Originally posted on Jan. 6, 2004<br />
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By Shihoko Goto. If the amount of beer consumed by a population were a barometer of economic growth, then China is definitely catching up with the United States, and very quickly at that. And if demand for mugs of bubbly hop continues at the current pace, the world’s most populated nation could soon become the biggest beer-drinking nation in the world as well.<br />
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The Kirin Brewery survey of beer consumption worldwide found that the United States consumed the largest total volume of beer, with a yearly consumption rate of 23.82 million kiloliters, up 1.4 percent from the previous year. However, Kirin also found the gap with second-placed China is shrinking rapidly. <br />
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According to the survey, China racked up a total yearly volume of 12.35 million kiloliters of beer consumed, marking a 4.7 percent surge in beer drinking from the previous year. <br />
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It should be kept in mind, of course, that China boast a population of over 1.2 billion persons, thus that a cultural shift toward any kind of beverage is liable to make the nation a default large consumer — at least in terms of total volume.<br />
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Read the full story at <a href="http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20031229-020725-8459r"><strong>UPI</strong></a>
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