Switzerland: Beer sales, per capita consumption fall again in Switzerland last year

The past brewing year in Switzerland fell through, partly due to the bad weather. Beer sales fell again. For the first time, per capita consumption fell below the 50 litre mark.

The downward trend that has lasted for years thus continues: total beer sales fell by 1.6% to 4.5 million hectolitres in the past 2023/24 brewing year (as at the end of September), as the Swiss Brewers' Association (SBV) announced to the media in Uster on November 21.

Swiss breweries were hit harder: domestic output fell by 1.7% to 3.5 million hectolitres. Meanwhile, beer imports fell by 1.3 percent to 0.96 million hectolitres. Imported beers from abroad accounted for 21.4 percent of the total market. Around ten years ago, the import share had peaked at 26 percent.

The bad weather has curbed the thirst for beer. Most areas of Switzerland experienced above-average rainfall in spring. There were few opportunities to enjoy a beer outside and in company, explained Brewers' Association Director Marcel Kreber: "Even the good performance of the Swiss national football team at the European Championships didn't help." If the spring is bad, the brewing year is practically over.

However, the influence of major sporting events should not be overestimated, said Kreber. They contribute less than 1 percent to the change and have little impact on the overall market.

In addition, the September figures were also negative. The cold polar air put an abrupt end to the summer on the northern side of the Alps from September 9. As a result, it only rained at the Schwägalp wrestling festival, said association president Nicolo Paganini. Almost none of the 17,000 spectators were in the mood for beer.

The initial behavior had also changed. Younger consumers, who have been influenced by the coronavirus shutdowns, are showing a different, more selective starting behavior, he said. In addition, the death of pubs and the disappearance of the regulars' table culture are continuing, said Kreber. Breweries are also struggling with this. They now only sell just under a third of beer in restaurants. Before the pandemic, this figure was 39 percent.

In contrast, non-alcoholic beers increased by 12% to 0.31 million hectolitres last year. Their share of the total beer market is now 7% (previous year: 6.1%).

While less beer is being drunk in this country, the population has grown to just over 9 million people. This means that per capita consumption has fallen below 50 litres for the first time since measurements began. For comparison: in 1990/91, an average of 71 litres still ran down every Swiss throat.

But even these higher figures from the past are still low compared to Germany. The Germans drink 88 litres per capita.

The undisputed world champions, however, are the Czechs: With an unchanged average consumption of 136 litres of beer per capita, they topped the table according to the latest available figures from 2022. They were followed by the Austrians with 102 litres per capita.

The number of breweries in Switzerland has fallen from its peak in 2021, when there were 1278 breweries subject to beer tax, to 1192 breweries last year. Previously, there had been a 30-year increase since the low point in 1990 with just 32 breweries. A brewery is defined as one that brews more than 400 litres of beer per year.

Kreber said that the sharp rise in energy and raw material prices as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine had caused some microbreweries to stop brewing again.

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