Who dominates Nigeria’s beer market? Guinness vs. International Breweries vs. Nigerian Breweries 

Nigeria’s alcoholic beverage industry is fiercely competitive, but in 2025, the battle for market share between Nigerian Breweries, International Breweries, and Guinness Nigeria is more intense than ever.

So, who really owns the beer market?

While Nigerian Breweries maintains dominance in Nigeria’s brewery market by size, revenue, and assets, International Breweries has emerged as the biggest winner in 2025 in terms of shareholder return.

Guinness Nigeria, meanwhile, is quietly staging a comeback and may soon lead on dividend payouts.

Nigerian Breweries still sells the most beer 

When it comes to selling beer in Nigeria, Nigerian Breweries is still the biggest player.

In 2024, it made over N1.1 trillion in sales, which is like selling more beer than International Breweries and Guinness Nigeria combined. This was a huge 81% jump from the previous year.

International Breweries also did well, earning N488.96 billion, an even bigger jump of 88%, while Guinness Nigeria made N299.49 billion, growing by 31%.

In the first three months of 2025, Nigerian Breweries stayed ahead, pulling in N383.6 billion in sales. That’s more than twice what International Breweries made (N173.6 billion) and three times Guinness’s (N118.3 billion).

But here’s the twist: Guinness Nigeria is starting to bounce back. Even though its sales are smaller, it grew its revenue by 53% in the first three months of 2025. That’s a sign that Guinness is regaining its strength and could surprise everyone later in the year.

Nigerian Breweries leads in profit turnaround 

There’s finally some cheer in Nigeria’s beer market. After a rough 2024 filled with heavy losses, all three major brewers bounced back to profit in the first three months of 2025.

But leading the turnaround is Nigerian Breweries, which pulled off the strongest recovery:

• Nigerian Breweries flipped a N65.6 billion loss into a solid N69.99 billion pre-tax profit.
• International Breweries followed, with N35.07 billion, rebounding from a steep N89.35 billion loss.
• Guinness Nigeria also improved, reporting N10.28 billion after a N56 billion loss.

Still, the scars of 2024 run deep. For the full year:

• Nigerian Breweries was still in the red with a N182.2 billion loss.
• International Breweries recorded a N111.8 billion loss.
• Guinness Nigeria wasn’t spared either, with N73.7 billion lost.

The return to profitability can largely be attributed to a more stable foreign exchange environment, which significantly reduced FX losses.

Nigerian Breweries has the biggest financial muscle 

When it comes to size, Nigerian Breweries is clearly ahead. As of March 2025, it had N1.144 trillion in total assets, much bigger than:

• International Breweries: N742.93 billion
• Guinness Nigeria: N285.63 billion

This huge asset base means Nigerian Breweries has more room to grow, invest in new ideas, and hold its ground in the market. It also gives it more power when dealing with suppliers and partners, which really matters when prices rise everywhere.

Guinness set to lead on dividends 

What sets Guinness Nigeria apart in 2025 is its path to restoring shareholder value through potential dividends.

As of March 2025, Guinness had trimmed its retained losses to –N39.66 billion, down from –N46.38 billion. In contrast:

• Nigerian Breweries still carried –N126.33 billion in retained losses,
• While International Breweries posted –N212.57 billion.

This trend puts Guinness in pole position to break even and return to dividend-paying status, possibly before its competitors. Development dividend-hungry investors will be watching closely.

Market cap & shareholder return: International Breweries tops the charts 

When it comes to market value and shareholder reward in 2025, International Breweries is sitting at the top of the leader board.

As of June 5, 2025, International Breweries commands the largest market capitalization among Nigeria’s three brewing giants, with a value of N1.84 trillion.

That puts it ahead of Nigerian Breweries at N1.76 trillion, and far above Guinness Nigeria, which stands at N197 billion.

But that is not all; shareholders of International Breweries are also enjoying the highest returns this year.

The stock has delivered an impressive +97% year-to-date gain, outpacing Nigerian Breweries’ solid +78% gain, and Guinness Nigeria’s more modest +28%.

While most people look at market capitalization (the value of a company’s shares) to judge a company’s worth, Enterprise Value (EV) gives a fuller picture. It tells you what it would actually cost to buy the whole company, including its debt and cash position.

Here, International Breweries is quietly winning.

As of June 5, 2025, here’s how the numbers stack up:

• International Breweries: EV of N1.77 trillion
• Nigerian Breweries: EV of N1.75 trillion
• Guinness Nigeria: EV of N246 billion

Even though Nigerian Breweries has more assets and cash, International Breweries comes out on top.  Nigerian Breweries, despite its strong fundamentals, still has over N107 billion in debt, which weighs down its enterprise value.

So, who really owns Nigeria’s beer market in 2025? 

In sheer market dominance, sales, scale, and distribution, Nigerian Breweries still holds the crown. It sells the most beer, commands the largest asset base, and led the industry’s return to profitability in Q1 2025.

But when it comes to investor rewards, International Breweries is winning the valuation game. It leads in market capitalization, enterprise value, and total shareholder return.

Meanwhile, Guinness Nigeria is the dark horse. Its earnings are recovering steadily, and it may soon outpace both rivals on dividend payouts, thanks to a faster cleanup of retained losses.

So, while Nigerian Breweries remains the industry heavyweight, International Breweries is winning investor confidence, and Guinness is quietly positioning itself for a dividend-led rebound.

The battle for Nigeria’s beer market is far from over, but in 2025, each brewer is winning in its own lane.