Beer consumption down again in 2003

In 2003 beer consumption in the Netherlands dropped further. The consumption per capita was 78.7 litres. The per capita consumption for 2002 was 79.9 litres. Beer consumption has been gradually falling since the early 1990s. In 1990 the per capita beer consumption was still 91 litres which is 13 percent higher than in 2003. Beer remains the most popular alcoholic drink.

Beer consumption per capita

Wine increasingly popular

Wine consumption has been increasing in recent years. Wine consumption per capita rose by 35 percent from 14.5 litres in 1990 to 19.6 litres in 2003. Over the same period the consumption of spirits dropped dramatically by 25 percent to 1.5 litres per capita.

Alcohol consumption per capita, 1990-2003

Beer exports set new record

Beer is an important export product for the Netherlands. Beer exports amounted to 14.3 million hectolitres in 2003, worth 1.4 billion euro, a new record. In 2002 Dutch breweries sold 14.2 million hectolitres to foreign customers. With 7 million hectolitres, the US was by far the most important export country.

Belgian beers popular

Dutch beer is the most popular foreign beer in Belgium. In 2003 the sale of Dutch beer to Belgium amounted to 0.8 million hectolitres, almost 14 percent down on 2002.

With 1.6 million hectolitres, Belgian beers were the most popular beers imported in the Netherlands in 2003.

Beer trade with Belgium

Hans Draper