Ethiopia's beer consumption is one twentieth of South Africa's and one third of Kenya's beer consumption.

Beer Consumption per head
COUNTRY	Quantity
Ethiopia	4 Liters
Kenya	12 Liters
Swaziland	19 Liters
Cameroon	25 Liters
Angola	37 Liters
Botswana	40 Liters
Nigeria	53 Liters
South Africa	59 Liters

According to a research by Access Capital, despite the sharp increase in recent years, per capita beer consumption in Ethiopia is still only a fraction of the level seen in neighboring African countries. With estimated consumption of 3.1 million hectoliters and a population of near 80 million, annual beer consumption per head is only around 4 liters in Ethiopia. This figure is about a third of that in neighboring countries and roughly one twentieth of the consumption levels seen in South Africa.

 SECTOR REPORT— Beer

 Beer consumption in developing countries is often seen as one revealing (if crude) proxy for gauging the strength of economic activity. If beer sales are high and rising, incomes and economic activity are presumably growing strongly while the reverse should be true if beer sales are flat or falling.

 In Ethiopia, growth in beer consumption has been a surprisingly high 24 percent per year according to Access Capital estimates, roughly double the average annual growth rate in real GDP. Even after such a rapid increase, however, per capita beer consumption in Ethiopia is still only a fraction of the level seen in other African countries.

 Ethiopia’s beer industry is currently comprised of five major breweries and includes three state-owned enterprises, a foreign investor, and a local private producer. By far the most dominant brewer is BGI Ethiopia/Castel Group (owned by French investors and producer of the popular Giorgis brand), with a market share of around 50 percent nation-wide and even higher in Addis Ababa.

 Looking ahead, beer demand is without doubt expected to continue its rapid growth, in line with rising population levels, favorable demographics, continued economic growth, and a gradual convergence of national consumption levels towards those of neighboring countries. Access Capital projects that beer consumption will rise by around 15 percent per year in the coming years, a volume growth that can comfortably support several new beer producing factories in the next five year period even after accounting for the expansion plans of existing firms.

For more: Access Capital Sector Report Beer