Beer market in Ireland - statistics & facts

While the pandemic exacerbated ongoing trends in Ireland's beer industry, the current climate of inflation has made a comeback more difficult. Ireland, like many countries, has seen a continuous decline of beer consumption for years. Consumers are not only turning to other beverages but increasingly drinking less alcohol altogether. It is not all doom and gloom though as beer segments that cater to the sober-curious and those consumers looking for something special when they do have beer are on the rise.

On-trade woes

The Irish beer market was valued at 2.06 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, with more than half of revenue stemming from on-trade sales. Revenue has not yet rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. Beer production in Ireland had remained relatively stable up until the pandemic and its associated closings of on-trade establishments. The closing of pubs is not a new phenomenon though. While closings due to the pandemic were meant to be short-lived, the amount of pubs across Ireland has been on the decline for years. On average, across the country there are 22 percent less pubs today then there were in 2005. Limerick has been particularly hard hit with a decline of 32 percent.

Decreasing consumption

The decline in pubs can at least partially be blamed on a decline in beer consumption, another trend that the pandemic accelerated but did not cause. Between 2008 and 2019 per capita consumption of beer declined in Ireland by 22 percent. During the pandemic years, consumption declined by an additional 21 percent. When the pubs reopened, consumers now had another reason to cut back on their alcohol consumption, inflation. In particular, the rising energy prices during the autumn and winter of 2022 saw staggering increases in beer prices compared to the year prior. In December of 2022, the consumer price index for beer in Ireland grew by nearly 17 percent compared to the same period in 2021.

Where growth can be found

Despite the particularly rough few years, beer is still the favorite alcohol beverage in Ireland, accounting for 43.5 percent of all alcohol consumption in 2022. Some segments offer growth opportunities as well. Craft beer, which commands a higher price than other segment is on the rise. Its share of overall beer consumption is still relatively small at 3.4 percent but has grown by 467 percent since 2012. Likewise, non-alcoholic beer accounts for just 1.7 percent of all beer sales but has grown by 325 percent since 2017. The future of Ireland's beer industry will depend on giving consumers good reasons to stick with beer, whether that be affordability or a focus on segments that appeal to changing tastes.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Jan Conway, Jan 10, 2024

Key insights

Beer market revenue in Ireland
2.06bn USD
Stout beer share of production
72.6%
Best selling beer brand in Ireland
Guinness
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Annual volume of beer consumed in Ireland from 2008 to 2022 (in 1,000 hectoliters)

Beer

Ireland: annual volume of beer consumed 2008-2022

Annual volume of beer consumed per capita in Ireland from 2008 to 2022 (in liters)

Beer

Ireland: annual volume of beer consumed per capita 2008-2022

Brand value of Guinness worldwide from 2020 to 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)

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Guinness brand value 2020-2023

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