More than half of Bulgarians drink beer at least once a week, while around three-quarters consume it at least once a month, according to data released by the Union of Brewers in Bulgaria. The figures were presented to mark the brewers’ professional holiday, Ilinden, as well as the 145th anniversary of the Bulgarian brewing industry, 70 years of brewing science in the country and 35 years since the establishment of the industry organization.
Although beer sales declined by around 5% in 2025 compared with the previous year, annual consumption remains at 76 liters per person. The figure includes both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer. Bulgarian breweries produced 4.42 million hectoliters of beer last year, while total sales approached 5 million hectoliters.
Union of Brewers Chairman Vladimir Ivanov said the sector continues to invest heavily despite the decline in sales. Since the privatization of Bulgarian breweries began in 1994, total investments have reached 1.625 billion leva, or about 831 million euros.
During the past five years alone, breweries have invested more than 331 million leva in fixed assets. Ivanov said investments in 2025 were expected to reach 45 million euros, making it the strongest annual investment level recorded in the past two decades.
More than 40% of the latest investments are being directed toward expanding malt production, which the industry views as a sign of confidence in the long-term future of brewing in Bulgaria.
The country currently has 42 beer producers, including three large breweries responsible for more than 92% of total production, seven small and medium-sized companies and 32 microbreweries.
The brewing sector supports approximately 22,000 jobs across production, distribution and retail. Around 9% of those employees work directly in breweries, where the average monthly salary exceeds 1,650 euros, remaining the highest wage level in Bulgaria’s food industry.
“The Bulgarian brewing industry produces both dark and light beer openly, stands on the side of the law, is an honest taxpayer and remains extremely fair toward consumers and everyone working in the sector,” Ivanov said.
While beer production and consumption have also declined elsewhere in the European Union, Bulgaria continues to rank 13th among EU member states in both production and consumption.
According to the Brewers’ Union, the slowdown is linked to inflation, rising living costs, geopolitical uncertainty and changing consumer habits, particularly among younger people, who are drinking alcohol less frequently than previous generations.
At the same time, breweries are expanding their product range. During the past year alone, around 20 new beer brands and varieties have entered the Bulgarian market, including additional non-alcoholic options.
Sales of alcohol-free beer increased by 6% in both Bulgaria and the European Union during 2025. Compared with 2000, consumption of non-alcoholic beer has grown by more than 38%, and currently one out of every 12 beers consumed across the EU contains no alcohol.
Executive Director of the Union of Brewers Ivana Radomirova said innovation and consumer demand continued to shape the industry’s development, while emphasizing that the people behind the product remained its greatest strength.
“What we do is possible thanks to innovation combined with tradition, thanks to consumers looking for increasingly diverse and interesting products, but the most important and invisible ingredient of beer is the dedication and passion of the brewers who produce it,” she said.
According to the organization, each brewery employee in Bulgaria produces an average of 232,000 liters of beer annually, a level of productivity comparable with neighboring countries.
The industry also reported progress in environmental sustainability. All aluminum cans and glass bottles are now recyclable, while the share of beer sold in plastic packaging has fallen to 41%, down from 63% in 2020.
Brewers also expressed support for introducing a national deposit-return system for beverage packaging, although they estimate that producers and importers would need to invest around 100 million euros to establish the system.
During the event, the Union of Brewers signed a new two-year sector-wide collective labor agreement with the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria and the Podkrepa Labor Confederation, describing the agreement as another example of successful cooperation between employers and trade unions. (Novinite)