How loyal are beer drinkers to domestic brews? The latest annual British Beer & Pub Association statistical handbook, published this month, reveals some interesting figures on which countries consume the most imported beer. Here are a few highlights.
- Globally, Italy leads the way, with 36.4% of total beer drunk coming from abroad. This figure has been steadily rising in the Noughties. In 1970, just 4.9% of beer drunk by Italians came from foreign shores.
- France, traditonally a wine drinking country, comes next, as around a third (33.2%) of beers supped are imports. Again, this has been a marked shift from 1970, when the figure was just 5.6%.
- Elsewhere in Europe, Hungary has witnessed the trend reverse. In 1970 nearly a fifth (18.6%) of beer drunk by Hungarians was imported. In 2010, that figure is a mere 1.6%.
- Australians, meanwhile, have remained relatively committed to the offerings of domestic brewers. While the amount of imported beer drunk has risen from 0.1% in 1980, the figure is still at a relatively modest 9% as of 2010.
- US beer drinkers are a loyal bunch too, with imported brews only making a modest dent. Around 12.5% of beer consumed is foreign, according to the latest figures, compared to 2.5% in 1980.
- Canadians have developed more of a taste for imported brews. Foreign beers made up around a fifth (21.2%) of consumption in 2010, compared to 2.9% in 1980.
- For the regions of South and Central America, Asia and Africa, the figures for imported consumption remain in low single-digit percentages. Only South Africa, where imports represented 5.4% of consumption in 2010, up from 1.5% in 2000, reveals any notable trend.
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