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After a 10% drop in 2023, the domestic turnover of the five largest Hungarian beer producers increased by 2.8% to 5.55 million hectoliters in 2024, said Sándor Kántor, director of the Beer Producers Association. This brings the pace of expansion back to around 3%, similar to the years 2021 and 2022, he noted.
The quality of Hungarian beer is among the best in the world, thanks to billions of forints of technological and product development programs carried out by Hungarian beer producers over the years. Despite this, the rising production costs and fiercer international competition have affected exports, which halved last year to just 184,000 hectoliters. As a result, the volume of beer brewed in the country by the five biggest producers fell by 3.3% in 2024, 33,000 hectoliters short of the five million hectoliters a year, said the director.
Beer consumption per capita in Hungary; Photo: MTI
He added that last year’s deterioration in the competitiveness of domestic production was also reflected in a significant 20% increase in imports, which totaled 767,000 hectoliters in 2024. The share of super-premium and premium beers in domestic sales stabilized, with combined sales reaching 31.4%, totaling 1.742 million hectoliters. The mid-range segment also performed steadily, with a 54% share of 2.993 million hectoliters, while the share of low-end products continued to decline in 2024. The latter segment accounted for only 7.1% of the top five producers’ turnover last year, with sales of 396,000 hectoliters.
Sales of 427,000 hectoliters of non-alcoholic and reduced alcohol products also showed renewed growth, rising to 8.1 % of total sales, thanks to a 24% increase in sales of flavored non-alcoholic beers, presumably driven by the continued rise of health-conscious and responsible consumption,”
said Sándor Kántor.
The number of directly employed workers in the industry continued to increase for the five largest Hungarian producers, reaching 1,646 in 2024. According to Oxford Economics, the overall brewing industry in Hungary provides stable, secure employment for a total of 33,000 people, either directly in manufacturing or indirectly in the distribution of products and catering, said Sándor Kántor.
Via MTI; Featured picture: Pexels