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 are expected to reach 45 million euros, making it the strongest annual investment level recorded in the past two decades.
