Czech Republic consumed the most beer per head with 143 litres
Czech Republic consumed the most beer per head with 143 litres Reuters

European countries still come out on top as drinking the most beer in the world per person.

Czech Republic consumed the highest amount of beer per head with 143 litres and a national total of 1.5 billion litres from 2013 to 2014, according to data released from Euromonitor International.

However, China guzzled the most beer in total with 54 billion litres but consumption was only 4 litres per person due to the country's high population.

Germany, known for its famous annual Oktoberfest, was in second position, with 110 litres downed per person, followed by Austria with 108 litres.

In the UK, only 4.3 billion litres of beer - 67 litres per head - were drunk because of a decrease in lager and beer sales over the last three years, said Spiros Malandrakis, a senior analyst at Euromonitor. But mixed and flavoured beers and cider sales were on the up, (the latter, however was not included as it is not counted as beer).

"It's been declining for a while as consumers get older and the core demographic - the working class - is struggling," said Malandrakis. "On top of that, you have consumers slowly moving into spirits, especially younger consumers.

"A key factor [to explain the decline] in the UK and US is the growth of craft beers - which are not included here and their definition has yet to be decided [officially], though it is small scale production of beer."

Data also revealed that seven out of the 10 nations showing the most rapid beer sale growth were Muslim-majority countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Iran. This can be attributed to a surge in non-alcoholic sales.

Top 10: Countries listed in order of highest beer consumption per head with national totals

1. Czech Republic: 143 litres (1.5 billon litres)

Czech
A bartender serves alcohol at a bar in Prague Reuters

2. Germany: 110 litres (8.9 billion litres)

Oktoberfest 2014
Oktoberfest 2014 Getty

3. Austria: 108 litres (920 million litres)

Austrian brewer Peter Krammer tries a sample of aging beer in his family-owned Hofstetten brewery.
Austrian brewer Peter Krammer tries a sample of ageing beer in his family-owned Hofstetten brewery in the Upper Austrian town of Saint Martin Reuters

4. Estonia: 104 litres (135 million litres)

Estonia
Einars Repse (L), former Latvian prime minister and his Estonian former counterpart Juhan Parts, (now Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications) raised a toast with a beer during the opening ceremony of Latvian - Estonian join venture beer factory in Cesis on 16 September 2003 ILMARS ZNOTINS/AFP/Getty Images

5. Poland: 100 litres (3.8 billion litres)

A bartender pours local beer at the Sielanka nad Pilica Hotel in Warka
A bartender pours local beer at the Sielanka nad Pilica Hotel in Warka Reuters

6. Ireland: 93 litres (430 million litres)

Ireland
A pint of Guinness is seen in a London pub, 1 March, 2004. The secret "essence of Guinness" has been the subject of more intense speculation than of any other beer in the history of brewing. Reuters

7. Romania: 90 litres (1.8 billion litres)

Romania
People drink beer inside a frozen truck with a temperature of -8 degrees Celsius during an advertising campaign in Bucharest Reuters

8. Lithuania: 89 litres (260 million litres)

People pose with a Guinness along the river Vilnele as it is colored green to celebrate St Patrick's Day in Lithuania
People pose with a Guinness along the river Vilnele as it is coloured green to celebrate St Patrick's Day in Vilnius, Lithuania on 15 March, 2013 PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP/Getty Images

9. Croatia: 82 litres (346 million litres)

Croatia
Croatian football fans TIMM SCHAMBERGER/AFP/Getty Images

10. Belgium: 81 litres (900 million litres)

Belgium beer
The Stella Artois corporate logo at the Inbev Brewery on November 30, 2006 in Leuven, Belgium. Mark Renders/Getty Image

In the UK, Euromonitor paints a fairly depressing picture with lager, beer, dark beer and standard lager seeing volume fall over the last three years. Only mixed and flavoured beers have seen a rise in sales.

"It's been [declining] for a while as consumers get older and the core demographic - the working class - is struggling," said Malandrakis. "On top of that, you have consumers slowly moving into spirits, especially younger consumers."

"A key factor [to explain the decline] in the UK and US is the growth of craft beers - which are not included here and their definition has yet to be decided [officially], though it is small scale production of beer," he added.

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