World Beer Index 2021: What’s the Beer Price in Your Country?

What’s the Beer Price in Your Country?

Although fewer people have been able to grab a beer at the pub during this pandemic, the global desire for beer prevails. For example, sales of the Corona beer actually shot up in the past year, despite—or perhaps because of—associations with the coronavirus.

This World Beer Index from Expensivity compares the average price of a bottle of beer in 58 countries in a detailed map. Additionally, we show which countries spend the most on beer per capita, and just how much beer people really drink.

Pricey Pints: The Average Beer Price

Researchers calculated the average price of a typical bottle of beer (330ml, just shy of a pint) from well known brands via online stores and statistics database Numbeo. In addition, local beer prices were pulled from hotel and bar menus, and average values converted to USD.

In Qatar, you’d have to shell out $11.26 for a single beer, which would surely make for a really expensive night out on the town. In part, this is because in 2019, the Muslim-majority country introduced a 100% excise tax on top the previous sales price of all alcohol imports.

These steep prices are aimed at tourists—and with Qatar hosting the 2022 men’s soccer World Cup, there’ll be thousands of visitors in the country looking for a cold one at any price.

Rank	Country	Capital City	Average Price of a Beer
1	South Africa	Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Cape Town	$1.68
2	Ukraine	Kyiv	$1.76
3	Argentina	Buenos Aires	$1.79
4	Bosnia And Herzegovina	Sarajevo	$1.96
5	Ghana	Accra	$2.05
6	Tunisia	Tunis	$2.09
7	Georgia	Tbilisi	$2.30
8	North Macedonia	Skopje	$2.34
9	Chile	Santiago	$2.40
10	Czech Republic (Czechia)	Prague	$2.49
11	Rwanda	Kigali	$2.52
12	Brazil	Brasilia	$2.52
13	Haiti	Port Au Prince	$2.66
14	Colombia	Bogota	$2.72
15	Spain	Madrid	$2.74
16	Panama	Panama City	$2.74
17	Sri Lanka	Colombo	$2.77
18	Hungary	Budapest	$2.84
19	Armenia	Yerevan	$2.96
20	Indonesia	Jakarta	$3.17
21	Azerbaijan	Baku	$3.18
22	Guyana	Georgetown	$3.39
23	Bolivia	Santa Cruz	$3.42
24	Kazakhstan	Nur-Sultan	$3.44
25	Belgium	Brussels	$3.47
26	Turkey	Istanbul	$3.61
27	Malta	Valletta	$3.65
28	Belarus	Minsk	$3.72
29	Egypt	Cairo	$3.80
30	India	New Delhi	$3.90
31	Canada	Ottawa	$3.96
32	Austria	Vienna	$3.99
33	Wales	Cardiff	$4.06
34	Nepal	Kathmandu	$4.13
35	Scotland	Edinburgh	$4.18
36	Greece	Athens	$4.25
37	Philippines	Manila	$4.25
38	Poland	Warsaw	$4.37
39	Mexico	Mexcio City	$4.46
40	Lithuania	Vilnius	$4.55
41	South Korea	Seoul	$4.56
42	Netherlands	Amsterdam	$4.60
43	Germany	Berlin	$4.64
44	Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur	$4.74
45	United States	Washington D.C.	$4.75
46	Thailand	Bangkok	$4.82
47	Portugal	Lisbon	$5.06
48	Russia	Moscow	$5.08
49	Singapore	Singapore	$5.17
50	Denmark	Copenhagen	$5.20
51	Italy	Rome	$5.83
52	England	London	$5.97
53	Japan	Tokyo	$6.16
54	Switzerland	Bern	$6.23
55	France	Paris	$6.39
56	China	Beijing	$7.71
57	Jordan	Amman	$9.40
58	Qatar	Doha	$11.26

At just $1.68 per bottle, South Africa has the lowest average beer price thanks at least partially to cultural norms of buying in bulk.

Cashing In: The Per Capita Spend on Beer

The price of a single beer is one thing, but which countries spend the most on beer itself? Germany unsurprisingly tops the list here with nearly $2,000 of expenditures per capita, bolstered by its strong beer culture and annual Oktoberfest celebration.

Germany also prides itself on the purity of its beer—the vast majority of brewers follow the Reinheitsgebot, centuries-old purity laws that broadly state that beer may contain only three ingredients: water, barley, and hops.

View the high resolution of this infographic by clicking here.

Following closely behind is Poland, which spends $1,738 per capita. Meanwhile, the U.S. ranks eighth in the world for the highest spending on beer per capita at $1,554—beer is also the country’s most popular alcoholic beverage.

Getting Boozy: How Much Beer Do People Drink?

Using data from the World Health Organization, the visualization below also digs into how much beer is consumed around the world per capita.

The Czech Republic emerges on top in this regard, with 468 beers on average in a year—that works out to 1.3 beers per day. Spain and Germany are next with 417 and 411 beers, respectively.

View the high resolution of this infographic by clicking here.

On the flip side, people in Haiti only drink about four beers yearly. This may be because they prefer something a little stronger—97% of alcohol consumption in the nation comes from spirits such as rum.

Beer has been around for over 7,000 years. No matter the beer price in your country, it’s worth raising a glass to the timelessness of this humble beverage.