Asia’s beer production output in 2022 narrowly beat sluggish global growth in the industry, according to Barth Haas’ recently released 2022/23 Report.

However, the data paints an uneven story of challenges and opportunities in the troubled post-COVID landscape in the region.

Asia’s beer output jumped from 570.9m hl in 2021 to 579m hl in 2022, representing growth of 1.5% and beating out Europe (0.6%) & Americas (1.0%) but trailing behind Africa (4.6%) and Australasia & Oceania (3.3%).

The three countries that drove the lion’s share of the region’s production growth were India (+3.5m hl), Thailand (+2.6m hl) and South Korea (+2.3m hl).

Besides post-COVID recovery, other factors that powered the production growth include favourable regulatory & tax changes (notably at a state level in India), new entrants into the market (both macro & craft), and expansion of routes to market, including grocery retail and convenience stores.

The Philippines (+1.5m hl) and Japan (+1.3m hl) also saw significant increases in beer production, as did smaller markets like Myanmar (which grew by +0.8m hl despite an ongoing civil war), Laos (+0.5m hl) and Malaysia (growing by +0.3m hl with the country’s first craft breweries emerging).

However, the report paints a grim picture for Vietnam and Cambodia’s respective brewing industries, where beer output fell by -3m hl in both countries, partially attributable to reduced domestic demand, lower-than-expected tourism and stricter enforcement of drink-driving laws.

The report also warns of growing geopolitical, economic and regulatory challenges to the beer industry at a global level, notably around the on-going war in the Ukraine, a growing impulse for tightened alcohol regulation, and climate change.

Read the full Barth Haas 2022/23 Report HERE