Wednesday 18 February 2015

Beer consumption per capita 1953 - 2013

Another in my extra-specially-dull series of table-packed posts. About beer consumption per head, as the title gives away.

It was prompted by this table from “Brewing in Canada”:

PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION OF BEER IN SELECTED COUNTRIES, 1953-1963
Country 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963
Belgium 129.1 131.4 134.6 131.8 132.3 133.7 130.0 130.0 130.0 123.2 115.9
West Germany 57.7 60.0 66.8 72.3 82.7 85.9 91.8 94.6 101.4 107.3 113.7
Australia 95.5 104.6 112.7 108.2 105.0 102.7 101.4 102.3 102.7 102.7 105.0
New Zealand 92.7 94.1 99.6 99.1 102.7 102.7 95.9 101.4 101.4 104.1 100.0
United Kingdom 81.8 78.2 81.8 80.9 80.9 79.1 83.6 85.0 88.6 87.7 87.7
Austria 58.2 60.0 60.5 64.6 70.0 70.0 67.3 71.8 77.3 84.6 86.4
Denmark 68.2 65.9 66.8 63.6 64.1 64.1 69.6 72.3 75.0 75.9 78.2
Switzerland 50.0 50.0 54.1 56.8 60.9 64.1 65.9 60.9 69.1 74.1 76.8
Canada 62.3 58.6 60.9 61.4 61.4 57.3 60.9 60.0 60.5 61.8 62.3
United States 63.2 60.0 60.0 59.6 57.3 56.8 57.7 57.3 56.8 57.3 57.7
France 22.7 24.5 29.1 29.1 32.7 36.8 40.0 38.2 36.8 36.8 36.4
Sweden 28.6 28.6 32.3 30.0 30.0 29.5 31.8 30.9 31.4 30.0 33.2
Netherlands 12.3 14.1 16.8 17.7 20.5 20.5 23.2 23.6 26.4 27.7 31.4
Norway 20.0 20.0 22.7 22.7 22.7 23.2 24.1 24.1 25.9 25.0 26.4
Italy 2.7 3.2 3.6 3.2 3.2 4.1 3.6 4.5 5.5 5.9 6.8
Source:
"Brewing in Canada", Brewers Association of Canada, 1965, page 117.

Surprised at seeing Belgium in first place? I can’t say I am. I know consumption there used to be enormous. The real shock is Holland’s poor showing. It’s odd how Holland only really became a beer-drinking nation in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

Here are the modern numbers for Europe:

Beer consumption per capita 2008 - 2013
Country 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Austria 110 107 106 108 108 106
Belgium 82 81 78 78 74 72
Bulgaria 73 67 67 69 73 74
Croatia 85 79 74 86 78 76
Cyprus 58 51 52 51 55 55
Czech Republic 158 159 144 145 148 144
Denmark 78 72 69 68 64 64
Estonia 88 85 78 72 72 73
Finland 85 84 83 85 79 80
France 31 31 31 31 31 30
Germany 111 110 107 107 108 107
Greece 41 39 36 35 35 35
Hungary 72 65 61 60 60 60
Ireland 99 91 90 86 86 79
Italy 29 28 29 30 29 29
Latvia 68 69 70 74 76 78
Lithuania 91 83 90 96 96 93
Luxembourg 94 86 85 85 83 83
Malta 45 47 47 45 48 40
Netherlands 79 73 72 72 72 70
Norway 54 55 56 56 47 48
Poland 94 91 91 95 98 96
Portugal 61 60 59 53 49 49
Romania 99 88 87 84 90 81
Slovakia 81 79 79 73 76 72
Slovenia 93 89 82 81 74 75
Spain 52 51 48 48 48 46
Sweden 52 52 50 51 50 50
Switzerland 58 57 57 58 57 56
Turkey 13 13 12 12 13 12
United Kingdom 84 76 74 74 67 66
Average EU 28 78 75 73 73 72 71
Average All 75 71 70 70 69 68
Source:
"Beer Statistics 2014 edition" The Brewers of Europe, page 14.


The Czechs lead, of course. Good showing from the Austrians, going neck to neck with the Germans.

And here are the tables nailed together:

Beer consumption per capita 1953 - 2013
Country 1953 1963 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 % change 1953 - 2013 % change 1963 - 2013
Belgium 129.1 115.9 82 81 78 78 74 72 -44.23% -37.89%
West Germany 57.7 113.7 111 110 107 107 108 107 85.33% -5.85%
Australia 95.5 105.0 108.4 108.0 104.9 100.7 96.5 93.1 -2.49% -11.36%
New Zealand 92.7 100.0
United Kingdom 81.8 87.7 84 76 74 74 67 66 -19.34% -24.78%
Austria 58.2 86.4 110 107 106 108 108 106 82.16% 22.72%
Denmark 68.2 78.2 78 72 69 68 64 64 -6.15% -18.15%
Switzerland 50.0 76.8 58 57 57 58 57 56 11.98% -27.11%
Canada 62.3 62.3 84.6 83.2 81.4 79.6 78.9 76.7 23.13% 23.13%
United States 63.2 57.7 82.2 79.8 78.4 76.9
France 22.7 36.4 31 31 31 31 31 30 31.98% -17.51%
Sweden 28.6 33.2 52 52 50 51 50 50 74.58% 50.66%
Netherlands 12.3 31.4 79 73 72 72 72 70 470.29% 123.16%
Norway 20.0 26.4 54 55 56 56 47 48 139.97% 82.04%
Italy 2.7 6.8 29 28 29 30 29 29 963.18% 325.27%
Sources:
"Beer Statistics 2014 edition" The Brewers of Europe, page 14.
"Brewers' Almanac 2013 edition, page 24.
Australian Bureau of Statistics http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4307.0.55.001main+features42012-13
Annual Statistical Bulletin, Beer Canada, page 10.

Interesting that the four bottom countries in the first table are some of the few to have shown growth 1953 to 2013. Though in the last five years beer consumption has fallen everywhere in Europe, except for Italy, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

That’s me done. I might dig out the numbers for intervening years. If arsing allows.

6 comments:

David said...

Are these figures litres per year?

Atwick said...

Any idea why German consumption doubled from 1953 to 1963? Was that due to low incomes in Germany in 1953 leaving little money for buying beer, or were there some kind of supply issues?

Ron Pattinson said...

David,

yes.

Ron Pattinson said...

Atwick,

Wirtschaftswunder - big jump in prosperity.

Atwick said...

Makes sense about the jump in prosperity. Sorry if I missed this in an earlier posting, but is there any sign that the German beer market was not just reducing consumption but also switching to a lower quality/weaker product until the economy ramped up?

Or did the German market decide to mostly make do with good stuff in smaller quantities?

It would be an interesting little illustration for an economics textbook, I'm sure.

Ron Pattinson said...

Atwick,

German beer was back up to pre-war strength by the 1950's. But people didn't have enough money to buy it in the same quantities.

In the 1990's there was definitely a shift t ocheaper brands of beer.