Brewery numbers in Germany drop again in 2025

Fiona Holland

Tue, August 4, 2026 at 6:46 AM PDT 1 min read

The number of breweries in Germany declined again last year, new data from the country's Federal Statisical Office (Destatis) shows.

According to new figures from the office, the number of breweries fell 3.6% last year compared to 2024.

This represents an 8.8% decline versus 2019, when Germany saw the highest number of breweries in 30 years.

"This trend is likely also attributable to declining beer sales," Destatis said in a statement.

It marks the third consecutive year that brewery numbers have dropped since 2023.

A reason behind the drop in brewery numbers, Destatis said was dwindling beer sales.

Sales volumes of beer dropped again in the country in 2025 to 7.8 billion litres. This represents a 6% dip on 2024 and a 15.7% decline on 2019.

Beer volumes in Germany have also been in decline for the past three years, according to Destatis figures.

Bavaria still had the highest number of breweries in 2025 at 588, with Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia following with 190 and 131 respectively.

Both North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria however saw "the most significant decreases" in brewery numbers. The former saw brewery numbers drop from 162 to 131 while the latter saw them drop from 648 to 588.

The number of breweries dropped year on year in most states in Germany, Destatis said, with Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony-Anhalt being exceptions.

"Brewery numbers in Germany drop again in 2025" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand.