Gitnux/Report 2026

Beer and Spirits Industry Statistics

Global beer and spirits economics are being pulled in two directions at once as markets grow steadily and costs bite harder, with spirits expected to rise at a 4.0% CAGR over 2024 to 2032 alongside beer growing 3.8% and U.S. beer shipments slipping 2.0% in 2023. From beer drinkers shifting to online purchasing and hard seltzer trials to measurable wins like up to 35% lower life cycle CO2 emissions and 20% better brewery energy use, this page connects consumer behavior with the supply chain and sustainability levers behind it.
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November 11, 2026Updated
Beer and Spirits Industry Statistics
Aisha OkonkwoWritten by Aisha Okonkwo·Edited by Diana Reeves·Fact-checked by Rebecca Hargrove
Published ·Updated
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

An editor sets the topic, the inclusion criteria, and the evaluation framework before research starts.

02Source Research

AI search agents locate sources and extract each figure together with the document it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 31 days

01 Industry overview

The beer and spirits industry at a glance

The global beer market was estimated at $839.3 billion in 2024, while U.S. spirits held a record 42.4% of beverage-alcohol supplier revenue in 2025, highlighting a large but increasingly fragmented industry.

$839.3B[75]
Global beer market, 2024
$36.4B[20]
U.S. spirits sales, 2025
42.4%[20]
U.S. spirits share, 2025
1.896B hl[76]
Global beer production, 2025
Market size
The global beer market was estimated at $839.31 billion in 2024. In the United States, spirits supplier sales reached $36.4 billion in 2025, while U.S. craft beer retail sales totaled $28.0 billion and represented 24.8% of the $113 billion beer market.[75][20][77]
Forecast & CAGR
Grand View Research forecasts the global beer market to reach $1.2483 trillion by 2030, implying a 6.8% CAGR from 2025 to 2030. Its spirits-market estimate projects growth from $461.8 billion in 2026 to $641.8 billion in 2033, equivalent to a 4.8% CAGR.[75]
Market share & regions
In the EU, Germany produced 7.2 billion litres of beer containing more than 0.5% alcohol in 2024, equal to 22.2% of EU production, followed by Spain at 12.3% and Poland at 10.6%. In the United States, spirits held 42.4% of supplier-revenue share in 2025, ahead of beer at 41.8%.[9][20]
Segmentation
Beer is commonly segmented by product type, including lager, ale and stout, and by on-trade and off-trade distribution. U.S. spirits revenue in 2025 was led by vodka at $7.0 billion, tequila and mezcal at $6.4 billion, American whiskey at $5.1 billion, spirits-based premixed cocktails at $3.8 billion and cordials at $2.7 billion.[75][20]
Key players & concentration
The top 40 brewing groups represented 87.4% of global beer volume in 2024, indicating high concentration among major brewers despite a large independent and craft segment. In the United States, 9,724 breweries operated in 2025, including 9,578 craft breweries.[78][77]
Pricing
U.S. craft beer generated $28.0 billion in retail sales in 2025 and accounted for 24.8% of the $113 billion beer market, despite craft volume declining 4%. The gap between volume and value indicates that pricing and premium positioning remain important revenue levers.[77]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Beer production and spirits demand are being pressured by moderation, weaker consumer confidence, inflation and trade uncertainty. Growth is concentrated in premium beer, no-alcohol products and spirits-based RTDs: U.S. spirits RTDs reached $3.8 billion in 2025, up 16.4% year over year, while global beer production declined 0.7% to 1.896 billion hectolitres.[20][76][52]
Consumer behavior & competition
IWSR reported that 31% of U.S. drinkers cited cost as a reason for drinking less in 2025, while beer remained the largest U.S. beverage-alcohol category by volume. NielsenIQ reported that non-alcohol beer, wine and spirits exceeded $1 billion in U.S. sales in 2025, reinforcing moderation as a competitive category rather than a niche.[52][34]
M&A
M&A in 2026 focused on expanding beyond traditional beer into RTDs and adjacent beverages. Anheuser-Busch completed its acquisition of 85% of BeatBox for up to approximately $490 million, while Molson Coors completed its acquisition of Atomic Brands, maker of Monaco Cocktails.[79][80]
Regulation
U.S. alcoholic-beverage producers remain subject to federal excise-tax and labeling requirements administered by the TTB. In January 2025, the Treasury Department proposed rules that would require alcohol labels to provide alcohol content, calories, carbohydrates, fat, protein and allergen information; the TTB’s beer-tax guidance was updated on May 28, 2025.[81][82]
Latest news
The latest industry data show continued volume pressure but strong investment in faster-growing formats. In 2025, U.S. beer production and imports fell 5.7%, spirits sales declined 2.2% to $36.4 billion, and spirits-based RTDs grew 16.4% to $3.8 billion; 2026 acquisitions by Anheuser-Busch and Molson Coors further illustrate the shift toward beyond-beer portfolios.[77][20][79][80]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Beer And Spirits Industry

The leading companies in the beer and spirits industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 10, 2026 · Next review December 10, 2026

Verdict

Carlsberg Group leads Gitnux's 2026 beer and spirits ranking with an Overall score of 9.5, with DKK 89.095 billion total revenue reported for 2025. AB InBev is the runner-up at 9.4, with 561.1 million hectolitres total volume reported in FY2025.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in beer brewing

    Carlsberg Group

    DK

    Ranked #1 · 9.5 · Beer brewing

    Why we picked it: Global beer and beverage brewing, with 2025 total revenue of DKK 89.095 billion.

    See in ranking ↓Visit carlsberggroup.com ↗

  2. #2 overall

    AB InBev

    BE

    Ranked #2 · 9.4 · Beer brewing

    Why we picked it: Global beer brewing and beverage alcohol, with FY2025 total volume of 561.1 million hectolitres.

    See in ranking ↓Visit ab-inbev.com ↗

  3. Leader in spirits distilling

    Suntory Holdings

    JP

    Ranked #4 · 8.8 · Spirits distilling

    Why we picked it: Global spirits and beer group operations, including Suntory Global Spirits.

    See in ranking ↓Visit suntory.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Pick 2 is the highest-ranked company in the top 5 that adds a new segment; no further segment places in the top 5, so pick 3 follows rank.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the beer and spirits industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Carlsberg Group

Beer brewing · DK

9.5
2

AB InBev

Beer brewing · BE

9.4
3

Kirin Holdings

Beer brewing · JP

9.1
4

Suntory Holdings

Spirits distilling · JP

8.8
5

Pernod Ricard

Spirits distilling · FR

8.7
6

Bacardi

Global privately held spirits producer · BM

8.6
7

Asahi Group Holdings

Global beer and alcoholic beverages · JP

8.6
8

HEINEKEN

Global beer, cider and non-alcoholic beer · NL

8.6
9

Brown-Forman

Global premium spirits producer · US

8.4
10

Molson Coors Beverage Company

Global beer brewing and alcoholic beverages · US

7.5

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 10, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Aisha Okonkwo. (2026, February 13). Top 10 companies in the beer and spirits industry. In Beer And Spirits Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/beer-and-spirits-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Comparison

Beer production by country (European Union and Europe)

Germany leads with 84K 1000 hectolitres.

Germany84K 1000 hectolitres
Spain41K 1000 hectolitres
United Kingdom36K 1000 hectolitres
Poland35K 1000 hectolitres
Netherlands22K 1000 hectolitres
France21K 1000 hectolitres
source-verifiedbrewersofeurope.eu

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

The section quantifies AI, automation and publishing volume across countries, and ties that activity to industrial automation and distillery control use cases.

AI in the beer and spirits industry

  • 16 beer-brewing AI publications were attributed to Germany in the reviewed literature corpus.[1]
  • AB InBev used an AI-powered training platform to train brewery and field-service colleagues in 2021.[2]
  • 17 beer-brewing AI publications were attributed to Brazil in the reviewed literature corpus.[1]
  • 22 beer-brewing AI publications appeared in 2024, the highest single-year total in the reviewed corpus.[1]
  • 39 countries contributed affiliations to the beer-brewing AI literature analyzed in a 2026 review.[1]
  • 19 beer-brewing AI publications were attributed to Poland in the reviewed literature corpus.[1]

Automation in the beer and spirits industry

  • Approximately 70% of global beer volume in 2026 was projected to come from large industrial breweries using substantial automation.[3]
  • Jim Beam’s Clermont distillery used model predictive control, an automated control technique, in its distilling operations by 2022.[4]
  • One Scottish whisky distillery used a robotic dog equipped with ethanol sensors to monitor whisky warehouses for vapor leaks in 2025.[5]

Digital Transformation in the food and beverage sector (sector benchmark)

  • 82% of food and beverage leaders said technology adoption was a strategic priority, while 6% reported fully integrated digital systems, in a 2025 survey.[6]
  • 40% of 423 food and beverage professionals worldwide identified disconnected systems and data as their organization’s biggest operational barrier in 2026.[6]
  • 34% of food, beverage, and ingredient professionals said manufacturing process or assembly had been positively affected by digital transformation technologies in 2024.[7]
  • 28% of food, beverage, and ingredient professionals reported positive effects from digital transformation technologies on food-safety preventive controls in 2024.[7]

Technology Adoption in the food and beverage sector (sector benchmark)

  • 23% of food, beverage, and ingredient companies anticipated investing in mobile-app technologies in 2025.[7]
  • 22% of food, beverage, and ingredient companies anticipated investing in machine-learning software in 2025.[7]
  • 50% of food, beverage, and ingredient companies anticipated investing in artificial intelligence as part of their 2025 digital-transformation strategies.[7]
  • 31% of food, beverage, and ingredient companies anticipated investing in robotics or robotic process automation in 2025.[7]

Cloud Computing in the food and beverage sector (sector benchmark)

  • 52% of food processors and manufacturers were considering cloud technology, while 45% reported no cloud use, in a 2023 industry survey.[8]
  • 39.5% of EU enterprises in accommodation and food-service activities used paid cloud-computing services in 2025.[9]
  • 18% of food manufacturers were already using cloud-based manufacturing-execution systems, while 51% planned implementation, according to a 2025 industry survey.[10]
  • 30% of food, beverage, and ingredient companies anticipated investing in cloud computing or enterprise resource-planning software and systems in 2025.[7]

Big Data in the food and beverage sector (sector benchmark)

  • 24% of food-manufacturing respondents were very familiar with advanced analytics, while 34% were moderately familiar, in CRB’s 2025 survey.[11]
  • 35% of food, beverage, and ingredient companies anticipated investing in big data and real-time analytics in 2025.[7]
  • 47% of food, beverage, and ingredient professionals identified gathering, analyzing, and leveraging data for data-driven decisions as a digital-transformation investment driver in 2024.[7]
  • 13% of food manufacturers were already using advanced-analytics or big-data platforms, while 44% planned implementation, in a 2025 industry survey.[10]

IoT in the food and beverage sector (sector benchmark)

  • 16% of food, beverage, and ingredient companies anticipated investing in Internet-of-Things devices or sensors in 2025.[7]
  • 31% of food-manufacturing respondents were very familiar with the Internet of Things, while 35% were moderately familiar, in CRB’s 2025 survey.[11]
  • 26% of food manufacturers were already using IoT sensors or equipment monitoring, while 37% planned implementation, in a 2025 industry survey.[10]
  • 33% of UK manufacturing companies had adopted IoT technologies in a 2024 national survey, with manufacturing among the sectors reporting comparatively high adoption.[12]

Innovation in the beer and spirits industry

  • AB InBev’s Global Innovation and Technology Center had more than 120 scientists and specialists from over 20 countries.[13]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

We see brewery and commercial analytics at scale, including Heineken’s Connected Brewery covering 5,200 pieces of equipment in 2024.

Business intelligence in the beer and spirits industry

  • Heineken analysed data from 700 production lines and 5,200 equipment items across 88 breweries in 2024.[14]
  • Heineken’s eB2B active-customer base reached almost 650,000 in the first half of 2024.[14]
  • Heineken’s eB2B platforms captured €6.1 billion in gross merchandise value in the first half of 2024 using digital customer and sales data.[14]
  • Heineken used AI applications for revenue management, commercial-mix optimisation, transport planning and predictive brewery maintenance in 2024.[14]
  • Heineken’s AIDDA application was developed in Mexico to identify customer-behaviour changes and advise sales teams in 2024.[14]
  • Diageo’s global and local sales teams used data, digital tools and insights to extend sales reach and improve execution in fiscal 2025.[15]

Data analytics in the beer and spirits industry

  • Diageo reported using consumer data from corporate strategy through market-level decisions in fiscal 2025.[15]
  • Heineken’s AIDDA pilot produced a 3% sales uplift in the UK through lower tap churn and fewer missed orders.[14]
  • Heineken’s eB2B active customers increased 18% year over year in the first half of 2024.[14]
  • Heineken’s eB2B gross merchandise value rose 22% organically year over year in the first half of 2024.[14]
  • Heineken used machine-learning algorithms to provide real-time packaging-line performance insights in 2024.[14]
  • Heineken’s Connected Brewery programme covered 5,200 pieces of brewery equipment in 2024.[14]

Data Quality in the food and beverage sector (sector benchmark)

  • 6.4 out of 10: Food, beverage and agriculture respondents rated data timeliness as important in 2018.[16]
  • 6.6 out of 10: Food, beverage and agriculture respondents rated data consistency as important in 2018.[16]
  • 77% of retail and consumer-products companies identified improving data quality as a priority in 2023.[17]
  • 6.4 out of 10: Food, beverage and agriculture respondents rated data accuracy as important in 2018.[16]
  • 7.0 out of 10: Food, beverage and agriculture respondents rated data completeness as important in 2018.[16]
  • 22% of consumer-products companies reported that businesses lacked trust in data quality and validity in 2024.[18]

Data Governance in the food and beverage sector (sector benchmark)

  • 81% of supply-management organizations found their data-governance program useful in 2024.[19]
  • 47% of supply-management data-governance functions were housed in a center of excellence in 2024.[19]
  • 43% of consumer-products companies reported struggling to establish the right level of data governance in 2024.[18]
  • 22% of consumer-products companies planned to increase investment in data infrastructure and governance over the following 12 months in 2024.[18]
  • 61% of supply-management organizations had a dedicated data-governance function in 2024.[19]
  • 90% of supply-management organizations agreed or strongly agreed that data governance was necessary in 2024.[19]

KPIs in the beer and spirits industry

  • Diageo reported fiscal 2025 organic volume growth of 0.9%.[15]
  • Diageo reported fiscal 2025 revenue of $20.245 billion.[15]
  • Diageo reported fiscal 2025 operating profit of $4.335 billion.[15]
  • Diageo reported fiscal 2025 organic net-sales growth of 1.7%.[15]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Reported category growth and export activity sit alongside documented acquisition counts, showing where investment and expansion focused in recent periods.

Growth in the beer and spirits industry

  • 15% organic volume growth for tequila was reported by Diageo in fiscal 2025.[15]
  • 4% growth was recorded for U.S. spirits exports to the European Union in 2024.[20]
  • 1.5% organic net sales growth was reported by Diageo excluding the impact of certain items in fiscal 2025.[15]
  • U.S. spirits exports increased fivefold between 2000 and 2024, reaching more than $2.4 billion.[20]

Differentiation in the beer and spirits industry

  • 54% of U.S. spirits exports in 2024 were American whiskeys, totaling more than $1.3 billion.[20]
  • 22% of Diageo’s reported category sales in fiscal 2025 came from Scotch.[15]
  • 5% of Diageo’s reported category sales in fiscal 2025 came from rum in fiscal 2025.[15]
  • 4% of Diageo’s reported category sales in fiscal 2025 came from gin.[15]
  • 7% of Diageo’s reported category sales in fiscal 2025 came from Canadian whisky.[15]
  • 8% of Diageo’s reported category sales in fiscal 2025 came from vodka.[15]

Mergers and acquisitions in the beer and spirits industry

  • 13 beer acquisitions were recorded in 2024.[21]
  • 13 wine acquisitions were completed in 2025.[21]
  • $1.95 billion was the reported value of Butterfly Equity’s acquisition of The Duckhorn Portfolio in 2024.[22]
  • 51 major beverage-alcohol acquisitions were completed in 2025.[21]
  • 55 beverage-alcohol acquisitions were recorded in 2024.[21]
  • 30 spirits acquisitions were recorded in 2024.[21]

Strategic partnerships in the beer and spirits industry

  • 2028 is the year through which Budweiser’s Olympic sponsorship package extends, including the Los Angeles Games.[23]
  • 51 countries had established tariff-free access for U.S. spirits in 2024, according to the industry export report.[20]
  • 51 established markets provided tariff-free access for U.S. spirits exports in 2024.[20]
  • 1 billion people is Diageo’s 2030 target for receiving responsible-drinking messages through its social-impact program.[15]
  • Four years is the duration of Guinness’s Premier League partnership announced for 2024 through the 2027–28 season.[23]
  • More than $300 million can be paid by some Olympic sponsors for a four-year TOP commercial cycle, according to the IOC.[23]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce data highlights cross-country staffing and training scale, including Diageo’s more than 27,500 employees across more than 110 manufacturing sites in fiscal 2026.

Hiring in the beer and spirits industry

  • AB InBev’s Global Innovation and Technology Center employed more than 120 scientists and specialists from over 20 countries.[13]
  • Diageo reported employees representing 111 nationalities in its 2025 ESG disclosures.[15]
  • Diageo reported more than 27,500 employees across more than 110 manufacturing sites in fiscal 2026.[15]
  • AB InBev reported approximately 167,000 colleagues globally in 2022.[2]
  • The U.S. craft spirits industry employed 21,285 full-time domestic employees in 2025.[24]

Employee retention in the beer and spirits industry

  • AB InBev’s global employee-engagement survey had 94% participation in 2021.[2]
  • AB InBev’s diversity-and-inclusion index reached 87% in its 2021 global employee-engagement survey.[2]
  • Hourly employee turnover in the beverage-alcohol industry was reported at 50% in Park Street’s industry analysis.[21]
  • Replacing a full-time beverage-alcohol employee was estimated to cost 50% to 200% of the employee’s original salary.[21]
  • AB InBev’s global employee-engagement index reached 88% in 2021.[2]

Remote Work in the food and beverage sector (sector benchmark)

  • In U.S. accommodation and food services, 1.7% of employees were able to work fully remotely in 2024.[25]
  • U.S. accommodation and food-services firms averaged 0.1 work-from-home days per week from November 2024 through January 2025.[26]
  • Across U.S. food and beverage businesses, 26% let employees choose to work in-person or remotely in 2025, while 73% require in-person work.[27]
  • Among food-sector career starters globally, 36% were fully site-based during their first two years of work, according to a 2024 survey.[28]

Hybrid Work in the food and beverage sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. food and beverage businesses, 26% offered employees the option to work in-person or remotely in 2025.[27]
  • In U.S. restaurant and bar businesses, 12% offered employees a choice between in-person and remote work in 2025.[27]
  • In 2025, 80% of hospitality and food-services employers said they were still struggling to get the balance right with hybrid working.[29]
  • Among food-sector career starters globally, 27% worked in a hybrid arrangement during their first two years, according to a 2024 survey.[28]

Upskilling in the beer and spirits industry

  • AB InBev used an AI-powered platform to train manufacturing and field-service colleagues in 2021.[2]
  • AB InBev provided an immersive personalized Women’s Leadership Program for 50 women leaders in 2021.[2]
  • AB InBev’s first Global Inclusive Leadership Program included 80 vice-president-level colleagues in 2021.[2]
  • AB InBev trained 2,475 leaders in psychological safety in 2021.[2]
  • AB InBev trained more than 9,800 colleagues in bias-breaking skills in 2021.[2]

Employee Engagement in the food and beverage sector (sector benchmark)

  • Food-and-beverage organizations scored 7.91 out of 10 for employee engagement in the latest 2026 benchmark dataset.[30]
  • Food-service employees recorded 72.6% engagement in 2026, up 9.1 percentage points from the prior measurement.[31]
  • Globally, 21% of employees were engaged in 2025, providing an economy-wide benchmark relevant where food-and-beverage-specific engagement data are limited.[32]
  • Among U.S. and Canadian frontline employees surveyed in 2024, 52% worked in foodservice, in a sample of 46,250 employees used to assess workplace engagement.[33]

DEI in the beer and spirits industry

  • 132 nationalities were represented among AB InBev colleagues in 2022.[2]
  • 35% of AB InBev’s salaried workforce were women in 2022.[2]
  • 2,475 AB InBev leaders received psychological-safety training in 2021.[2]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

The section gives channel-specific behavior and conversion benchmarks, including 42% of British bartenders recommending a specific spirits brand in 2025.

Customer experience in the beer and spirits industry

  • 52% of U.S. on-premise visitors choose spirits when drinking out, in 2026.[34]
  • 77% of U.S. spirits drinkers eat out at least weekly, in 2026.[34]
  • 54% of U.S. cocktail drinkers order a Margarita when drinking out, in 2026.[34]
  • 67% of U.S. spirits drinkers are willing to pay more for higher-quality drinks, in 2026.[34]
  • 51% of Gen Z regional craft-beer consumers prefer draft formats, in 2026.[34]

Customer retention in the beer and spirits industry

  • 43% of global consumers drink occasionally but are becoming more mindful about consumption, in 2025.[34]
  • 22% of global consumers had tried a new drinks brand in the previous month, in 2025.[34]
  • 44% of Gen X consumers globally plan to spend the same or more on alcohol in the coming year, in 2026.[34]
  • 42% of British bartenders recommend a specific spirits brand or serve on multiple occasions every shift, in 2025.[34]
  • 20% of global consumers identify as previously regular drinkers who now drink less, in 2025.[34]

Customer acquisition in the beer and spirits industry

  • 31% was Victoria’s U.S. awareness-to-consideration conversion rate among beer and beverage brands, in 2025.[35]
  • 25% was New Belgium Brewing’s U.S. awareness-to-consideration conversion rate, in 2025.[35]
  • 29% was Athletic Brewing’s U.S. awareness-to-consideration conversion rate, in 2025.[35]
  • 45% was Guinness’s U.S. consideration-to-purchase-intent conversion rate, in 2025.[35]
  • 28% was Brooklyn Brewery’s U.S. awareness-to-consideration conversion rate, in 2025.[35]

Customer loyalty in the beer and spirits industry

  • 90.9% was Guinness’s positive recommendation score among current U.S. customers, in 2025.[35]
  • 89.6% was Amstel’s positive recommendation score among current U.S. customers, in 2025.[35]
  • 88.3% was Johnnie Walker’s positive recommendation score among current U.S. customers, in 2025.[35]
  • 36% of U.S. shoppers reported loyalty to vodka brands, in 2023.[36]
  • 37% of U.S. shoppers reported loyalty to whiskey brands, in 2023.[36]

Lead generation in the beer and spirits industry

  • 12% of U.S. adults were aware of Brooklyn Brewery, while 3% would consider it, in 2025.[35]
  • 21% of U.S. adults considered Heineken, while 9% selected it as their purchase-intent leader, in 2025.[35]
  • 5% of U.S. adults were aware of New Belgium Brewing, while 1% would consider it, in 2025.[35]
  • 11% of U.S. adults were aware of Victoria, while 3% would consider it, in 2025.[35]
  • 16% of U.S. adults considered Budweiser, while 7% selected it as their purchase-intent leader, in 2025.[35]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Marketing metrics show the shift to digital and social measurement signals, including 61% of U.S. alcohol advertising spend digital in 2023.

Marketing in the beer and spirits industry

  • 33% of U.S. beer drinkers cited word of mouth as a factor influencing beer choice in 2024.[35]
  • 61% of U.S. alcohol advertising spend was digital in 2023.[36]
  • 18% was year-over-year growth in U.S. programmatic alcohol advertising spend in 2023.[36]
  • 11% was the decline in U.S. linear television’s share of alcohol advertising in 2023.[36]
  • 20% was year-over-year growth in U.S. connected-TV alcohol advertising spend in 2023.[36]

Digital marketing in the beer and spirits industry

  • 2,676 Instagram profiles were included in Emplifi’s worldwide alcohol benchmark dataset for Q3 2026.[37]
  • 4,169 Facebook pages were included in Emplifi’s worldwide alcohol benchmark dataset for Q3 2026.[37]
  • 597 Facebook posts were published by Hanuman Beer during Q3 2026.[37]
  • 838 was the median Facebook post-impression count for worldwide alcohol brands in Q3 2026.[37]
  • 0.76% was the highest median Facebook engagement rate for worldwide alcohol brands in Q3 2026.[37]

Branding in the beer and spirits industry

  • 39% of the UK public gave Guinness a positive impression in 2024.[38]
  • 18.4% of Gen Z U.S. adults considered Don Julio when next purchasing alcoholic beverages, in 2026.[38]
  • 19% of UK consumers considered Guinness, Peroni or Kopparberg when next buying beer or cider in 2024.[38]
  • 30% of Gen Z U.S. craft-beer consumers prioritize high-quality ingredients, in 2026.[34]
  • 44% of Guinness drinkers described the Premier League as a top interest in 2024.[38]

Social media in the beer and spirits industry

  • 68% of sampled alcohol advertisements contained product display in 2024.[39]
  • 33% of coded alcohol advertisements were non-compliant with industry guidelines in 2024.[39]
  • 37 million was the maximum number of views recorded for a sampled alcohol advertisement in 2024.[39]
  • 79.5 was the median number of likes, shares and comments per coded alcohol advertisement in 2024.[39]
  • 89% of sampled alcohol advertisements contained corporate branding in 2024.[39]

Influencer Marketing in the food and beverage sector (sector benchmark)

  • 69.3% of TikTok videos featuring branded food or beverage products had no brand-relationship disclosure, based on an analysis of 648 videos published in 2025.[40]
  • 33% of U.S. food and beverage shoppers said they purchased a product from an influencer-founded or influencer-led brand such as Prime or Feastables in the previous year, in 2025.[41]
  • 49% of U.S. millennial food and beverage shoppers said they purchased from an influencer-founded or influencer-led brand in the previous year, according to a 2025 survey.[41]
  • 63% of U.S. food and beverage shoppers said they purchased a prepackaged product based on an online influencer’s recommendation in the previous year, according to a June 2025 survey.[41]
  • 82% of U.S. Gen Z food and beverage shoppers said they purchased a prepackaged product based on an online influencer’s recommendation in the previous year, according to a June 2025 survey.[41]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Operational benchmarks cover energy, water and CO2 intensity, with 0.87 megajoules per liter used for beer produced in 2022.

Process optimization in the beer and spirits industry

  • 0.62 megajoules of energy were used per liter of beverage production in 2022 across participating beverage facilities worldwide.[42]
  • 0.87 megajoules of energy were used per liter of beer produced by participating breweries in 2022.[42]
  • 67.76 grams of CO2e were emitted per liter of beer produced by participating breweries in 2022.[42]
  • 28.51 liters of water were used per liter of distilled spirits produced by participating distilleries in 2022.[42]
  • 13.81 megajoules of energy were used per liter of distilled spirits produced by participating distilleries in 2022.[42]

Operational efficiency in the beer and spirits industry

  • 9% was the reduction in water use per hectoliter of beer at Heineken sites in Brazil in 2024.[43]
  • 56 Heineken sites were included in the company’s global water-efficiency acceleration programme in 2024.[43]
  • 292 hectares were covered by Heineken-supported reforestation in Nigeria, including 48 hectares added in 2024.[43]
  • 13% was the reduction in water use per hectoliter of beer at Heineken sites in Italy in 2024.[43]
  • 2.2 hectoliters of water were used per hectoliter of beer brewed at Carlsberg breweries in high-risk areas in 2024.[14]

Quality management in the beer and spirits industry

  • 1,530 facilities were represented in the beverage-industry benchmarking dataset for 2022.[42]
  • 1.77 liters of water were used per liter of product at participating bottling facilities in 2022.[42]
  • 15 companies contributed data to the beverage-industry benchmarking study for 2017.[42]
  • 725 billion liters was the total water use represented in the beverage-industry benchmarking dataset for 2022.[42]
  • 16 companies contributed data to the beverage-industry benchmarking study for 2022.[42]

Supply chain in the beer and spirits industry

  • $695 million in productivity savings were delivered by Diageo in fiscal 2024 across cost of goods, marketing and overhead spending.[15]
  • 1.44 times was the three-year average U.S. beer, wine and spirits wholesaler inventory-to-sales ratio cited in 2024.[44]
  • $1.5 billion was Diageo’s original three-year productivity-savings commitment for fiscal 2022–2024.[15]
  • $2 billion was Diageo’s productivity-savings target for fiscal 2025–2027.[15]
  • 1.60 times was the U.S. beer, wine and spirits wholesaler inventory-to-sales ratio in December 2023.[44]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the food and beverage sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across food and beverage CPG companies globally, 75% used at least some co-manufacturing resources in 2023.[45]
  • Across food and beverage CPG companies globally, 55% outsourced more manufacturing in 2023 than three years earlier, according to a survey of 287 industry leaders.[45]
  • Among food and beverage CPG companies globally, 47% worked with up to 10 co-manufacturers in 2023.[45]
  • Across food and beverage CPG companies globally, 52% planned to expand their international footprint in 2023, including North America, EMEA and APAC expansion.[46]
  • Among United States and European food-services and facility-management buyers, 91% expected outsourcing budgets to increase over the five years following 2024.[47]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

The finance and pricing section quantifies price/mix and profitability signals, including AB InBev’s 35.1% worldwide normalized EBITDA margin in 2024.

Pricing strategy in the beer and spirits industry

  • 147.6 million dollars was Constellation Brands’ fiscal-2024 favorable beer gross-profit impact from pricing.[48]
  • 4.5% was Diageo Europe’s positive price/mix contribution in fiscal 2025.[15]
  • 4.6% was AB InBev’s 2024 revenue growth for its megabrands worldwide.[49]
  • 4.4% was Molson Coors’ 2024 favorable price and sales-mix impact on net sales.[50]
  • 4.3% was AB InBev’s 2024 revenue-per-hectoliter growth worldwide.[49]

Cost reduction in the beer and spirits industry

  • 8.1% was AB InBev EMEA’s 2024 reduction in cost of sales on a reported basis.[49]
  • 2.4% was Boston Beer’s 2024 shipment-volume decline, supporting its gross-margin expansion programme.[51]
  • 70–80 million dollars was Brown-Forman’s projected annualized cost savings from restructuring actions announced in 2025.[23]
  • $1.7 billion was Diageo’s cumulative productivity savings over fiscal 2022–2024.[15]
  • 5.3% was AB InBev Middle Americas’ 2024 reduction in selling, general and administrative expenses on an organic basis.[49]

Profitability in the beer and spirits industry

  • 35.1% was AB InBev’s worldwide normalized EBITDA margin in 2024.[49]
  • 8.2% was AB InBev’s 2024 worldwide normalized EBITDA growth.[49]
  • 44.4% was Boston Beer’s full-year 2024 gross margin.[51]
  • 31.5% was Boston Beer’s 2024 year-over-year growth in non-GAAP diluted earnings per share.[51]
  • 50.4% was Constellation Brands’ fiscal-2024 beer gross profit as a percentage of net sales.[48]

Financial planning in the beer and spirits industry

  • $2.013 billion was Boston Beer’s full-year 2024 net revenue.[49]
  • $59.768 billion was AB InBev’s 2024 worldwide revenue.[49]
  • $2.748 billion was Diageo’s fiscal-2025 free cash flow.[15]
  • $4.297 billion was Diageo’s fiscal-2025 net cash flow from operating activities.[15]
  • $2 billion was Diageo’s planned productivity-savings target for fiscal 2025–2027.[15]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Product innovation output is measured via RTD launches and packaging demand signals, including over 1,800 new RTD products launched across the top 10 markets in 2024.

Product development in the beer and spirits industry

  • Spirits accounted for more than half of global beverage-alcohol product launches in 2023.[52]
  • 72% of new UK RTD launches exceeded 5% ABV in 2024, up from 53% in 2021.[52]
  • Constellation Brands launched Corona Sunbrew nationally and added two Corona Non-Alcoholic pack sizes in fiscal 2026.[48]
  • More than 1,800 new RTD products were launched across the world’s top 10 markets in 2024.[52]
  • Beer’s rate of new-product innovation was less than 10% of spirits’ rate in 2023.[52]

Product lifecycle in the beer and spirits industry

  • US beer-packaging market value is forecast to reach $8.1 billion in 2027.[53]
  • Boston Beer maintained distributor inventories at approximately four weeks of sales on hand at the end of 2025.[54]
  • US beer-packaging demand is forecast to reach 70.9 billion units in 2027, declining 1.1% annually from 2022.[53]
  • Heineken used data from 700 production lines and 5,200 pieces of equipment across 88 breweries in its Connected Brewery programme in 2024.[14]
  • Imported beer in the United States was packaged 53% in glass bottles, 41% in aluminum cans and 6% in draft in 2025.[55]

After-sales in the beer and spirits industry

  • Boston Beer’s largest distributor represented approximately 3% of gross sales in 2025.[54]
  • Heineken’s active eB2B customers increased 18% year over year in the first half of 2024.[14]
  • Boston Beer employed more than 550 salespeople in the US beer market in 2025 to support distributors, retailers and drinkers.[54]
  • Heineken’s eB2B platforms captured €6.1 billion in gross merchandise value in the first half of 2024.[14]
  • Heineken’s eB2B platforms connected almost 650,000 active customers in fragmented traditional channels in the first half of 2024.[14]

Value proposition in the beer and spirits industry

  • US tequila sales grew 7.3% year over year in the 52 weeks ending December 28, 2024.[56]
  • US flavored malt beverage sales grew 5.5% year over year in the 52 weeks ending December 28, 2024.[56]
  • US non-alcoholic beer sales grew 25.1% year over year in the 52 weeks ending December 28, 2024.[56]
  • US non-alcoholic spirits sales grew 86.0% year over year in the 52 weeks ending December 28, 2024.[56]
  • US spirits RTD sales grew 18.9% year over year in the 52 weeks ending December 28, 2024.[56]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Sustainability metrics show packaging circularity and training reach, including Carlsberg’s 82% glass-packaging recycling rate in 2025.

Sustainability in the beer and spirits industry

  • 45% of Diageo’s total energy use came from renewable sources in fiscal 2023, globally.[15]
  • 85% or more of Diageo’s electricity was renewable by fiscal 2025, globally.[15]
  • 2.6% less water was used per litre of product in Diageo’s water-stressed areas in fiscal 2023, globally.[15]
  • 3 million cubic metres of additional water capacity were delivered by Diageo in priority water basins in fiscal 2025.[15]
  • 36,000 people were reached through Diageo’s Learning for Life and other skills programmes in fiscal 2024, globally.[15]

ESG in the beer and spirits industry

  • 24% was Pernod Ricard’s reduction in lost-time accident frequency versus fiscal 2023, reaching an accident frequency rate of 2 in fiscal 2024.[57]
  • 45% of Pernod Ricard’s senior-leadership appointments were filled by women during the ten months reported in 2024.[57]
  • 38% of Pernod Ricard’s top management were women at June 30, 2024.[57]
  • A- was Pernod Ricard’s CDP Water Security rating in 2024.[57]
  • A was Pernod Ricard’s CDP Climate Change rating in 2024.[57]

Ethics in the beer and spirits industry

  • Over 85,000 HEINEKEN employees completed Code of Business Conduct training in 2024, globally.[58]
  • 49% of HEINEKEN’s 2024 Speak Up cases were fully or partly substantiated.[58]
  • 78% of HEINEKEN’s 2024 Speak Up reports had been closed by the reporting date.[58]
  • Over 10,000 HEINEKEN employees completed anti-bribery and anti-corruption training in 2024, globally.[58]
  • 97% of Diageo’s eligible employees completed Code of Business Conduct training in fiscal 2024, globally.[15]

CSR in the beer and spirits industry

  • 56 million attendees were rehydrated at major consumer events through Pernod Ricard’s Drink More Water campaign by 2025.[59]
  • 80% of Diageo’s L4 management population had completed Impact Coaching training in fiscal 2024.[14]
  • More than 50% of WASH committee members were women across Diageo’s programmes in nine countries in fiscal 2024.[15]
  • 36,000 people participated in Diageo’s Learning for Life and other skills programmes in fiscal 2024.[15]
  • 600 million people were reached online by Pernod Ricard’s Drink More Water campaign by June 2024, across 60 countries.[59]

Circular economy in the beer and spirits industry

  • 79% was Carlsberg’s 2025 aluminium-packaging recycling rate, excluding acquisitions.[60]
  • 4,513 kilotonnes was Tsingtao Brewery’s total packaging-material consumption in 2023.[61]
  • 36.5% recycled content was used in AB InBev’s PET primary packaging in 2022.[2]
  • 40.3% of AB InBev’s primary packaging was returnable in 2022, globally.[2]
  • 82% was Carlsberg’s 2025 glass-packaging recycling rate, excluding acquisitions.[60]

Carbon footprint in the beer and spirits industry

  • 4.64 million metric tonnes was AB InBev’s Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse-gas emissions in 2022.[2]
  • 27.77 million metric tonnes was AB InBev’s Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse-gas emissions in 2022.[2]
  • 0.19 kg CO2e per litre was the studied distillery’s average spirit-production carbon footprint in 2024.[1]
  • 5.4% was Diageo’s fiscal-2023 reduction in direct-operations carbon emissions.[15]
  • 41.01 kg CO2e per hectolitre was AB InBev’s Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions intensity in 2022.[2]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Global footprint measures span export volumes and employment effects, including £5.4 billion of Scotch whisky exported globally in 2024.

Globalization in the beer and spirits industry

  • 36 million jobs were supported globally by the spirits industry’s production, supply chain and consumer economy in 2022.[68]
  • 23.5% was the United Kingdom’s share of recorded global spirits exports in 2024.[69]
  • £971 million made the United States the largest Scotch whisky export market by value in 2024.[70]
  • $2.4 billion in U.S. spirits exports was recorded in 2024, up nearly 10% year over year globally.[20]
  • £5.4 billion of Scotch whisky was exported globally in 2024, equivalent to 1.4 billion 70cl bottles.[70]

Cultural adaptation in the beer and spirits industry

  • 18% organic net sales growth for tequila was reported by Diageo in fiscal 2025.[15]
  • 15% organic net sales growth for tequila was reported by Diageo in fiscal 2025, reflecting strong category demand across markets.[15]
  • 3% organic net sales growth for Canadian whisky was reported by Diageo in fiscal 2025.[15]
  • 2% organic volume decline for vodka was reported by Diageo in fiscal 2025.[15]
  • 10% organic net sales growth for Indian-made foreign liquor whisky was reported by Diageo in fiscal 2025.[15]

Supplier management in the beer and spirits industry

  • $730 billion in global gross value added was linked to the spirits industry in 2022, including production and its wider supply chain.[68]
  • 9.4 million jobs were estimated in beer’s downstream value chain at on-trade and off-trade outlets in 2023.[71]
  • 7.7 million tonnes of spirits were traded internationally in 2024.[69]
  • $163 billion in tax revenue was generated by the global beer industry’s economic footprint in 2023.[71]
  • 185 economies were covered in the first global economic impact assessment of spirits production and sales.[72]

Stakeholder management in the beer and spirits industry

  • 10 million young people is Diageo’s target for alcohol-harm education through its SMASHED partnership by 2030.[15]
  • 1 billion people is Diageo’s target for receiving moderation messages by 2030.[15]
  • 1 in every 140 dollars of global GDP was linked to spirits-industry activity in 2022.[73]
  • 185 economies were included in the global spirits economic-impact study, reflecting the sector’s broad stakeholder footprint.[72]
  • 9.4 million downstream jobs were estimated at beer on-trade and off-trade outlets in 2023.[71]

Distribution channels in the beer and spirits industry

  • 15% of U.S. beer sold in 2020 moved through on-premise establishments for away-from-home consumption.[74]
  • 18% of U.S. beer off-premise dollar sales came through liquor stores in the 52 weeks ending August 10, 2024.[34]
  • 65% of U.S. spirits off-premise dollar sales came through liquor stores in the 52 weeks ending August 10, 2024.[34]
  • 17% of U.S. spirits off-premise dollar sales came through grocery stores in the 52 weeks ending August 10, 2024.[34]
  • 85% of U.S. beer sold in 2020 moved through off-premise establishments for at-home consumption.[74]

Key questions about the Beer and Spirits Industry

How large is the beer and spirits market in current dollars?
The global beer market was estimated at $839.3 billion in 2024. The spirits estimate projects growth from $461.8 billion in 2026 to $641.8 billion in 2033.
What growth pattern are forecasts indicating for beer and spirits?
Grand View Research forecasts the global beer market to reach $1.2483 trillion by 2030, implying 6.8% CAGR from 2025 to 2030. Its spirits-market estimate projects growth at 4.8% CAGR from $461.8 billion in 2026 to $641.8 billion in 2033.
Which companies lead the beer and spirits industry?
Carlsberg Group leads Gitnux's 2026 beer and spirits ranking with an Overall score of 9.5, with DKK 89.095 billion total revenue reported for 2025. AB InBev is the runner-up at 9.4, with 561.1 million hectolitres total volume reported in FY2025.
How are technology and automation changing brewery and distillery operations?
Approximately 70% of global beer volume in 2026 was projected to come from large industrial breweries using substantial automation. Jim Beam’s Clermont distillery used model predictive control by 2022, an automated control technique.
How concentrated is beer production at the group level and how fragmented are breweries in the US?
The top 40 brewing groups represented 87.4% of global beer volume in 2024. In the United States, 9,724 breweries operated in 2025, including 9,578 craft breweries.
Where is demand growth showing up within beverage alcohol formats?
Growth is concentrated in premium beer, no-alcohol products and spirits-based RTDs. U.S. spirits RTDs reached $3.8 billion in 2025, up 16.4% year over year.
Reference

Cite This Report

This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.

APA
Aisha Okonkwo. (2026, February 13). Beer And Spirits Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/beer-and-spirits-industry-statistics
MLA
Aisha Okonkwo. "Beer And Spirits Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/beer-and-spirits-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Aisha Okonkwo. 2026. "Beer And Spirits Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/beer-and-spirits-industry-statistics.

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