Last year, 82.3% of beer sales were for domestic consumption, with a 2% drop to 6.8 billion litres compared with 2023. Credit: Henrik A. Jonsson.

Less beer was sold in Germany in 2024, despite the country hosting the European Football Championship, marking a continuation of a long-term downward trend.

The country’s breweries and distributors sold approximately 8.3bn litres of beer, down 1.4% from 2023, according to figures from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).

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Beer sales for domestic consumption, which represented 82.3% of the total figure, fell 2% drop to 6.8bn litres.

Exports of German beer rose, increasing 1.6% to 1.5bn litres.

The data does not include non-alcoholic beer and imports from outside the EU, Destatis said.

In 2023, beer sales had seen a steeper decline of 4.5% as they resumed their downward trajectory post-Covid-19 restrictions. In 2022, sales rose by 2.7% compared to the prior year, reaching a total of 8.8 billion litres. 

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The long-term downward trend in beer sales continued in 2024. Compared to 2014, sales were down 13.7%. 

Of Germany’s beer exports, 808.4m litres went to EU countries, a rise of 3.1%, while 644.0 million litres were sent to non-EU markets, a slight decrease of 0.3%. 

Breweries provided their employees with 10.6 million litres of complimentary beverages for personal consumption, marking a 6.8% decline. 

Beer blends, which include mixtures with lemonade, cola, and fruit juices, also saw a decline in sales, with 4.6% fewer sold in 2024 compared to 2023.  

These blends represented 4.7% of total beer sales, amounting to 384.8 million litres.  

The decline in traditional beer sales comes amid the growing popularity of non-alcoholic beer. 

Non-alcoholic beer production in Germany doubled from 267 million litres in 2013 to 556 million litres in 2023, generating around €548m ($593m) in sales.