Sales volume of beer in Bulgaria dropped 5% in 2025 y/y

Sales of beer in Bulgaria in 2025 added up to close to five million hectolitres, a drop of five per cent compared with 2024, the Union of Brewers in Bulgaria said.

Although sales dropped, three quarters of Bulgarians consume beer at least once a month, and more than half, every week, the union said.

Annual beer consumption in 2025 was 76 litres per capita, including non-alcoholic beer.

Union of Brewers in Bulgaria chairman Vladimir Ivanov said on July 20 that the decline in sales was following the European trend.

According to data from the Brewers of Europe, beer production and consumption in the EU are also decreasing, but Bulgaria retains its 13th place in both indicators.

In total, beer production in the EU countries decreased by 2.9 per cent, and consumption by 3.2 per cent compared to 2024. Since 2019, European beer production has decreased by 8.6 per cent, and sales by 9.2 per cent.

Bulgarian brewers are adapting to changing consumer preferences through product innovations and interesting new flavors and assortments, the union said.

Over the past year, 20 new brands and types of beer have been positioned on the market, including zero per cent alcohol.

Non-alcoholic beer continues its impressive growth, and the portfolio is further expanded by low-alcohol beer mixes, the union said. This is the most distinct trend at both the European and national levels, it said.

In 2025, non-alcoholic beer sales volumes in EU countries increased by six per cent, and since 2020 the growth has exceeded 38 per cent.

Today, one in every 12 beers consumed in the EU is non-alcoholic. Union of Brewers in Bulgaria data shows that in 2025, a total of 122 780 hectolitres of non-alcoholic beer were sold in Bulgaria, a 53 per cent increase compared with 2024.

In the first six months of 2026, there has already been a new growth of 14 per cent in non-alcoholic beer sales.

“This reflects changing consumer preferences, the growing desire for moderate consumption and the continued investments of brewers in innovation, quality and greater choice for consumers,” the union said.

There are currently 42 registered beer producers in Bulgaria – three large companies, seven small and medium-sized and 32 microbreweries.

Investments in the development of the sector and strengthening the local production of raw materials have increased significantly over the years, the union said.

Since 1994, when the privatisation of beer enterprises in Bulgaria began, capital investments have been estimated at the equivalent of 831 million euro.

In the past five years, these assets have exceeded 170 million euros. In 2025 alone, they add up to close to 45 million euro – the highest level on an annual basis in the past two decades. More than 40 per cent of these investments are for new capacities in malt production, which shows a long-term vision and confidence in the development of the sector, including on a regional scale.

The industry provides employment to about 22 000 people throughout the entire production and trade chain. Of these, nine per cent are directly employed in brewing companies.

“The average salary in them exceeds 1650 euro and remains the highest in the food industry, Union of Brewers in Bulgaria executive director Ivana Radomirova said.

“Each person employed in the beer industry in Bulgaria produces 232 000 litres of beer annually according to data for 2025,” Radomirova said.

By comparison, in Romania this indicator is 256 000 litres and in Greece 195 000 litres, she said.

(Photo: Pavlo Araujo/ sxc.hu)