World beer production increased in 2022

In 2022, beer production barely fell short of the pre-pandemic level of 1.91 billion hectoliters

A year ago, the world expected a decrease in global beer production, as Russia and Ukraine produce about 5% of the world’s beer production – we read in the latest newsletter of VIMOSZ.

Overall, however, beer production barely fell short of the pre-pandemic level of 1.91 billion hectoliters. Germany has been ranked 5th in the world for beer production for years. With last year’s 2.8% increase to 88 million hectoliters, it was above average, but the lag compared to the 4 largest producers is still large: China is in first place with 360 million hectoliters, followed by the USA with 194 million, Brazil with 147 million and Mexico with 141 million hectoliters. Together with Germany, these countries account for nearly half of global production. At the corporate level, the largest beer producer is still the Belgian AB InBev. With 518 million hectoliters of beer produced in its various breweries operating in many countries, it even surpasses China. The global hop harvest, on the other hand, fell to the lowest level since the war, falling by 19% compared to 2021 to 107,000 tons. Heat, drought and severe thunderstorms caused problems for the plants. According to Bart Haas, this is the biggest drop since the end of World War II.