Great Britain drinks the most Guinness in the world. Diageo, the company that owns Guinness, says “Great Britain is our biggest market for Guinness”, and names Ireland, the USA, Nigeria and Cameroon as the other countries where the most Guinness is sold.
So no, it isn’t us. That surprises a lot of Irish people, but Guinness has been a global pint for over 200 years. Here’s what Diageo and Guinness actually publish, what they don’t, and who brews the pint you order in Australia. We checked every figure in October 2026.
Short version
- Number one: Great Britain. A Diageo director called it “our biggest market for Guinness” in December 2025.
- The top 5: Great Britain, Ireland, the USA, Nigeria and Cameroon, according to a Diageo press release from December 2025.
- Top 3 by sales: Diageo says Ireland, Great Britain and the US bring in around 60% of its Guinness net sales.
- Per person: there’s no official figure. Diageo does say 1 in every 3 pints sold in Irish pubs and bars is a Guinness.
- In Australia: Lion brews and distributes Guinness here on behalf of Diageo, and Victoria drank the most of any state last year.
The top 5 Guinness drinking countries
When Diageo opened its new Guinness brewery venue in London, its press release (8 December 2025) said: “The most Guinness is sold in Great Britain, Ireland, USA, Nigeria and Cameroon.” Here’s what the official sources say about each one.
| Country | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| 1. Great Britain | “Our biggest market for Guinness” (Diageo, December 2025). Also the number one beer brand in Great Britain (Diageo, May 2025). |
| Ireland | One of Diageo’s three largest Guinness markets. 1 in every 3 pints sold in pubs and bars (Diageo, May 2025). |
| USA | One of Diageo’s three largest Guinness markets (Diageo, May 2025). |
| Nigeria | “the third-biggest market for Guinness globally after Ireland and the UK”, according to Guinness Nigeria (May 2026). |
| Cameroon | Named by Diageo among the five countries where the most Guinness is sold (December 2025). |
Great Britain’s top spot comes straight from Diageo. Gráinne Wafer, its global director for beer, liqueur and vodka, told the Press Association that London was “an obvious choice as Great Britain is our biggest market for Guinness.”
Is that the official order?
Only for number one. Past that, nobody publishes a full league table, and the sources measure different things. At its Guinness investor event in May 2025, Diageo named “our three largest markets: Ireland, GB and the U.S.” Together they delivered around 60% of its Guinness net sales in the 2024 financial year. That’s measured in money, not pints.
Nigeria works differently. Diageo sold its 58% stake in Guinness Nigeria to Tolaram in September 2024. Diageo still owns the Guinness brand, but a local partner now runs the business there. When Guinness Nigeria’s finance director told News Agency of Nigeria it was the third biggest market, he didn’t say whether that meant volume or sales. So we’ve kept the five in the order Diageo listed them, and we haven’t invented a ranking beyond number one.
Does Ireland drink the most Guinness per person?
This is the one everyone at home wants to know. Neither Diageo nor Guinness publishes a per person figure, so we can’t give you a verified answer. What Diageo does say is that Guinness is the number one beer brand in Ireland, with 1 in every 3 pints sold in pubs and bars. Ireland is also the only major Guinness market where it isn’t classed as a premium beer. At home, it’s just the pint.
Why Guinness is so popular in Nigeria and Africa
It goes back a long way. According to Guinness, the first recorded shipment to Africa landed in Sierra Leone in 1827. In 1962 the first Guinness brewery outside Ireland and the UK opened at Ikeja, Nigeria.
It’s also a different beer. In Africa, Diageo says Foreign Extra Stout is its largest Guinness format, not the Draught you’d get at home. It started life as West India Porter, brewed with extra hops to survive four or five week voyages in tropical heat, and became Foreign Extra Stout in 1849. The Guinness Storehouse says it “remains the most popular variant of Guinness in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean to this day.” It’s stronger too: 7.5% ABV, against 4.2% for Guinness Draught.
And after all these years, it feels local. Guinness Nigeria’s Mayank Kabra said in May 2026 that “today many consumers see it as a Nigerian brand rather than an Irish one.”
Where is Guinness brewed?
It all started at St James’s Gate in Dublin. Arthur Guinness was 34 when he signed the famous 9,000 year lease on 31 December 1759, on a disused four acre brewery site, “for an annual rent of £45”, according to the Guinness Storehouse. That’s £45 a year, not a month.
Today, Guinness is brewed in 49 countries and sold in over 120, according to Diageo in December 2025. It adds: “All Guinness consumed in Ireland and Great Britain is brewed at St. James’s Gate Brewery.” The new Open Gate Brewery in London’s Covent Garden makes its own craft beers, but not the stout.
More Irish capacity is on the way. In May 2026 Diageo announced a second brewery of about €400 million at Littleconnell, Co. Kildare, “dedicated to the production of Guinness and Guinness 0.0”, with work taking about three years.
How much Guinness does the world drink?
Guinness’s own FAQ page says “over 10 million glasses of Guinness stout are enjoyed every single day around the world”. The page isn’t dated, so treat that as a ballpark.
It’s still growing. In Diageo’s Annual Report 2026, Guinness volume was up 7% and net sales up 12% on an organic basis for the year to 30 June 2026. Diageo says Guinness is its third largest brand, after Johnnie Walker and Smirnoff.
Guinness in Australia
Australia doesn’t make the top five, but the pint here is local. Lion says: “We’re proud to brew and distribute Guinness in Australia on behalf of Diageo.” Diageo told investors in 2025 that it partnered with Lion in Australia and New Zealand “to produce Guinness draught locally”. Partners like Lion brew under licence and buy Guinness flavour extract from Ireland “to ensure quality”.
Aussies are getting a taste for it. Ahead of St Patrick’s Day 2026, Lion said more than 23.5 million litres of Guinness (over 41 million pints) were expected to be drunk nationwide in 2026. Over the previous year:
- Victoria led the way with 5.1 million litres (8.9 million pints). See our Irish in Melbourne guide for where the Irish gather.
- New South Wales was close behind with over 4.9 million litres (8.6 million pints). Our Irish in Sydney guide has the pubs.
- Queensland had 3.4 million litres (6.0 million pints).
- Western Australia poured nearly one in every five pints in the country, with just over 10% of the adult population. Heading west? Read moving to Perth from Ireland.
Prefer a can at home? Our Irish food in Australia guide lists which supermarkets had Guinness Draught cans when we checked.
Which country drinks the most Guinness: FAQ
Does Ireland drink the most Guinness?
No. Diageo says Great Britain is its biggest market for Guinness. Ireland is one of its three largest markets, alongside Great Britain and the US, and 1 in every 3 pints sold in Irish pubs and bars is a Guinness.
Where is Guinness most popular?
Diageo says the most Guinness is sold in Great Britain, Ireland, the USA, Nigeria and Cameroon. It’s sold in over 120 countries and brewed in 49.
Why is Guinness popular in Nigeria?
Guinness has been shipped to Africa since 1827, and Nigeria got the first Guinness brewery outside Ireland and the UK in 1962. The most popular Guinness there is the stronger Foreign Extra Stout, and Guinness Nigeria says many consumers now see it as a Nigerian brand.
Is Guinness brewed in Australia?
Yes. Lion brews and distributes Guinness in Australia on behalf of Diageo, under licence. Diageo says all Guinness drunk in Ireland and Great Britain still comes from St James’s Gate in Dublin.
Wherever you’re having yours, enjoy it sensibly. Sláinte! ☘️
Last checked October 2026.