Pint prices up 36% since the last World Cup, more than twice inflation

The average price of a pint in UK pubs has gone up by about £1.50, or 36%, since England played at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, according to figures reported by BBC News. Overall inflation over the same four years was around 16%, so beer has risen more than twice as fast as prices in general. Landlords and their trade body blame energy bills, staff costs and tax. They say they are not keeping the extra money for themselves.

Official statistics quoted by the BBC put the average British pint at £2.41 in 2006, the year David Beckham led England at the tournament in Germany. By Qatar 2022 it had reached £4.03, and the latest official figures, for 2025, put it at £5.01. Ronnie Freeman, who runs the Industry bar on Gloucester Road in Bristol with his brother Nathan, told the BBC that a pint had added at least 50p since then. Their most popular Spanish lager is now £6, he said, and "that's not unusual".

The gap gets wider over a longer period. The BBC reported that over the past 20 years average prices have risen by about 77%, while beer prices have gone up by around 128%.

Where the money in your pint is going

According to the BBC, some of the pressure comes from abroad. The wars in Ukraine and Iran have pushed up the cost of energy, oil, barley and even the CO2 used in beer. The Freeman brothers said they came out of the Covid pandemic and went straight into an energy bill spike. After that, the Chancellor raised national insurance contributions on their staff, widening the net to take in virtually every part-time bar worker. "Every hurdle we've jumped, there's been something else round the corner waiting for us," Nathan Freeman said. The pair have wound down their kitchen to focus on drinks sales.

Tax is the main complaint across the trade. Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, told the BBC that pubs currently pay 54p a pint in beer duty, compared with 4p in Spain and Germany. Of the countries at the tournament, only Morocco, at 90p a pint, charges more. On top of duty, pubs in England add 20% VAT, and the BBC says that together this means around £1.50 of the price of a pint is tax. Hospitality VAT is 7% in Germany and 10% in France, and under 10% in most of the US, according to the industry figures quoted to the BBC.

Some drinkers suspect landlords are cashing in. Rob Moore, who runs two pubs near Bristol including the Rising Sun in Pensford, told the BBC he had made "absolutely zero" profit since the last World Cup. He said he had earned enough to pay his staff and suppliers but had paid no corporation tax for four years.

Who is paying the price

Drinkers feel it first. The BBC used the Bank of England's inflation calculator to show that something costing £4.03 in 2022 would now cost about £4.70 if it had simply kept pace with inflation. A pint is now around £5.50, which the BBC says is about 36.5% higher than it was.

Pubs themselves are under strain. The British Beer and Pub Association says that, on average, two pubs are closing every day. "The cost of doing business for our pubs and breweries is going ever upwards," Ms McClarkin said. For sports bars like the Freemans', a good tournament run matters. "The place will be rammed," Nathan Freeman said before the World Cup began, adding that they needed England to reach "quarter-finals at least".

Key numbers

• £1.50: the average rise in the price of a pint over the past four years, according to the BBC.
• around 16%: overall inflation over the same four years, well below the rise in beer prices.
• 54p: the beer duty paid on a pint in the UK, according to the British Beer and Pub Association.
• 20%: the VAT rate pubs in England must charge on top of duty.
• 128%: the rise in beer prices over the past 20 years, compared with about 77% for prices overall.
• nearly 200,000: signatures on a petition calling for a VAT cut for pubs, bars and restaurants.

What the government says and what changes next

Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge is leading the petition for lower VAT on pubs, bars and restaurants, arguing that pubs "bring people together" but are "under huge pressure from rising costs". A government spokesperson told the BBC it was backing hospitality by cutting VAT on family attractions and kids' meals this summer, reforming business rates with a £4.3bn support package to limit bill rises, capping Corporation Tax at 25% and extending World Cup opening hours. No cut to beer duty or to VAT on pub drinks has been announced, so nothing changes on the tax in your pint yet.

On opening hours, the government said on 6th June that pubs could stay open until 1am for England or Scotland knockout matches kicking off between 5pm and 9pm, and until 2am for kick-offs between 9pm and 10pm. Communities Secretary Steve Reed also called on councils to deal quickly with sensible applications for later opening and screenings.

What you can do now

If the cost of a night out is biting, it is worth comparing prices between local pubs, because the BBC's examples show prices vary widely. A £6 pint is not unusual in some city bars, according to one Bristol landlord, while the official average for 2025 was £5.01. Asking about cheaper house beers or regular offers costs nothing.

If you run a pub and want to open later or hold screenings and beer garden events, contact your local council's licensing team early. The government has asked councils to handle sensible applications quickly. If you want your view on pub VAT heard, the petition led by Tom Kerridge is one route, and you can also write to your MP.

Your questions answered

How much of a pint is tax

According to the BBC, around £1.50 of the price of a pint is tax once beer duty and 20% VAT are added together. Beer duty alone is 54p a pint, according to the British Beer and Pub Association.

Are landlords making big profits from higher prices

The landlords who spoke to the BBC say not. Rob Moore said he had paid no corporation tax for four years because his pubs had made no profit. The Freeman brothers said they had to wind down their kitchen to cope with rising costs.

Is the government cutting tax on beer

Not at the moment. The government told the BBC about help on business rates, a VAT cut on family attractions and kids' meals, a cap on Corporation Tax and longer World Cup opening hours. It did not announce any cut to beer duty or to VAT on drinks in pubs.