Carlsberg Group, the brewer headquartered in Copenhagen (Denmark), reported alcohol-free beer volumes up 11 percent in the first half of 2026, in a financial statement published on 19 August 2026, while its beer volumes in Western Europe fell 3.9 percent over the same six months.
This page sets out what the statement and the earnings call contain, which markets sit inside Carlsberg's Western European region, how large alcohol-free beer is in the group's volumes, which brands drove the increase and how the rates compare with the Belgian and European Union figures already documented on this site. The limits of the data are listed at the end.
What did Carlsberg report for alcohol-free beer in the first half of 2026?
Carlsberg reported that alcohol-free beer volumes grew 11 percent across the group in the first half of 2026, in a financial statement published on 19 August 2026. The earnings call put the Western European increase at 15 percent and the increase in Central and Eastern Europe and India at 6 percent, with growth in almost all markets of both regions.
The same statement narrowed the group's guidance for organic operating profit growth in 2026 to 4 to 6 percent, from 2 to 6 percent. Chief executive Jacob Aarup-Andersen named soft drinks and alcohol-free brews as the two categories with particularly strong growth. Total group volume rose 2.8 percent, of which 1.7 percent was organic, and Western Europe added 0.1 percent of organic volume across all categories.
Why did Western European beer volumes fall 3.9 percent while alcohol-free beer grew?
Carlsberg's beer volumes in Western Europe fell 3.9 percent organically in the first half of 2026, driven by lower mainstream volumes in Poland and Germany. Excluding those two markets, beer volumes grew slightly. Premium beer and alcohol-free beer grew, and lower-priced mainstream beer grew least.
The region is not the geographic west of the continent. Carlsberg's Western Europe segment groups the Nordic countries, the United Kingdom and Ireland, France, Switzerland, Germany and Poland, so a Polish decline registers in the Western European beer figure. A comparison of the 3.9 percent fall with national statistics for Belgium or the Netherlands therefore compares unlike perimeters, which is the detail missing from most summaries of the statement.
| Indicator (Carlsberg, H1 2026) | Perimeter | Change in volume (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol-free beer | Group | +11 |
| Alcohol-free beer | Western Europe | +15 |
| Alcohol-free beer | Central and Eastern Europe and India | +6 |
| Beer, all types (organic) | Western Europe | -3.9 |
| All categories (organic) | Western Europe | +0.1 |
| All categories (organic) | Group | +1.7 |
The two Western European lines reconcile: total regional volume was almost flat at plus 0.1 percent because growth categories, up 4 percent, offset weak mainstream beer.
How large is alcohol-free beer in Carlsberg's Western European volumes?
Alcohol-free beer accounted for 7 percent of Carlsberg's beer volumes in Western Europe in 2025, and for around 10 percent in five of its markets. Group alcohol-free volumes grew 4 percent in 2025, or 7 percent excluding Ukraine, before the 11 percent rise of the first half of 2026.
Over a longer period the pace was steady. Carlsberg's capital markets presentation of 1 October 2025 gave a compound annual growth rate of 11 percent for alcohol-free volumes from 2018 to 2024 and called the segment its fastest-growing beer category. The first-half 2026 rate therefore matches the six-year average, after a 2025 slowed by the difficult market situation in Ukraine. At 7 percent of beer volumes, the segment grows fast in rate and remains moderate in weight, and the statement reviewed gives no hectolitre total for it.
How do Carlsberg's figures compare with Belgium and the European Union?
Carlsberg's Western European alcohol-free growth of 15 percent in the first half of 2026 sits between the European Union rate of 5.87 percent for 2025 and the Belgian rate of 32 percent for 2025. The periods and definitions differ, so the figures show a direction and not a ranking.
| Perimeter and period | Alcohol-free beer, change in volume (%) | All beer, change in volume (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Carlsberg group, H1 2026 | +11 | Not reported |
| Carlsberg Western Europe, H1 2026 | +15 | -3.9 |
| Belgium, full year 2025 | +32 | -3.2 |
| European Union, full year 2025 | +5.87 | -3.2 |
The Belgian federation counts beer below 0.5 percent alcohol by volume and reports about 120 alcohol-free references among roughly 1,600 Belgian beers, or about 7.5 percent of references (calculated here). The European figure comes from the Brewers of Europe report and covers consumption. Both are documented on the site's pages on Belgium's 2025 beer numbers and on the European market share of alcohol-free beer.
Which brands and markets carried Carlsberg's alcohol-free growth?
Carlsberg's management cited local alcohol-free brands more than flagship labels as growth drivers: Okocim Triple Zero in Poland, Somersby Triple Zero in Germany, Tourtel in France, Fix in Greece and Bilz Chill & Relax, a functional alcohol-free beer, in Switzerland. France, Switzerland and Poland were named as strong performers in the first half of 2026.
The 2025 statement of 4 February 2026 shows the same pattern: alcohol-free versions of 1664 Blanc, Tuborg and Carlsberg grew, as did Tourtel Twist in France, Zatecky in Poland, Poretti in Italy and Karhu in Finland. Poland, France, Finland, Greece, Serbia and Croatia were singled out for strong alcohol-free growth that year. The portfolio is therefore built on country-specific brands that carry the beer's own name, not on a single international alcohol-free label.
What does the Carlsberg signal mean for the Belgian market?
Carlsberg's half-year statement contains no Belgian figure, so the signal for Belgium is indirect. The Belgian Brewers' federation reported alcohol-free beer up 32 percent in 2025 inside a beer market down 3.2 percent to 6.2 million hectolitres. Both datasets show an alcohol-free segment growing inside a shrinking beer category.
The Belgian decline was sharper in cafés and restaurants, at minus 4.1 percent, than in supermarkets, at minus 2.6 percent. No Carlsberg share of the Belgian alcohol-free segment is cited here, because none was found in an official text. The comparison supports one reading only: the pattern reported by a multinational brewer across Western Europe and the pattern recorded in Belgium point the same way.
What do the published figures not establish?
The published figures establish growth rates and not volumes. Carlsberg's statement gives percentage changes for alcohol-free beer without a hectolitre total for 2026, and the Western European 15 percent figure comes from the earnings call and trade coverage, not from the headline text of the statement.
Four further limits apply. The 3.9 percent beer decline covers a perimeter that includes Poland. Rates for different periods (six months of 2026, twelve months of 2025) are not additive. The sources give no price or margin data for alcohol-free beer. And the definition of alcohol-free differs between Carlsberg's reporting, the Belgian federation (below 0.5 percent) and the Brewers of Europe, so the rates in the comparison table indicate direction only.
Which short questions does Carlsberg's alcohol-free growth raise?
How much did Carlsberg's alcohol-free beer grow in 2026?
Alcohol-free beer volumes grew 11 percent in the first half of 2026 across the group and 15 percent in Western Europe, in the financial statement published on 19 August 2026.
Did Carlsberg's beer sales fall in Western Europe?
Yes. Beer volumes in Western Europe fell 3.9 percent organically in the first half of 2026, mainly because of lower mainstream volumes in Poland and Germany.
What share of Carlsberg's beer is alcohol-free?
Alcohol-free beer made up 7 percent of Carlsberg's beer volumes in Western Europe in 2025, and around 10 percent in five of its markets.
Do the Carlsberg figures apply to Belgium?
No Belgian figure is published in the statement. The Belgian Brewers' federation reported alcohol-free beer up 32 percent in 2025 and total beer down 3.2 percent.
Sources
- Carlsberg Group, H1 2026 Financial Statement (19 August 2026): alcohol-free brews up 11 percent, total volume growth 2.8 percent, organic 1.7 percent, Western Europe organic volume plus 0.1 percent, guidance 4 to 6 percent. Consulted 28 October 2026.
- Investing.com, earnings call transcript, Carlsberg lifts 2026 outlook as Britvic gains speed in H1 2026: alcohol-free brews up 15 percent in Western Europe and 6 percent in Central and Eastern Europe and India, Western European beer volumes down 3.9 percent organically, brands cited. Consulted 28 October 2026.
- Investing.com, Carlsberg H1 2026 slides, growth categories fuel margin gains: total Western European volume plus 0.1 percent, growth categories plus 4 percent, France, Switzerland and Poland performing well. Consulted 28 October 2026.
- Brewers Journal, Alcohol-free beers boost Carlsberg results (20 August 2026): alcohol-free volumes up 11 percent, Western Europe 15 percent, chief executive statement. Consulted 28 October 2026.
- LBC, Carlsberg boosted by strong sales of soft drinks and alcohol-free beer (19 August 2026): Western European beer volumes down 3.9 percent. Consulted 28 October 2026.
- Carlsberg Group, Financial statement as at 31 December 2025 (4 February 2026): alcohol-free volumes plus 4 percent (plus 7 percent excluding Ukraine), 7 percent of Western European beer volumes, five markets around 10 percent, brands. Consulted 28 October 2026.
- Carlsberg Group, Capital Markets Day, Accelerating growth in Western Europe (1 October 2025): compound annual growth of 11 percent from 2018 to 2024, market list including Poland and Germany. Consulted 28 October 2026.
- Les Brasseurs belges, annual report presented on 17 June 2026, as reported by La Libre and Brussels Times: Belgian beer consumption down 3.2 percent to 6.2 million hectolitres, beer below 0.5 percent alcohol up 32 percent, cafés and restaurants minus 4.1 percent, supermarkets minus 2.6 percent, about 120 alcohol-free references among 1,600. Consulted 28 October 2026.
- The Brewers of Europe, European Beer Trends Statistics Report 2026 (9 July 2026), as documented on the site's page on the European market share of alcohol-free beer: 5.87 percent growth of alcohol-free volume in 2025, consumption down 3.2 percent. Consulted 28 October 2026.
- Calculated figure: 120 references divided by 1,600 beers gives 7.5 percent.
The best-documented reading is narrow: Carlsberg reported alcohol-free beer volumes up 11 percent for the group and, as stated on its earnings call, 15 percent in Western Europe in the first half of 2026, while its beer volumes in a region that includes Poland and Germany fell 3.9 percent. A brewer of that scale is growing the segment inside a shrinking category, which matches the Belgian and European records.
zeroproof.one follows the category with the source and the date attached to each figure. The Journal holds the reference pages on alcohol-free beer, labels and national markets, including the Spanish lead in European alcohol-free beer and the German sugar tax draft.