Less beer, more wine

The Dutch population drank an average 78 litres of beer per capita in 2005. This is just over 9 percent less than in 1995. Wine consumption rose substantially in the period 1995 to 2005: by 28 percent to 21 litres per capita.

Beer and wine consumption

Beer production stable

Although domestic consumption is in decline, Dutch brewers have managed to keep production levels stable. They produced nearly 2.5 billion litres of beer in 2005. This volume has been around the same level for years

Netherlands world’s third beer exporter

Over the past decade beer exports have grown by more than 30 percent. In 2005, more than 60 percent of beer brewed in the Netherlands was produced for the foreign market: 1.6 billion litres, with a value of 1.3 billion euro. This makes the Netherlands the world’s third largest exporter of beer after Mexico and Germany. Almost 50 percent of Dutch beer exports goes to the United States. Beer exports to the United States have risen by 60 percent In the space of ten years.

Beer exports: main countries

Consumers favour wine from outside Europe

Wine has become more popular among Dutch drinkers in the last ten years. In 2005, 400 million litres of wine was imported into the Netherlands. As imports from outside Europe increased fivefold in the period 1995-2005, the supply of wine has become much more varied. Wines from South Africa, Central and South America and Australia in particular are popular among Dutch consumers.

Wine: market shares of main wine producing countries

Hans Draper