Number of German breweries hits seven-year low

The number of breweries in Germany fell by 53 to 1,415 last year, the Federal Statistical Office said on Tuesday ahead of International Beer Day on Friday, continuing a decline that has continued for years.

The office said the figure was down by 137 compared with the long-standing peak of 1,552 breweries recorded in 2019.

The trend is being driven by years of falling sales combined with sharply rising costs. While demand for non-alcoholic beer is growing, it is not enough to offset the volume losses in conventional beer.

The southern state of Bavaria, famous for its Oktoberfest beer festival, again had the highest number of breweries in 2025, with 588, followed by Baden-Württemberg with 190 and North Rhine-Westphalia with 131.

More than half of all operations produce no more than 100,000 litres a year. Closures have also affected larger companies, the office said.