Germany is no longer Europe's biggest beer producer

Germany may be one of the world’s countries most strongly associated with beer, but according to a new report, it has fallen out of the top five largest beer-producing countries worldwide. It’s even been unseated as the top producer in Europe. 

Russia unseats Germany as Europe’s largest beer producer

According to the latest industry report by the hop trader BarthHaas, Germany has, for the first time, been overtaken by Russia as the fifth-largest beer producer in the world. That means that Russia now stands as Europe’s largest beer producer, a title held by Germany since 2013. 

The report notes that, while brewing volumes declined slightly in Germany between 2024 and 2025 - by 1 percent to 8,4 billion litres - production in Russia ramped up massively, increasing by 9 percent to 9,1 billion litres. That represents a marked change from five years ago, when Germany produced around 1,4 billion litres more than Russia. 

The background to Russia’s increased output is its invasion of Ukraine. Slapped with economic sanctions and reduced opportunities to import, the country has been producing its own beer more and more in recent years. 

Brewers in Germany facing multiple challenges

In Germany, beer consumption is on the decline, hitting a historic low in 2024. This, coupled with rising costs for brewers, is slowly decreasing production volumes. Even the increasing popularity of alcohol-free beer is not enough to offset the slump. "The figures show how great the challenges are for our brewing industry," Holger Eichele, Managing Director of the German Brewers' Association, told DPA.

China remains the world’s biggest beer brewer, producing 34,1 billion litres in 2024. It is followed by the US (18,5 billion litres), Brazil (14,7 billion litres) and Mexico (14,5 billion litres).