Global Top 10 Breweries: The Titans of the Beer Industry

1. AB InBev

Headquarters: Leuven, Belgium

Annual Production: 49.55 million hectoliters (2024), accounting for 30% of the global market

Revenue: $54.6 billion (2024), with a market value of approximately $194.3 billion

History: Formed by the merger of Belgium's Interbrew and Brazil's AmBev in 2004, later acquiring Anheuser-Busch (USA) and Grupo Modelo (Mexico)

Core Brands: Budweiser, Corona, Stella Artois, Beck's, Harbin, Xuejin

Highlights: Corona has ranked first in global beer brand value for three consecutive years ($13.355 billion); owns over 500 brands covering more than 150 countries

2. Heineken

Headquarters: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Annual Production: 24.07 million hectoliters

Revenue: €36.38 billion (2023), approximately $40 billion

History: Founded in 1863, won a gold medal at the International Maritime Exhibition in 1875 and a major award at the 1889 Paris World's Fair

Core Brands: Heineken, Amstel, Tiger, Desperados

Highlights: The world's largest beer exporter, present in over 190 countries; iconic green bottle and 28-day slow brewing process; sales of premium products in the Chinese market increased by 30% in H1 2025

3. China Resources Snow Breweries

Headquarters: Hong Kong, China

Annual Production: 10.88 million hectoliters

Revenue: ¥38.64 billion (2024), with a market value of approximately $14.23 billion

History: Established in 1993, surpassed Tsingtao Brewery to become China's top beer seller in 2006

Core Brands: Snow Beer (the world's top-selling single beer brand, 6.1 million hectoliters/year), Brave the World series, Harbin Beer

Highlights: Snow Beer is the world's best-selling single beer brand; mid-to-high-end products accounted for over 50% of sales for the first time in 2024; the high-end "Li" series grew by 35%

4. Carlsberg Group

Headquarters: Copenhagen, Denmark

Annual Production: 10.12 million hectoliters

Revenue: Approximately $10.9 billion (2023), with a market value of around $9.64 billion

History: Founded by JC Jacobsen in 1847, overseas sales exceeded domestic sales in Denmark in 1976

Core Brands: Carlsberg, Tuborg, 1664, Grimbergen, Chongqing Beer, Usu

Highlights: Famous for the slogan "Probably the best beer in the world"; "6+6" brand matrix in the Chinese market (6 international + 6 local brands); sustainable development "Net Zero Plan"

8. Suntory Group

Headquarters: Osaka, Japan

Annual Production: Approximately 1.8 million hectoliters

Revenue: ¥3.08 trillion (2024), approximately $22.0 billion

History: Founded by Shinjiro Torii in 1899, expanded into the beer business in 1921

Core Brands: Suntory Beer, Hornbach, Gale's, Lion Nathan (Australia), Jinmai

Highlights: Globally famous for its whiskey business (e.g., Hibiki, Yamazaki); its food and beverage business went public in Tokyo in 2013, becoming the largest IPO of that year

9. Tsingtao Brewery

Headquarters: Qingdao, China

Annual Production: Approximately 8.0 million hectoliters

Revenue: ¥32.14 billion (2024), with a market value of approximately $12.35 billion

History: Founded by German and British merchants in 1903, renamed Tsingtao Brewery in 1916

Core Brands: Tsingtao Beer, Laoshan Beer, Hans Beer, Prince Beer

Highlights: Ranks first in brand value in China's beer industry (¥240.69 billion) for 20 consecutive years; exports products to over 100 countries

10. Yanjing Brewery

Headquarters: Beijing, China

Annual Production: Approximately 5.0 million hectoliters

Revenue: ¥14.67 billion (2024), with a brand value of ¥237.92 billion

History: Started as Beijing Shunyi Brewery in 1980, surpassed 500,000 tons in sales in 1996 to become China's top seller

Core Brands: Yanjing Beer, Liquan, Huiquan, Jiulongzhai, Xuelu

Highlights: Holds an 85% market share in Beijing; "Yanjing U8" launched in 2024 became a dark horse in the market