The estimates for Asia Pacific for the period 2000-2004 were equally rosy, at 8.1 percent, exceeding every other region except Eastern Europe, where projected growth was 15.5 percent.
China was the largest market within Asia Pacific, accounting for two-thirds of consumption.
Exhibit 1 shows the size of the beer market in million liters, with actual and projected growth rates, for global regions and selected Asian countries.
Beer consumption in emerging Asian markets exhibited healthy growth rates, partly because of their favorable demographic profile: the higher the proportion of younger people, the higher the beer consumption growth potential.