Top 10 Best-Selling Beers in the World

You probably think your favourite beer is the most popular brew going. The actual global volume rankings often say otherwise - they reward the lagers that move enormous numbers of litres in a few very large markets (especially China, the US and Brazil). Here are the ten beers that sell the most in the world right now, in order of estimated annual volume.

1. 1.

   Snow

   China · ~3.3-4.0% ABV. The world's bestselling beer for more than 15 years, sold almost entirely inside China. Brewed by China Resources Snow Breweries; a light, very clean adjunct lager designed to be drunk in volume with food.

2. 2.

   Bud Light

   USA · 4.2% ABV. Anheuser-Busch InBev's flagship American light lager since 1982. Lost the US #1 retail spot in 2023 but still one of the largest beer brands on the planet by volume.

3. 3.

   Budweiser

   USA · 5.0% ABV. The "King of Beers", brewed since 1876 with rice as an adjunct and a famous beechwood-aging step. Sold in 80+ countries; the global flagship of AB InBev.

4. 4.

   Heineken

   Netherlands · 5.0% ABV. A classic European pale lager fermented with the proprietary Heineken A-yeast since 1886. Sold in around 190 countries - probably the most truly global beer on this list.

5. 5.

   Corona Extra

   Mexico · 4.5% ABV. Brewed by Grupo Modelo (AB InBev outside the US, Constellation Brands inside) since 1925. Mexico's bestselling beer and now the most valuable beer brand in the world by brand-equity surveys.

6. 6.

   Skol

   Brazil · 4.7% ABV. A pale lager so dominant in Brazil - one of the world's three largest beer markets - that it sits inside the global top 10 despite being almost unknown elsewhere. Brewed by Ambev (AB InBev).

7. 7.

   Tsingtao

   China · 4.7% ABV. Founded in 1903 by German and British settlers in Qingdao. China's most successful export, sold in around 100 countries.

8. 8.

   Yanjing

   China · 4.0-4.5% ABV. Beijing's hometown beer and the only major Chinese brewer that stayed independent through the 2000s mega-mergers. Official beer of the 2008 Olympics.

9. 9.

   Harbin

   China · 3.6-4.8% ABV. China's oldest commercial brewery (1900), originally founded by a Polish brewer for Russian railway workers. Acquired by Anheuser-Busch in 2004.

10. 10.

    Stella Artois

    Belgium · 4.8-5.0% ABV. A premium Belgian pale lager whose brewing line traces back to Den Hoorn in Leuven (1366). AB InBev's premium global flagship; sold in around 95 countries.

How do we rank "best-selling"?

The order above is based on estimated annual global sales volume - litres or hectolitres of finished beer sold under the brand worldwide - using publicly available data from company annual reports, the Kirin Beer University Report, Statista, AB InBev / Heineken / Constellation Brands investor materials, and independent trade publications.

We deliberately use volume rather than revenue or brand value, because volume answers the literal question on the front of every supermarket fridge: which beer do people actually buy the most? Note that figures shift year to year - a strong year for China can lift the Chinese brands' share by several places, and a marketing crisis in a big market can do the opposite. See our Terms of Use for the full disclaimer about sources and accuracy.

Is your favourite beer on the list?

If you just spotted your go-to lager in the Top 10, congratulations - you are firmly in the global mainstream. If your favourite did not make the cut, do not take it personally: the planet still drinks roughly 185 billion litres of beer a year, and most of the great regional pilsners, IPAs, stouts and witbiers in the world are simply not produced at the same industrial scale as these ten.

Pour something cold, click into any of the brands above for the full story, and please drink responsibly.