Hungary: Five largest brewers report increase in sales in 2024

After a 10% decline in 2023, reminiscent of the COVID-19 pandemic period, domestic sales of Hungary’s five largest breweries grew by 2.8% in 2024, reaching 5.55 million hectolitres, according to Sándor Kántor, Director of the Hungarian Brewers Association, The Debrecen Sun reported on February 19.

This growth restored the sector’s expansion rate to around 3%, similar to 2021 and 2022.

Despite years of multi-billion forint investments in technology and product development, rising production costs and intensified international competition significantly impacted exports, which fell by 50% to just 184,000 hectolitres. Consequently, the total volume of beer brewed in Hungary by the five largest producers declined by 3.3%, falling short of the annual 5-million-hectoliter mark.

Imports, however, surged by 20%, reaching 767,000 hectolitres in 2024, indicating a drop in the competitiveness of domestic production.

On the local market, premium and super-premium beers maintained a stable 31.4% market share (1.742 million hectolitres), while mid-range beers held steady at 54% (2.993 million hectolitres). The share of lower-category beers continued to decline, accounting for just 7.1% of total sales (396,000 hectolitres).

Non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beer consumption also rebounded, reaching 427,000 hectolitres and capturing 8.1% of the market. Notably, flavored non-alcoholic beers saw a 24% sales increase, likely driven by growing health-conscious and responsible drinking trends.

Sustainable packaging trends show mixed results: keg sales rose by 2.1% to 394,000 hectolitres, while refillable glass bottles dropped to just half of their 2018 levels, at 725,000 hectolitres.

Canned beer remained the most popular retail packaging, reaching 4 million hectolitres and making up 72% of total domestic beer sales. Single-use glass bottles, mainly used for premium beers, grew by 6.9% to 239,000 hectolitres, while PET-bottled beer declined by 5.5% to 281,000 hectolitres.

In 2024, Hungary’s five major breweries contributed 95.9 billion HUF to the state budget—a 6.8% increase—while also paying 4.5 billion HUF in environmental fees to waste management company MOHU.

Employment in the brewing sector also grew, with the five largest breweries directly employing 1,646 people in 2024. According to Oxford Economics, Hungary’s beer industry provides stable jobs for a total of 33,000 people, including those working in manufacturing, distribution, and hospitality.

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