Carlsberg’s India beer volumes grew about 15% in the first half of 2026

Carlsberg’s business in India posted mid-teen volume growth in the first half of 2026, with the pace picking up in the second quarter as sales of the Carlsberg and Tuborg brands improved, according to comments made during the brewer’s latest earnings call and reported by ETRetail and PTI on Aug. 21.

The company described the increase in India as being in the “mid-teens,” a verbal range that points to growth of roughly 15% year over year from January through June. Carlsberg did not publish a precise percentage for India, and it did not disclose standalone figures for the country’s beer volume, revenue or profit.

The result made India one of the clearer growth drivers inside the group at a time when performance was weaker in other parts of its business. In Carlsberg’s Central and Eastern Europe and India segment, beer volumes rose only 1.1% in the first half. The regional figure was held back by weakness in Ukraine, which offset much of the stronger performance in India.

Management said the Indian business accelerated in the second quarter compared with the first. The growth was driven by the Carlsberg and Tuborg labels, suggesting the company gained momentum as the half progressed. The company did not provide a separate quarterly volume number for India, so the extent of the second-quarter acceleration was described qualitatively rather than with a published figure.

India’s performance stood out because it came as Carlsberg faced pressure in China and in several European markets. That contrast has increased the importance of India in the brewer’s portfolio, especially as the company looks for markets that can still deliver clear volume expansion while some larger operations slow or contract.

The disclosure from Carlsberg was limited to volume trends. The company did not release the number of hectoliters sold in India, and it gave no country-specific breakdown for sales value or earnings. That means the market’s contribution to the group’s profit growth cannot be measured from the company’s published remarks alone, even though the volume trend points to stronger demand.

For investors and industry observers, the India update is significant because it shows that Carlsberg is still finding room to grow in a market where beer demand has been expanding faster than in many mature economies. The company’s reference to both Carlsberg and Tuborg also indicates that growth was not tied to a single product line.

The regional comparison underlines how much India helped support Carlsberg’s broader business. A 1.1% rise in beer volumes across Central and Eastern Europe and India is modest, and without India’s mid-teen increase, the region’s overall performance would have looked weaker. Ukraine remained the main drag on the segment, according to the company’s comments.

ETRetail and PTI said the figures came from Carlsberg’s earnings call. The reporting highlighted India as a bright spot for the brewer in the first six months of 2026, but the absence of country-level financial data means the update remains limited to a broad indication of physical volume growth rather than a full picture of market performance.