IWSR: global beer volumes fell in 2025

IWSR said on May 14 that global beer volumes declined in 2025 even as value held firm, a split the drinks data group tied to growth in premium-plus beer and no-alcohol products. The report, published on IWSR’s website under the headline “Under pressure, but not out of options: beer in 2026,” said total beer volumes in the world’s leading 21 markets fell 1% in 2025. (theiwsr.com) Value grew slightly, IWSR said, despite fewer serves being consumed. The company said large-market declines in the United States and Brazil weighed on the category, while South Africa and India were among the growth markets. ### How far did beer volumes fall, and where did IWSR measure it? (theiwsr.com) IWSR said its preliminary 2025 data covered the world’s leading 21 beer markets and showed a 1% decline in total beer volumes. The same report said value edged higher even as the number of serves fell. April data from the same company showed beer was not an outlier inside alcohol overall. IWSR said total beverage alcohol volumes in those leading 21 markets, plus global travel retail, fell 2% in 2025, with beer down 1%, spirits down 1% excluding national spirits, and wine down 4%, while ready-to-drink beverages posted gains. (theiwsr.com) ### What kept value from falling with volume? No-alcohol beer was one of the clearest supports. IWSR said no-alcohol beer volumes grew 8% in 2025, compared with the 1% decline for beer overall. The group also said 29% of no-alcohol beer volumes sat in premium-plus price bands in 2025, up from 20% in 2019. (theiwsr.com) Roisin Vulcheva, IWSR Senior Beer Insights Manager, said investment by global brewers in premium-plus products was “yielding dividends” in developed markets including the UK, France and Canada, and in developing markets including South Africa, India and countries in Latin America. She said beer was still benefiting from consumers’ willingness to trade up, “particularly no-alcohol beer,” which she said had grown strongly in almost all of the top 21 markets and skewed premium-plus. (theiwsr.com) ### Which markets dragged on the category? The United States and Brazil were the main drivers of the volume decline in IWSR’s May 14 beer report. The company said those two large markets pulled global beer volumes lower, while South Africa and India were among the leading growth destinations. (theiwsr.com) A November 2025 IWSR forecast update pointed to similar pressure in the United States and China. IWSR said global beer volume was then forecast to decline 0.2% in 2025, reversing an earlier May forecast for 0.2% growth, and Managing Director and President Marten Lodewijks said economic pressures, weaker on-trade traffic and policy decisions were weighing on consumption. (theiwsr.com) ### What does IWSR say brewers are doing in response? IWSR said brewers were responding with diversification, geographic expansion, divestments and product launches tied to current drinking trends. The report cited Asahi’s move into Africa and Tilray’s acquisition of BrewDog operations in the UK and Ireland, the United States and Australia. (theiwsr.com) It also cited Diageo’s sale of its Guinness Ghana Breweries stake to Castel Group, and Heineken’s sale of brewing operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo to local owners while retaining brand licensing. The same report said innovation has included flavored beer variants, no-alcohol extensions, blends with soft drinks, and no-sugar, low-calorie and functional offerings. (theiwsr.com) IWSR’s Radius innovation tracker, cited in the report, said fruit-forward flavors including peach, apple, pear, cherry and berry were appearing across beer, spirits and ready-to-drink products. ### Is premium beer itself still growing? IWSR said premium-and-above beer volumes shrank 2% in the first half of 2025 after four consecutive years of growth. The company said the decline reflected weakness in major markets including the United States, China and Brazil, even as 12 of the top 20 markets still posted gains for premium-and-above beer in that period. (theiwsr.com) Marten Lodewijks said in that November 2025 report that premium-and-above beer had peaked in the first half of 2024, with super-premium-and-above proving “a little more insulated.” He said no-alcohol beer was bucking the broader slowdown. (theiwsr.com) ### What comes next from IWSR? IWSR said in November 2025 that it would update its global beverage alcohol forecasts twice a year, in May and November, after adding its first mid-year forecast update. The May 14, 2026 beer report is one of those updates, published on the company’s insight page. (theiwsr.com 1) (theiwsr.com 2)