By Eliane Portillo

According to data from the Association of Latin American Brewers, Mexico is one of the countries with less consumption of alcoholic beverages per capita compared to the rest of Latin America.

With 4.62 liters on average, Mexico ranks eleventh in consumption in liters of pure alcohol among the 18 Latin American Nations referred to in the figures provided by the Association, based on data from the World Health Organization (WHO). Venezuela, with an average of 8.78 liters per person per year, ranks in first place, followed by Argentina with 8.5, Uruguay with 6.96, Paraguay with 6.66, Dominican Republic with 6.11; Panama with 6.4, Chile with 6.2, Colombia with 5.9, Costa Rica with 5.45 and Brazil with 5.3.

Generally speaking, Latin America is one of the world’s regions with lower consumption of alcohol, exceeded by Europe, Asia and North America, said Jose Manuel Juanatey, general secretary of the Association of Latin American Brewers.

Regarding beer, specifically, the per capita consumption in Latin America ranges between 14 and 80 liters per year, with Venezuela (89.5 liters) in first place and El Salvador in the last (10.6 liters).

Mexico where beer industry is one of the strongest and most modern of the world, average consumption is 54.8 liters, which places it in second place of consumption in Latin America, according to data from the Association.

Still, Latin America is one of the regions with lower per capita consumption of beer in the world, so the brewing industry has plenty of room to develop.