Asia now leads global beer drinking
17 September 2012
The Asian century is all about Asia's citizens, which account for 60 per cent of humanity, regaining their natural share of global activity. When it comes to drinking beer, Asia is well on the path to catchup. Although Asia's per capita beer consumption is still relatively low, Asia's total consumption overtook America and Europe in 2007. And in 2011 Asia swallowed 67 billion litres of beer, compared with Americas' 57 billion and 51 billion in Europe, according to Euromonitor.
So what's put the fizz into Asia's beer drinking? Economic growth is propelling a young, upwardly mobile, and increasingly hedonistic population to the bar. Beer is also the perfect way to wash down Asia's spicy cuisines, especially in Asia's typically hot weather. And Asia's cute young girls don't think that drinking beer compromises their feminity.
As with most things in Asia, it is China that is driving Asia's rise to the top of the international beer-drinking league. You will not be surprised to learn that China's beer concumption overtook the US in 2003.