Potentially due to the huge Irish diaspora that exists worldwide, the fact that it’s a Christian holiday, the popularity of Guinness, or the fact that there’s an Irish bar in every city across the globe (well it feels like that at times…), St Patrick’s Day is a big deal.
It’s one of those traditional feast holidays that transcends its origins.
No longer is St Patrick’s Day confined to the shores of the Emerald Isle.
Nowadays, you’ll find it celebrated across the world, and in many cases those celebrations will include multiple pints of Guinness…
How many Pints of Guinness are Consumed on St Patrick’s Day Worldwide?
How much Guinness is Drank on St Patrick’s Day?
In two words, a lot!
It’s estimated that over 13 million (13,000,000!) pints of Guinness are consumed in just 24 hours during the St Patrick’s Day holiday.
That’s a crazy figure when you consider:
- It’s during a 24 hour period
- The population of Ireland sits at approximately 7 million (including Northern Ireland)
- A lot of people don’t drink alcohol
It’s also estimated that the ruby black pint of plain is consumed in 150 countries worldwide, and that Guinness experiences a 819% hike in demand during this one single day!
If you’re not good at math, that volume equals the equivalent of approximately 541,666 pints drank every hour throughout the entire day!
And we assume the actual hourly rate is much higher as people have to sleep at some point, don’t they..?
Guinness Worldwide
In isolation those numbers look insane but when you consider the global appeal of Guinness, it’s probably less of a surprise.
One of Africa’s largest nations actually consumes more Guinness than Ireland year on year, the Guinness World Records brand is ubiquitous in popular culture, the beer is brewed in almost 50 countries and available to purchase in over 120!
All of that, alongside famous ads featuring Hollywood A-listers like Michael Fassbender and Jamie Dornan, and that uniquely recognisable silhouette make the beer one of the most famous food and drink brands worldwide.
Guinness in America
Another consideration is the HUGE Irish American community that exists, celebrates and flourishes in the USA.
Recent estimates put the Irish American community north of 31 million!
That’s a lot of potential Guinness drinkers, so again the volume of pints consumed on St Patrick’s Day shouldn’t be a huge surprise.
Add to that, the fact that America has its own dedicated Guinness brewery in Boston, and has been enjoying the black stuff since it was first imported to the nation way back in 1817, it’s fair to say many, many Americans love a pint of plain.
We hope this was a fun little trip across the globe in pints of Guinness. If you’re reading this on the big day, Happy St Patrick’s Day!