boomers.

To learn more about this topic from a global perspective, check out this graphic on alcoholic beverage preferences by region.