2024’s top 40 biggest global brewers

BarthHaas report shows top 40 beer producers shrink slightly, while craft brewers face tough headwinds

The global brewing industry contracted again in 2024. According to the just-released BarthHaas Report 2024/2025, the world’s 40 largest brewing groups produced a combined 1.64 billion hectoliters of beer last year — down 0.6% from 2023. The top 11 companies held their positions, led by AB InBev, Heineken, and China Resources Snow Breweries. These three giants alone produced over 845 million hectoliters, accounting for more than half the total volume of the Top 40.

AB InBev, Heineken, Snow still dominate

AB InBev retained the top spot with 495.5 million hl, down 2.1%.
Heineken stayed second with 240.7 million hl, down 0.8%.
Snow Breweries remained third with 108.8 million hl, down 2.4%.

Russian brewers return, M&A shakeups continue

Two Russian groups reentered the rankings in 2024:

Baltika rose to 12th place with 23.6 million hl. Baltika is the largest brewer in the Russian Federation. After being nationalized by the Russian government, it now operates independently of its former parent company Carlsberg.
OPH United Breweries, a former Heineken subsidiary, debuted at 24th with 9.5 million hl.

These shifts reflect the forced exits of Western brewers from the Russian market amid ongoing nationalizations and divestitures. Meanwhile, major global brewers continue shedding regional or craft assets:

Molson Coors offloaded multiple U.S. brands to Tilray, following AB InBev’s similar move in 2023.
Diageo sold its stake in Guinness Nigeria to Singapore-based Tolaram.
Carlsberg pivoted into non-alcoholic drinks with the acquisition of BritVic.

Biggest movers in 2024

Several brewers made big leaps:

Martens (Belgium) surged 19.8% to 4.8 million hl.
Baltika increased production 15.7%.
Beer Thai (Chang) jumped 12.5%.
Polar (Venezuela) climbed 10.5%.

The biggest losers included:

Oettinger Gruppe (Germany), down 12%.
HiteJinro (South Korea), down 9.7%.
Diageo, down 6.9% year-over-year.

Comparison with 2023 rankings

The total production of the Top 40 brewers dropped again — though less steeply than the 2.2% dip reported for 2023. The top spots remain stable, while the middle of the list continues to shift due to market exits, consolidation, and regional investment plays. In 2023, the biggest news was the removal of Habeco from the Top 40. In 2024, Martens and Financière ACP (France) filled lower spots with strong regional output.

What it means for independent craft brewers

Earlier this spring, Craft Brewing Business reported on the top 50 U.S. brewers by sales volume. Pulled together from data via the Brewers Association, that list showed 41 of the 50 companies still qualified as independent craft brewers — despite a difficult year for the segment. The BA also released its top 50 U.S craft breweries list. Notable takeaways from the later included:

Athletic Brewing reached No. 8 — a record for a non-alcoholic craft brewer.
Fat Head’s Brewery joined the list for the first time at No. 48.
Great Lakes Brewing Co. jumped into the top 20.
Mergers and churn continued across the lower half of the list.

BarthHaas’ global report and the Brewers Association’s U.S. craft list tell a similar story: consolidation at the top, pressure at the bottom.

Key trends for craft brewers

Global majors are pulling back from craft and regional brands. That could mean less competition for shelf space — or fewer partners for distribution.
Premiumization remains king. Flagship and international brands are winning investment, while experimental or localized products face budget cuts.
Costs continue to climb. Raw materials, energy, and logistics pressures remain high. Small brewers struggle to pass these increases onto consumers.
Survival now depends on flexibility, loyalty, and creativity. Breweries with tight operations and strong local followings continue to thrive, but many others face merger or closure.

The full BarthHaas Report 2024/2025 arrives July 22. We’ll break it down further then — but for now, the data underscores what many U.S. craft brewers already know: the business of beer remains volatile, global, and unforgiving. Stay nimble. Stay local. Stay brewing.