Non -alcoholic beers photographed for food in Washington, DC on March 11, 2024.
Scott Telman | The Washington Post | Getty images
Non -alcoholic beer is on the right track to exceed Ale as a second largest category of beer in volume in the world this year, according to a new screening of the IWSR Tracker industry.
While the overall volume of beer dropped by around 1% in 2024, the volume of its non -alcoholic counterpart increased by 9% worldwide, according to IWSR. The growth of the category accelerated in 2018 and continued to exceed the wider market of beer.
IWSR provides that alcohol -free beer will increase by 8% per year until 2029, while ALE volume should slide 2% per year during the same period.
Despite recent growth, alcohol -free beer is far from becoming the most sold beer category worldwide and only holds 2% of the world beer market share. With 92% market share, Lager is by far the largest category of beer and always growing, although a slower pace than non -alcoholic beer.
Alcohol -free beer has gained popularity as more consumers reduce their alcohol consumption, which prompted brewers to invest in alternatives to zero test. The trend is particularly striking in the younger cohorts of age; Generation Z is drinking less than previous generations at the same age, and millennials hold most of alcohol -free drinkers, according to IWSR. Younger drinkers use fashionable words like “sober curious” and “wet lifestyle” to describe the moderation of their alcoholic contribution, rather than abstain entirely.
An additional fuel for the trend comes from companies that make non -alcoholic beers, which have improved to imitate the taste of their alcoholic twins. Practically all major brands of beer, Diageo Guinness at Heineken And Anheuser-Busch inbev Budweiser, has deployed a zero version in the past five years.
According to Bernstein, the global sales of non-alcoholic beer retail exceeded $ 17 billion in 2023. Looking at the world markets, Germany, Spain and Japan bought the most non-alcoholic beer that year. The United States has landed in sixth place for its alcohol-free beer sales, although its ranking falls much further when measured by the overall sales of sales.
Much of growth in the United States is fueled by sports brewing, now the most sold alcohol-free beer brand. The upstart, which was founded in 2018, holds 17% of the share of the category volume, ahead of Bud Zero and Heineken from Heineken. Three years earlier, Athletic only had 4%share. The company would have been estimated at around $ 800 million during its last financing round in 2024.
Even non -alcoholic beer has not been immune to alcohol marks supported by celebrities. Actor Tom Holland launched Bero, the retired basketball star Dwyane Wade a co-founded Budweiser Zero with AB Inbev and the Podcast host and actor Dax Shepherd created Ted Segers.