Off the wire
• Roundup: Afghan forces kill 120 militants, recapture key district in northern province  • Major news items in leading German newspapers  • Blast targets Kurdish area in northern Syria  • Israeli soldier stabbed by Palestinian in Jerusalem  • China Exclusive: Chinese film, TV industry eyes world stage  • 2nd LD Writethru: Four attackers killed in Somali government building assault  • Turkish president criticizes international community for not taking more refugees  • 34,000 residents affected by restive volcano in E. Philippines  • Commentary: Upcoming China-U.S. dialogue key occasion for repairing trust  • Afghan forces recapture district in northeastern province  
You are here: 　 Home

Belgian beer consumption declines in first five months

Xinhua, June 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

Beer consumption in Belgium dropped by 5 per cent in the first five months of 2015, compared with the same period of last year, local media reported on Saturday.

This represents the sharpest decline in 15 years.

The downward trend in beer consumption has been in evidence for some years. Between 1995 and 2014, it decreased by 23 per cent in total.

Belgians consume an average of 72 litres of beer per year.

Jean-Louis Van de Perre, President of the Belgian Brewers, which represents 160 breweries in the country, attributed the decline in consumption to the effects of the economic downturn and the continuing struggle of the catering sector.

However, exports of Belgian beer continue to grow, particularly to China, which is now Belgium's main export partner in Asia. According to the latest statistics, Belgium exports on average 11,074,000 hectolitres of beer per year globally.

Brewing is considered to be one of the most important sectors in Belgium, and the country is famed for the quality and variety of its beers. The Belgian brewery, AB In-Bev, situated in Leuven, is the largest in the world. Endit