The Netherlands is bigger beer nation as compared to Belgium, at least in terms of production and export. The following data has been released by the Eurostat statistics office for 2021.
With around 1.9 billion litres, Belgium’s northern neighbour is the largest beer exporter in the European Union.
Non-alcoholic beer is not included in these figures.
Germany remains the largest beer producer in the European Union, with an output of 7.5 billion litres, or almost a quarter of all beer brewed in Europe. However, the Germans drink a lot of it themselves since they are only in third place in terms of exports, with around 1.6 billion litres.
Poland and Spain, with 3.7 billion litres, and the Netherlands, with 2.5 billion litres, follow as Europe’s main beer producers. Belgium did not make it into the top five.
In total, 33.1 billion litres of beer were brewed last year (+3%). That corresponds to 78 litres per European.
The main destinations for European beer in 2021 were the United Kingdom and the United States – which together accounted for 41% of EU beer exports – with Russia in third place.
