BERLIN, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Sales of German beer fall by 2.5 percent in 2017 year on year, hitting a record low since German reunification, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reported on Thursday.

A total of 93.5 million hectolitres of beer were sold in 2017. About 82.6 percent have been drunken by German consumers, highlighting Germans' preference of its home-brewed beer, the report showed.

About 9.7 million hectorlitres were exported to European Union countries, down by 2.4 percent compared with the previous year. Another 6.5 million hectorlitres were exported to the countries outside the EU, decreasing by 4.1 percent, Destatis noted.

On average, the population in Germany is getting older and in old age people drink less alcohol, while the young people tend to drink less nowadays than a few years ago, German analysts said.