Number of breweries worldwide

Those who know me know I’m a bit of a statistics freak. If a ranking list can be made or if a chart can be drawn, trust me: I’ll do it sooner or later.

So when I came upon a recent forum discussion on ratebeer.com, talking about the number of breweries in different countries, I jumped at the opportunity. Based on websites like beerme.com or ratebeer.com, as well as with the help of everyone’s friends Google and Wikipedia, it has been a pretty easy and quick task.
Please bear in mind that all the numbers below are constantly changing and that, despite all the information sources, a 100% accuracy remains impossible.

Let’s first take a look at the countries with the most breweries. Since a couple of years (somewhere between 2004 and 2008) the United States have taken the lead over the long-time leader Germany. Here’s the top ten:

country	number of breweries	source
USA	1759	Brewer Association
Germany	1332	German-Breweries.com
England	628	BBC News
China	500	Research and Markets
France	475	ratebeer.com / Biere France
Japan	406	ratebeer.com
Canada	391	ratebeer.com
Switzerland	335	Bov’s Beers
Italy	303	Mondo Birra
Australia	243	ratebeer.com

The presence of countries like Japan or Switzerland surely is a surprise to most of you. Some solid beer countries can be found just further: Austria (11th), Belgium (12th), the Czech Republic (15th) and Denmark (16th). It can be noticed that the overall number of breweries worldwide seems to be pretty close to 10’000 (see also the complete table at the end of this post)

What about the countries with the highest density of breweries per capita ?

This question raises a small definition problem: what counts exactly as a country ? ratebeer.com is pretty (too ?) generous in this aspect, so I have allowed myself to take the non self-governing territories out of this ranking. Here the ones which would have made it in the top-ten:

country	number of breweries	population	population per brewery	comment
Norfolk Island	1	1’828	1’828	Australia’s external territory
Cayman Islands	3	54’878	18’293	British overseas territory
Bermuda	2	64’566	32’283	British overseas territory
United States Virgin Islands	3	109’000	36’333	insular area of the USA
Turks and Caicos Islands	1	40’357	40’357	British overseas territory

This leaves us with the following top ten:

country	number of breweries	population	population per brewery	comment
Cook Islands	3	23’400	7’800	free association with New Zealand; self-governing
Liechtenstein	3	36’157	12’052
Greenland	3	56’452	18’817	autonomous country within Kingdom of Denmark
Palau	1	20’000	20’000
Switzerland	335	7’866’500	23’482
Faroe Islands	2	48’596	24’298
Isle of Man	3	83’000	27’667	self-governing British dependency
Monaco	1	35’000	35’000
Iceland	9	318’452	35’384
Denmark	135	5’564’219	41’216

Some strange and very small countries, isn’t it ? 😉

Following the advice allegedly attributed to Sir Winston Churchill, “Only trust statistics you’ve manipulated yourself“, I suggest to present a more serious top ten by skipping countries having less than 5 active breweries. This gives us the following ranking:

country	number of breweries	population	population per brewery
Switzerland	335	7’866’500	23’482
Iceland	9	318’452	35’384
Denmark	135	5’564’219	41’216
Wales	72	2’999’300	41’657
Austria	192	8’404’252	43’772
New Zealand	87	4’408’900	50’677
Belgium	189	11’007’020	58’238
Slovenia	35	2’052’120	58’632
Germany	1332	81’802’000	61’413
Luxembourg	8	502’100	62’763

Now you know why it’s great to be a swiss beerhunter 😉

Finally, here is the complete table, enjoy!

country	number of breweries	population	population per brewery
Afghanistan	0	31’412’000	N/A
Albania	7	3’195’000	456’429
Algeria	5	36’300’000	7’260’000
Andorra	0	84’082	N/A
Angola	3	19’082’000	6’360’667
Antigua & Barbuda	1	89’000	89’000
Argentina	158	40’091’359	253’743
Armenia	4	3’263’600	815’900
Aruba	1	107’000	107’000
Australia	243	22’642’901	93’181
Austria	192	8’404’252	43’772
Azerbaijan	2	8’997’400	4’498’700
Bahamas	3	353’658	117’886
Bahrain	0	1’262’000	N/A
Bangladesh	1	150’776’000	150’776’000
Barbados	1	273’000	273’000
Belarus	9	9’481’100	1’053’456
Belgium	189	11’007’020	58’238
Belize	1	333’200	333’200
Benin	2	8’778’646	4’389’323
Bermuda	2	64’566	32’283
Bhutan	2	695’822	347’911
Bolivia	11	10’426’154	947’832
Bosnia	9	3’843’126	427’014
Botswana	2	1’800’098	900’049
Brazil	106	190’732’694	1’799’365
Brunei	0	399’000	N/A
Bulgaria	13	7’351’234	565’480
Burkina Faso	1	15’730’977	15’730’977
Burundi	1	8’383’000	8’383’000
Cambodia	6	13’395’682	2’232’614
Cameroon	1	19’406’100	19’406’100
Canada	391	34’492’000	88’215
Cape Verde Islands	1	491’575	491’575
Cayman Islands	3	54’878	18’293
Central African Republic	1	4’401’000	4’401’000
Ceuta	1	75’276	75’276
Chad	1	11’227’000	11’227’000
Chile	55	17’244’900	313’544
China	500	1’339’724’852	2’679’450
Colombia	20	46’034’000	2’301’700
Comoros	0	735’000	N/A
Congo	1	4’043’000	4’043’000
Cook Islands	3	23’400	7’800
Costa Rica	5	4’563’538	912’708
Croatia	26	4’425’747	170’221
Cuba	5	11’241’161	2’248’232
Curaçao	1	142’180	142’180
Cyprus	4	803’147	200’787
Czech Republic	153	10’535’811	68’862
Dem Rep of Congo	3	65’966’000	21’988’667
Denmark	135	5’564’219	41’216
Djibouti	0	889’000	N/A
Dominica	1	68’000	68’000
Dominican Republic	2	9’378’818	4’689’409
East Timor	1	1’124’000	1’124’000
Ecuador	3	14’306’876	4’768’959
Egypt	2	80’418’000	40’209’000
El Salvador	1	6’193’000	6’193’000
England	628	51’446’000	81’920
Equatorial Guinea	1	700’000	700’000
Eritrea	2	5’234’000	2’617’000
Estonia	9	1’340’122	148’902
Ethiopia	7	79’455’634	11’350’805
Falkland Islands	0	3’000	N/A
Faroe Islands	2	48’596	24’298
Fiji Islands	3	861’000	287’000
Finland	44	5’385’620	122’400
France	475	65’000’000	136’842
French Polynesia	1	266’952	266’952
Gabon	1	1’505’000	1’505’000
Gambia	1	1’728’000	1’728’000
Georgia	7	4’436’400	633’771
Germany	1332	81’802’000	61’413
Ghana	3	24’233’431	8’077’810
Greece	17	11’306’183	665’070
Greenland	3	56’452	18’817
Grenada	1	104’000	104’000
Guadeloupe	2	405’500	202’750
Guam	2	180’000	90’000
Guatemala	3	14’361’666	4’787’222
Guernsey	1	62’431	62’431
Guinea	1	9’982’000	9’982’000
Guinea-Bissau	1	1’515’000	1’515’000
Guyana	1	784’894	784’894
Haiti	1	10’085’214	10’085’214
Honduras	2	8’215’313	4’107’657
Hong Kong	3	7’061’200	2’353’733
Hungary	50	10’014’324	200’286
Iceland	9	318’452	35’384
India	31	1’210’193’422	39’038’497
Indonesia	4	237’556’363	59’389’091
Iran	3	75’405’000	25’135’000
Iraq	1	31’672’000	31’672’000
Ireland	32	4’470’700	139’709
Isle of Man	3	83’000	27’667
Israel	18	7’740’900	430’050
Italy	303	60’626’442	200’087
Ivory Coast	1	19’738’000	19’738’000
Jamaica	2	2’741’100	1’370’550
Japan	406	127’950’000	315’148
Jersey	1	92’500	92’500
Jordan	2	6’187’000	3’093’500
Kazakhstan	8	16’158’000	2’019’750
Kenya	4	38’610’097	9’652’524
Kiribati Republic	0	100’000	N/A
Kosovo	2	1’800’000	900’000
Kuwait	0	2’737’000	N/A
Kyrgyz Republic	8	5’418’300	677’288
Laos	4	6’230’200	1’557’550
Latvia	18	2’221’100	123’394
Lebanon	4	4’228’000	1’057’000
Lesotho	1	2’171’000	2’171’000
Liberia	1	3’994’000	3’994’000
Libya	2	6’355’000	3’177’500
Liechtenstein	3	36’157	12’052
Lithuania	51	3’225’300	63’241
Luxembourg	8	502’100	62’763
Macau	1	556’800	556’800
Macedonia	4	2’052’722	513’181
Madagascar	1	20’714’000	20’714’000
Malawi	1	14’901’000	14’901’000
Malaysia	4	27’565’821	6’891’455
Maldives	0	317’280	N/A
Mali	1	14’517’176	14’517’176
Malta	3	416’333	138’778
Marshall Islands	0	54’305	N/A
Martinique	1	397’730	397’730
Mauritania	0	3’460’000	N/A
Mauritius	3	1’280’925	426’975
Mexico	44	112’336’538	2’553’103
Micronesia	1	102’264	102’264
Moldova	11	3’563’800	323’982
Monaco	1	35’000	35’000
Mongolia	4	2’808’900	702’225
Monserrat	0	5’879	N/A
Montenegro	2	625’266	312’633
Morocco	1	32’181’000	32’181’000
Mozambique	1	22’416’881	22’416’881
Myanmar	3	47’963’000	15’987’667
Namibia	1	2’283’000	2’283’000
Nauru	0	10’000	N/A
Nepal	5	28’584’975	5’716’995
Netherlands	129	16’677’100	129’280
New Caledonia	1	245’580	245’580
New Zealand	87	4’408’900	50’677
Nicaragua	1	5’788’000	5’788’000
Niger	1	15’203’822	15’203’822
Nigeria	6	158’423’000	26’403’833
Niue	0	1’500	N/A
Norfolk Island	1	1’828	1’828
North Korea	5	24’346’000	4’869’200
Northern Ireland	6	1’789’000	298’167
Norway	42	4’952’600	117’919
Oman	0	2’694’094	N/A
Pakistan	1	176’409’000	176’409’000
Palau	1	20’000	20’000
Palestine	1	3’935’249	3’935’249
Panama	4	3’405’813	851’453
Papua New Guinea	1	6’703’000	6’703’000
Paraguay	3	6’230’000	2’076’667
Peru	10	29’461’933	2’946’193
Philippines	3	94’013’200	31’337’733
Poland	83	38’186’860	460’083
Portugal	6	10’636’888	1’772’815
Puerto Rico	2	3’725’789	1’862’895
Qatar	0	1’696’563	N/A
Réunion	1	827’000	827’000
Romania	17	21’466’174	1’262’716
Russia	170	142’905’200	840’619
Rwanda	3	10’412’820	3’470’940
Samoa	1	187’032	187’032
San Marino	0	31’887	N/A
São Tomé & Principe	1	165’000	165’000
Saudi Arabia	3	27’136’977	9’045’659
Scotland	61	5’222’100	85’608
Senegal Republic	1	12’434’000	12’434’000
Serbia	16	7’306’677	456’667
Seychelles	1	86’525	86’525
Sierra Leone	1	5’868’000	5’868’000
Singapore	6	5’076’700	846’117
Sint Maarten	0	37’429	N/A
Slovak Republic	18	5’435’273	301’960
Slovenia	35	2’052’120	58’632
Solomon Islands	1	530’669	530’669
Somalia	0	9’331’000	N/A
South Africa	38	49’991’300	1’315’561
South Korea	23	48’988’833	2’129’949
Spain	81	46’148’605	569’736
Sri Lanka	4	21’105’000	5’276’250
St Kitts	1	52’000	52’000
St Lucia	2	166’526	83’263
St Vincent & The Grenadines	1	109’000	109’000
Sudan	1	43’552’000	43’552’000
Suriname	1	525’000	525’000
Swaziland	1	1’186’000	1’186’000
Sweden	57	9’433’875	165’507
Switzerland	335	7’866’500	23’482
Syria	2	21’105’000	10’552’500
Taiwan	9	23’174’528	2’574’948
Tajikistan	1	6’879’000	6’879’000
Tanzania	5	43’187’823	8’637’565
Thailand	15	67’041’000	4’469’400
Tibet	2	2’910’000	1’455’000
Togo	1	6’028’000	6’028’000
Tonga	1	104’000	104’000
Trinidad & Tobago	2	1’317’714	658’857
Tunisia	4	10’549’100	2’637’275
Turkey	10	73’722’988	7’372’299
Turkmenistan	2	5’042’000	2’521’000
Turks and Caicos Islands	1	40’357	40’357
Tuvalu	0	10’000	N/A
Tuvalu	0	10’000	N/A
Uganda	2	31’800’000	15’900’000
Ukraine	27	45’724’242	1’693’490
United Arab Emirates	2	8’264’070	4’132’035
United States Virgin Islands	3	109’000	36’333
Uruguay	9	3’356’584	372’954
USA	1759	311’603’000	177’148
Uzbekistan	13	27’445’000	2’111’154
Vanuatu	2	240’000	120’000
Vatican City	0	500	N/A
Venezuela	6	29’263’000	4’877’167
Vietnam	37	87’375’000	2’361’486
Wales	72	2’999’300	41’657
Yemen	0	22’492’035	N/A
Zambia	2	13’046’508	6’523’254
Zimbabwe	1	12’571’000	12’571’000
Total	9’107