Gitnux/Report 2026

Chewing Gum Industry Statistics

43% of consumers prefer sugar-free chewing gum—discover what’s driving demand and how that translates into market growth.
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November 11, 2026Updated
Chewing Gum Industry Statistics
Marcus AfolabiWritten by Marcus Afolabi·Edited by Sarah Mitchell·Fact-checked by Olivia Thornton
Published ·Updated
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

An editor sets the topic, the inclusion criteria, and the evaluation framework before research starts.

02Source Research

AI search agents locate sources and extract each figure together with the document it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 31 days

01 Industry overview

The chewing gum industry at a glance

The U.S. chewing-gum category reached $4.1 billion in sales for the 52 weeks ending June 14, 2026, up 7.3% year over year as sugar-free and functional products gained momentum.

$4.1B[24]
U.S. gum sales, 2026
7.3%[24]
U.S. sales growth, 2026
$3.7B[24]
U.S. sugarless gum sales, 2026
$2.1B[24]
Mars Wrigley sugarless sales, 2026
Market size
The global chewing gum market was valued at $29.6 billion in 2025, according to IMARC. In the United States, total gum sales reached $4.1 billion for the 52 weeks ending June 14, 2026.[87][24]
Forecast & CAGR
IMARC forecasts the global market to reach $39.3 billion by 2034, implying a 3.2% CAGR from 2026 to 2034. A separate 2026 estimate puts the 2025 global market at $40.84 billion and forecasts 4.08% annual growth through 2034, illustrating the variation among market definitions.[87][88]
Market share & regions
North America accounted for more than 37.6% of the global chewing-gum market in 2025 in IMARC’s estimate. In South Korea, chewing gum generated $121.9 million in retail sales in 2023, while Lotte Group held 78.6% of the gum-confectionery market.[87][89]
Segmentation
Sugarless gum dominated U.S. sales at $3.7 billion for the 52 weeks ending June 14, 2026, compared with $476.8 million for regular gum. The global market is commonly segmented by sugar type, product type, flavor, distribution channel and region.[24][87]
Key players & concentration
Mars Wrigley led U.S. sugarless-gum sales with $2.1 billion for the 52 weeks ending June 14, 2026, followed by Perfetti Van Melle at $1.05 billion and Hershey at $434.2 million. These three companies together represented approximately 96.9% of the reported sugarless-gum sales in that ranking.[24]
Pricing
U.S. gum sales rose 7.3% to $4.1 billion in the year ending June 14, 2026, while the prior year saw dollar sales of $3.4 billion and unit sales decline 2.9% to 1.2 billion units. The combination indicates that pricing and product mix remain important contributors to category value growth.[24]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Growth is being driven by sugar reduction, functional ingredients, bold flavors and products positioned for energy, focus or craving management. Challenges include declining or stagnant unit demand in some periods, consumer skepticism about functional claims and pressure to use cleaner labels and fewer artificial ingredients.[24][90]
Consumer behavior & competition
U.S. unit sales fell 2.9% to 1.2 billion in the year ending May 18, 2025, even as sugarless gum generated about $3 billion in sales. Competition is increasingly centered on sugar-free products, functional benefits, flavor experiences and nostalgia, with Mars Wrigley, Perfetti Van Melle and Hershey among the leading U.S. suppliers.[24]
M&A
The most significant recent gum transaction identified was Mondelēz International’s completed sale of its developed-market gum business to Perfetti Van Melle in October 2023. The deal covered the United States, Canada and Europe, including Trident, Dentyne, Stimorol, Hollywood, V6, Chiclets, Bubbaloo and Bubblicious, plus manufacturing facilities in Illinois and Poland.[57]
Regulation
In the United States, the FDA lists sorbitol, xylitol, lactitol, mannitol, erythritol and maltitol among sugar alcohols used primarily in sugar-free candies and chewing gums. FDA rules also require products containing aspartame to carry a phenylalanine statement for consumers with phenylketonuria.[91]
Latest news
The latest industry data available for this overview shows U.S. gum sales reaching $4.1 billion in the 52 weeks ending June 14, 2026, up 7.3% year over year. Industry commentary attributes the improvement to well-being positioning, functional ingredients, sugar-free innovation and new flavor experiences.[24]

02 Ranking

Top 8 Companies in the Chewing Gum Industry

The leading companies in the chewing gum industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 11, 2026 · Next review December 11, 2026

Verdict

Mars leads Gitnux's 2026 chewing gum ranking with an Overall score of 9.9, with 55% projected value share of the U.S. gum market in 2026. Perfetti Van Melle is the runner-up at 9.2, with 23% projected value share of the U.S. gum market in 2026.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in sugarless gum

    Mars

    US

    Ranked #1 · 9.9 · Sugarless gum

    Why we picked it: Sugar-free positioning is widespread: 98% of its chewing-gum portfolio was sugar-free in 2023.

    See in ranking ↓Visit mars.com ↗

  2. Leader in developed-market gum

    The Hershey Company

    US

    Ranked #3 · 8.3 · Developed-market gum

    Why we picked it: In U.S. sugarless-gum sales, its $434.2 million sits behind Mars Wrigley and Perfetti Van Melle.

    See in ranking ↓Visit thehersheycompany.com ↗

  3. Leader in regional gum & confectionery

    Cloetta

    SE

    Ranked #4 · 8.1 · Regional gum & confectionery

    Why we picked it: Its gum footprint is regionally concentrated: leads Finland and holds leading positions in Netherlands and Belgium.

    See in ranking ↓Visit cloetta.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 8 companies in the chewing gum industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Mars

Sugarless gum · US

9.9
2

Perfetti Van Melle

Sugarless gum · NL

9.2
3

The Hershey Company

Developed-market gum · US

8.3
4

Cloetta

Regional gum & confectionery · SE

8.1
5

Lotte Wellfood

Regional gum & confectionery · KR

7.9
6

Arcor

Latin American chewing gum and confectionery · AR

7.9
7

Tootsie Roll Industries

US bubble gum and confectionery · US

7.9
8

Ford Gum

US bubble gum and gum manufacturing · US

7.6

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 11, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Marcus Afolabi. (2026, February 13). Top 8 companies in the chewing gum industry. In Chewing Gum Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/chewing-gum-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Projection

Japan chewing gum production volume

Japan chewing gum production volume fell from 19K tonnes in 2020 to 19K tonnes in 2025.

19K tonnes
Start
-0.32%
CAGR · 5y
18.7K tonnes
Projected
20202025
source-verifiedchewing-gum.jp2025

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

Production and digitization both show measurable throughput and integration. Reported automated-line output hit 4,500 kilograms per hour, and 35% of consumer-market respondents said end-to-end digital capability integration in 2026.

Automation in the chewing gum industry

  • 4,500 kilograms per hour is the maximum output of HANSELLA’s fully automated chewing-gum production lines, globally, as reported in 2026.[1]
  • 10% higher production efficiency was reported in a chewing-gum manufacturer’s automation and real-time OEE project, with the year not specified.[2]

Digital Transformation in the consumer goods sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across consumer products, 94% of surveyed supply-chain executives said they were transforming the supply-chain function in 2026.[3]
  • Across consumer markets, 35% of respondents said their companies had integrated digital capabilities end to end in 2026.[4]
  • Across consumer products, 67% of surveyed executives said digital transformation was necessary to compete in 2025, while 68% were investing in smart technology and automation.[5]
  • Across consumer products, 72% of respondents identified enterprise access to real-time supply-chain analytics as an economic-value area for digitization in 2024.[6]

Technology Adoption in the consumer goods sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across consumer packaged goods, 56% of surveyed leaders said their organizations were regularly using generative AI in 2024; global CPG-leader survey.[7]
  • Across consumer packaged goods, 71% of surveyed leaders said their organizations had adopted AI in at least one business function in 2024; global CPG-leader survey.[7]
  • Across consumer products, 73% of chief executives said planned AI investment for 2026 had increased compared with 2025.[3]
  • Across consumer goods, 90% of leaders expected their companies to increase investment in AI agents, and 89% believed AI agents would be essential to compete within two years; 2025 industry survey.[8]
  • Across consumer goods, 82% of surveyed companies were already using or planning to deploy generative AI in social-media marketing and analytics in 2024.[9]
  • Across consumer goods, 81% of surveyed companies were already using or planning to deploy generative AI in sales, marketing and consumer experiences in 2024.[9]

Cloud Computing in the consumer goods sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across EU enterprises, 52.74% used paid cloud-computing services in 2025.[10]
  • Across EU enterprises, 71.5% of those using paid cloud services used them for file storage in 2025.[10]
  • Across EU enterprises, 85.2% of those using paid cloud services used them for email in 2025.[10]
  • Across EU enterprises, 71.7% of those using paid cloud services used them for office software in 2025.[10]
  • Across EU enterprises, 30.1% of those using paid cloud services used them for enterprise-resource-planning software in 2025.[10]

Big Data in the consumer goods sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across consumer goods, 51% identified inability to integrate data from multiple sources as their primary analytics challenge in 2025.[11]
  • Across EU enterprises, 17.62% performed analytics on customer data in 2025.[10]
  • Across EU enterprises, 33.02% performed data analytics using their own employees in 2025.[10]
  • Across EU enterprises, 26.20% performed analytics on transaction records such as sales or payment data in 2025.[10]
  • Across EU enterprises, 40% performed data analytics internally or through another organization in 2025.[10]

IoT in the consumer goods sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across consumer manufacturing, IoT devices accounted for 10.3% of IT and operational-technology budgets in the surveyed benchmark.[12]
  • Across consumer manufacturing, 80% identified reduced energy and resource consumption as a leading IoT use or benefit in the surveyed benchmark.[12]
  • Across EU enterprises, 29% used IoT devices or systems in 2021, including 48% of large enterprises and 26% of small enterprises.[10]
  • Across consumer manufacturing, 89% identified better supply-chain management as a leading IoT use or benefit in the surveyed benchmark.[12]
  • Across consumer manufacturing, IoT devices delivered an average 20.9% return on investment in the surveyed benchmark.[12]

Innovation in the chewing gum industry

  • 3 new flavours—strawberry, cherry and eucalyptus mint—were introduced by plastic-free gum brand Milliways in France in 2025.[13]
  • 2 distinct flavour transitions were offered in each Ice Breakers Flavor Shifters gum variant launched in the United States in 2024.[14]
  • 40 pieces were included in Perfetti Van Melle’s Trident Vibes Cotton Candy sugar-free gum bottle launched in the United States in 2025.[15]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Data governance and data quality are recurring blockers for scaling decision-making. Across retail and CPG, 31% cited the lack of a corporate data strategy and semantic layer as a key challenge in 2025.

Business intelligence in the chewing gum industry

  • 8,613 million Swedish kronor was Cloetta’s net sales in 2024.[16]
  • 55% was Mars Wrigley’s projected value share of the U.S. gum market in 2026.[17]
  • 11% was The Hershey Company’s projected value share of the U.S. gum market in 2026.[17]
  • 23% was Perfetti Van Melle USA’s projected value share of the U.S. gum market in 2026.[17]
  • 60 countries had sales for Cloetta in 2024.[16]
  • 52% was Mars Wrigley’s U.S. gum value share in 2021.[17]

Data Quality in the consumer goods sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across retail and consumer goods, 26% of leaders said their data quality was poor compared with competitors in 2024.[18]
  • Across consumer packaged goods, 22% reported that businesses lacked trust in data quality and validity in 2024.[6]
  • Across supply-management organizations, 49% rated their data quality as good or excellent in 2024.[19]
  • Across consumer packaged goods, 60% planned to increase investment in data and analytics during the following 12 months in 2024.[6]

Data Governance in the consumer goods sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across supply-management organizations, 61% had a dedicated data-governance function in 2024.[19]
  • Across retail and CPG companies, 31% cited the lack of a corporate data strategy and semantic layer as a key challenge in 2025.[20]
  • Across consumer packaged goods companies, 43% said they struggled with establishing the right level of data governance in 2024.[6]
  • Across retail and CPG companies, 42% identified inconsistent data quality, absent semantic layers and fragmented reporting as critical governance challenges in 2025.[20]
  • Across retail and CPG companies, 35% reported receiving inconsistent or incorrect answers to data questions in 2025.[20]

KPIs in the chewing gum industry

  • 10.6% was Cloetta’s adjusted operating-profit margin in 2024.[16]
  • 602 million Swedish kronor was Cloetta’s free cash flow in 2024.[16]
  • 93% of Continental Confectionery Company’s 650 suppliers were local in 2025.[21]
  • 1.3 times was Cloetta’s net-debt-to-EBITDA ratio in 2024.[16]
  • 910 million Swedish kronor was Cloetta’s adjusted operating profit in 2024.[16]
  • 2,600 employees was Cloetta’s average workforce in 2024.[16]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Growth levers lean on sugar-free and functional product positioning. Mars Wrigley’s 5 Gum saw a 17% year-on-year sales increase attributed to its YUNGBLUD partnership in 2023.

Growth in the chewing gum industry

  • 205% was True Gum’s estimated compound annual growth rate from 2018 through 2022 before Humble Group acquired the company.[22]
  • $39.3 billion is IMARC’s forecast global chewing-gum market value for 2034.[23]
  • 80.6% was The Pur Co.’s U.S. gum-sales growth for the 12 months ending June 16, 2024.[24]
  • 3.20% is IMARC’s forecast compound annual growth rate for the global chewing-gum market from 2026 to 2034.[23]
  • 6.7% was U.S. gum-market value growth for the 52 weeks ending June 16, 2024, reaching $3.4 billion.[24]
  • 8.1% was Mars Wrigley’s U.S. gum-sales growth for the 52 weeks ending June 16, 2024.[24]

Differentiation in the chewing gum industry

  • 98% of Mars’s chewing-gum portfolio was sugar-free, according to a 2023 interview with the company’s chief executive.[25]
  • 4 gum brands—Orbit, Extra, Freedent and Yida—were repositioned by Mars from breath freshening toward everyday wellness in 2024.[26]
  • 15 brands were identified in 2023 research as using natural, sustainable or plastic-free positioning in the chewing-gum market.[27]
  • 100 years was the approximate period since Mars’s Orbit, Extra, Freedent and Yida gum brands had undergone a comparable overhaul before 2024.[26]
  • 17% was the year-on-year sales increase reported for Mars Wrigley’s 5 Gum after its YUNGBLUD partnership and gum-jewellery campaign in 2023.[28]
  • 35% was the reported 2025 share of plant-based gum-base products in the global natural plastic-free chewing-gum market.[29]

Mergers and acquisitions in the chewing gum industry

  • 100% of the shares in True Gum and its subsidiaries were included in Humble Group’s announced acquisition agreement in 2022.[22]
  • 2007 was the year Bazooka, formerly Topps Chewing Gum, was acquired by Michael Eisner’s Tornante and Madison Dearborn, according to a 2023 transaction review.[30]
  • $700 million was the approximate transaction value of Apax Partners’ announced acquisition of Bazooka Candy Brands in 2023.[30]
  • $1.35 billion was the reported value of Perfetti Van Melle’s acquisition of Mondelēz’s developed-market gum business in 2023.[31]
  • SEK31.6 million was the deferred compensation amount specified in Humble Group’s True Gum acquisition agreement in 2022.[22]
  • 3 markets—the United States, Canada and Europe—were covered by Perfetti Van Melle’s acquisition of Mondelēz’s developed-market gum business in 2023.[32]

Strategic partnerships in the chewing gum industry

  • 3 stakeholder groups—consumers, local authorities and industry—are identified by ICGA as sharing responsibility for preventing gum litter, in 2025.[33]
  • 4 countries—the United Kingdom, Poland, Spain and CEAB—were included in Mars’s initial Chew You Good rollout supported by agency partnerships in 2024.[26]
  • 17% was the year-on-year sales increase attributed to Mars Wrigley’s 5 Gum partnership with YUNGBLUD in 2023.[28]
  • 5.5 billion online impressions were generated by Mars Wrigley’s 5 Gum partnership with YUNGBLUD in 2023.[28]
  • 2 research institutions—the University of California, Los Angeles and Queen’s University Belfast—are cited by ICGA as conducting preliminary gum-microplastic studies, in 2025.[33]
  • 2 agencies—Team Omnicom and Energy BBDO—partnered with Mars on the global Chew You Good gum platform launched in 2024.[26]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Work-location mix is shifting toward hybrid. Among U.S. remote-capable employees, 52% worked in a hybrid arrangement in May 2026.

Remote Work in the consumer goods sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among U.S. remote-capable employees, 26% worked exclusively remotely in May 2026, while 52% worked in a hybrid arrangement.[34]
  • Across retail and consumer goods organizations, 54% support workcations, compared with 65% across all surveyed sectors in 2024.[35]
  • Across consumer goods companies, 69% offer some form of work-location flexibility, according to the Flex Index industry benchmark.[36]
  • Across retail and consumer goods organizations, 8% support permanent remote working arrangements, according to a 2024 international mobility survey.[35]
  • Across retail and consumer goods organizations, 23% support international hybrid remote-working assignments, according to a 2024 survey.[35]

Hybrid Work in the consumer goods sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among U.S. remote-capable employees, 52% worked hybrid in May 2026, compared with 26% exclusively remote and 22% on-site.[34]
  • Among U.S. remote-capable employees, 34% of hybrid workers were engaged in May 2026, compared with 37% of exclusively remote workers.[34]
  • Among U.S. remote-capable employees, 54% of hybrid workers were thriving in May 2026, compared with 52% of exclusively remote workers.[34]
  • Only 11% of U.S. employees benefited from a hybrid policy set jointly by their work team in May 2025.[34]
  • Among U.S. remote-capable employees, 61% preferred hybrid work in November 2025, compared with 33% preferring exclusively remote work and 6% on-site work.[34]

Employee Engagement in the consumer goods sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across consumer goods and services organizations, 9% of employees expected to leave within two years in data collected from July 2025 through June 2026.[37]
  • Across consumer goods and services organizations, 18% of employees were thinking of or actively seeking jobs elsewhere in data collected from July 2025 through June 2026.[37]
  • Across consumer goods and services organizations, 89% of employees agreed they knew how their work contributed to company goals in data collected from July 2025 through June 2026.[37]
  • Across consumer goods and services organizations, 72% of employees were engaged in data collected from July 2025 through June 2026.[37]
  • Globally, 20% of employees were engaged in 2025, according to Gallup’s World Poll benchmark.[34]

Change Management in the consumer goods sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across consumer products leaders in 23 countries, 48% reported productivity benefits from digital transformation in 2025.[38]
  • Across consumer products leaders in 23 countries, 51% cited cost as a top challenge and 34% cited time to implement technology in 2025.[38]
  • Across U.S. employees, 25% agreed their organization effectively managed change in the 2025 Eagle Hill change-management survey.[39]
  • Across 300 senior executives at global consumer products companies, 79% expected power to shift further toward retailers over the next two to three years.[5]
  • Across 300 senior executives at global consumer products companies, 74% said their organizations were simplifying organizational structures in 2026.[5]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

U.S. buying behavior shows responsiveness to price perception and campaign recall. Gum is always or frequently an impulse buy for 38% of surveyed U.S. consumers.

Customer acquisition in the chewing gum industry

  • 1.17 euros of incremental return on ad spend was generated by Orbit’s early-2024 TikTok campaign in Poland.[40]
  • +34 percentage points in future purchase consideration was recorded among students who recalled a Canadian campus gum advertisement.[41]
  • 9% increase in purchase penetration was recorded in the first quarter of Extra Gum’s U.S. comeback campaign.[28]

Customer loyalty in the chewing gum industry

  • 38% of surveyed U.S. consumers say gum is always or frequently an impulse buy.[42]
  • 40% or more of surveyed U.S. candy and gum consumers can be swayed by perceived value or price discounts despite loyalty to favorite brands.[42]
  • 49% of Canadian gum buyers consume more than one brand of gum, indicating multi-brand purchasing rather than exclusive loyalty.[43]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Social media execution metrics are being tracked at high scale for gum brands. Wrigley Extra’s Chinese Extra Care Box campaign recorded 67 million engagements across Chinese social-media platforms.

Marketing in the chewing gum industry

  • 21.9% market share was reached by Extra Gum after its U.S. comeback campaign.[28]
  • 18% sales growth was recorded during Extra Gum’s U.S. pandemic comeback campaign.[28]
  • 1.4 million likes, comments and reposts were generated in one week by Wrigley Extra’s Chinese Extra Care Box campaign.[44]
  • 67 million engagements were recorded across Chinese social-media platforms during Wrigley Extra’s Extra Care Box campaign.[44]
  • 538 million earned-media impressions were generated by Extra Gum’s U.S. comeback campaign.[28]

Digital marketing in the chewing gum industry

  • 6.7% sales-per-customer lift was measured among TikTok users exposed to Orbit’s Polish campaign.[40]
  • 88.75% brand lift was reported for Dirol’s TikTok chewing-gum campaign.[40]
  • 9% engagement rate was achieved by Dirol’s TikTok chewing-gum campaign.[40]
  • 73,000 video submissions were received for Dirol’s TikTok chewing-gum campaign.[40]
  • 115.5 million impressions were generated by Trident’s Chew the Vibes TikTok campaign.[40]

Branding in the chewing gum industry

  • 20 million unique users were reached by Beldent’s Masticlass campaign.[45]
  • 62% ad-recall lift was recorded for Stimorol’s TikTok-first campaign in Denmark.[40]
  • 10% sell-out growth was recorded for Beldent after the Masticlass campaign.[45]
  • 33% brand-awareness lift was recorded for Stimorol’s TikTok-first campaign in Denmark.[40]
  • 29% brand decline was reversed by Beldent’s Masticlass campaign.[45]

Social media in the chewing gum industry

  • 16,390,551 impressions were generated by Jelly Belly Gum’s TikTok campaign.[46]
  • 10% or more engagement was achieved by Doublemint’s #StartSomethingFresh campaign on Facebook.[28]
  • 54 million impressions were delivered in one week by Neuro Gum’s TikTok Shop and out-of-home launch campaign in Miami Beach.[47]
  • 15,675,800 people were reached by Jelly Belly Gum’s TikTok campaign.[46]
  • 17.1 million TikTok views were generated by Stimorol’s AI-led chewing-gum campaign.[48]

Influencer Marketing in the consumer goods sector (sector benchmark)

  • 15.7% ad-recall lift was recorded for CPG influencer campaigns in 2025.[49]
  • 22.2% brand lift was recorded for CPG influencer campaigns in 2025.[49]
  • 96.39% positive campaign sentiment was recorded for CPG influencer campaigns in 2025.[49]
  • 24% of consumers globally bought products from influencers or celebrities in October–November 2024, according to a consumer-product and retail survey.[50]
  • 8.8% consideration lift was recorded for CPG influencer campaigns in 2025.[49]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Operational capacity and contracting remain visible in the dataset. In 2025, brands surveyed across CPG, industrial manufacturing and pharmaceuticals averaged 30% of output outsourced.

Operational efficiency in the chewing gum industry

  • 45,300 tons of chewing gum were produced in Japan in 1994, down 1.5% year over year.[51]
  • 36,000 tons of chewing gum were produced in Japan in 1989, up 7.5% year over year.[51]
  • 43,000 tons of chewing gum were produced in Japan in 1991, up 13.2% year over year.[51]
  • 46,000 tons of chewing gum were produced in Japan in 1993, up 2.2% year over year.[51]
  • 44,200 tons of chewing gum were produced in Japan in 1996, down 2.9% year over year.[51]

Supply chain in the chewing gum industry

  • Rail-freight costs in Australia increased 44% year over year from 2021 to 2022, according to the cited supply-chain disruption survey.[52]
  • Gas costs increased 106% from 2022 to 2024 across Mars Australia’s six manufacturing sites.[52]
  • Road-freight costs in Australia increased 78% year over year from 2021 to 2022, according to the cited supply-chain disruption survey.[52]
  • Mars Australia’s freight costs increased by an average of 11% per year over the three years to 2024.[52]
  • More than 450 associates work at Mars Wrigley’s Yorkville, Illinois, facility, which makes gum and mint brands including Hubba Bubba, Eclipse and Juicy Fruit.[53]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the consumer goods sector (sector benchmark)

  • 67% of brand owners plan to maintain or increase their use of contract packaging or manufacturing services in the coming years, based on a 2024 survey.[54]
  • 42% of consumer packaged goods brand owners plan to increase outsourced work over the next two to three years, according to a 2026 survey.[55]
  • 30% of output is outsourced on average by brands surveyed across CPG, industrial manufacturing and pharmaceuticals in 2025.[56]
  • 25% of surveyed consumer packaged goods brands outsource none of their operations, while most others outsource between 1% and 49%, in 2026.[55]
  • 63% of surveyed brand owners contract out between 10% and 49% of their business to contract packaging or manufacturing providers, in 2024.[54]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Category value growth in the U.S. continues to outpace unit demand declines. U.S. gum sales rose 7.3% to $4.1 billion for the year ending June 14, 2026 as unit sales fell 2.9%.

Pricing strategy in the chewing gum industry

  • ¥1,560 hundred-million was the Japanese chewing-gum retail price value in 1991, up 14.7% year over year.[51]
  • ¥1,640 hundred-million was the Japanese chewing-gum retail price value in 1992, up 5.1% year over year.[51]
  • ¥1,360 hundred-million was the Japanese chewing-gum retail price value in 1990, up 12.4% year over year.[51]
  • ¥1,210 hundred-million was the Japanese chewing-gum retail price value in 1989, up 14.2% year over year.[51]
  • Mars Australia adjusted prices for its Wrigley’s gum range in 2023 for the first time in more than a decade.[52]

Financial planning in the chewing gum industry

  • $37.1 billion was Mondelēz International’s 2024 organic net revenue, up 4.3% year over year; the company had divested its developed-market gum business in 2023.[57]
  • $3.42 was Mondelēz International’s 2024 diluted EPS, down 5.5% year over year after costs and effects associated with the developed-market gum divestiture.[57]
  • $35.6 billion was Mondelēz International’s 2023 organic net revenue, up 14.7% year over year; the result included the impact of its developed-market gum divestiture.[57]
  • $3.62 was Mondelēz International’s 2023 diluted EPS, up 84.7% year over year, partly reflecting prior-year comparisons involving its developed-market gum business.[57]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Functional and energy gums show up as named U.S. innovations in 2026. Hershey’s North American packaging portfolio was 32% post-consumer recycled material in 2023.

Product development in the chewing gum industry

  • Functional and energy gums were notable product innovations in the United States in 2026.[17]
  • TRY 55.3 million was invested in research and development by Continental Confectionery Company in 2025, up from TRY 35 million in 2024.[21]
  • 89 new product projects were completed in chewing gum and confectionery categories in Türkiye in 2025.[21]
  • Neuro introduced energy gum containing caffeine, B vitamins and L-theanine in Walmart stores across the western United States in 2026.[17]

Product lifecycle in the chewing gum industry

  • 69% was Hershey’s company-wide waste-recycling rate in 2024, including candy, mint and gum operations.[58]
  • Arcor used no PVC packaging for its products in Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Peru in 2023.[59]
  • 15.4 million pounds of packaging waste were cumulatively eliminated by Hershey from 2021 through 2023 across candy, mint and gum products.[60]
  • 32% of Hershey’s North American packaging portfolio was made from post-consumer recycled material in 2023 across candy, mint and gum products.[60]
  • 66% was Hershey’s company-wide waste-recycling rate in 2023, including candy, mint and gum operations.[58]

Value proposition in the chewing gum industry

  • 98% of Mars’s chewing gum products were sugar-free in 2023, according to the company’s chief executive.[25]
  • Sugarless gum generated $2.581 billion in U.S. sales for the 52 weeks ending January 29, 2023.[24]
  • U.S. gum sales declined 0.4% year over year for the 52 weeks ending May 18, 2025.[61]
  • U.S. gum sales reached $3.4 billion for the 52 weeks ending May 18, 2025.[61]
  • 41% of European survey respondents identified taste as an important factor when buying chewing gum.[62]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Sustainability targets are tracked as measurable deltas and waste outcomes. Mars reduced Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions by 42.6% versus its 2015 baseline by 2025.

Sustainability in the chewing gum industry

  • 42.6% was Mars’ reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions from its 2015 baseline by 2025 globally.[26]
  • 885,000 people had been reached through Mars supplier and origin programs since 2017 by 2025 across its value chain.[26]
  • More than 60 agricultural sustainability projects were underway in 29 countries for Mars by 2024.[26]
  • 64.1% of Mars’ consumer-facing packaging was designed to be reusable, recyclable or compostable by the end of 2024 globally.[26]
  • 35.5% was Mars’ reduction in the gap to sustainable water use across its value chain from the 2015 baseline by 2025.[26]

ESG in the chewing gum industry

  • 90% of the cocoa volume used in Mondelēz International chocolate brands was sourced through Cocoa Life in 2024.[63]
  • 150,000 associates worked for Mars globally in 2024.[26]
  • Approximately 80 countries contained Mondelēz International operations in 2021.[64]
  • 10% of Mondelēz International’s net revenue came from its Gum & Candy category in 2021 globally.[64]
  • More than 150 countries received Mondelēz International products in 2021.[64]

Ethics in the chewing gum industry

  • Men were more than twice as likely as women to improperly dispose of chewed gum in the latest Irish campaign research reported in 2025.[65]
  • Up to 86% was the reduction in gum littering observed in funded Canterbury areas during the first two months of the 2023 campaign.[66]
  • 92% of people in Ireland reported properly disposing of chewing gum in 2025, according to the industry-funded Gum Litter Taskforce campaign.[65]
  • 26% of people in Ireland were reported to drop gum when the national campaign began in 2007, compared with 11% in the latest results reported in 2016.[67]
  • 77% of England’s streets were reported as stained with chewing gum in data cited by Newham Council in 2023.[68]

CSR in the chewing gum industry

  • 10 million pounds was the maximum five-year investment announced for the UK Chewing Gum Task Force by major gum manufacturers and government partners.[66]
  • 309 million servings of fiber were included in Mars’ reported healthy-meal contribution in 2024.[26]
  • 5% was Mars’ reduction in sodium versus its 2019 baseline by 2024.[26]
  • 850,000 people had been reached through Mars’ value-chain programs by the end of 2024.[26]
  • 92% of Irish respondents reported properly disposing of chewing gum in 2025 after sustained public-engagement and education efforts.[65]

Circular economy in the chewing gum industry

  • 80% was the maximum reduction in gum littering measured in Newham during the first two months of its 2022 funded intervention.[68]
  • 60% was the maximum reduction in gum littering reported by ICGA for participating municipalities in industry-government task-force programs.[33]
  • 100% of waste was reported as recycled by Continental Confectionery Company in its 2025 sustainability reporting.[21]
  • 44% was the reduction in general littering achieved alongside the nightlife gum-litter interventions tested in three UK locations.[69]
  • 73% was the reduction in gum littering achieved in tests of the Chewing Gum Task Force nightlife interventions in Liverpool, Bristol and Tower Hamlets.[69]

Carbon footprint in the chewing gum industry

  • 6.4% was Mars’ largest annual absolute GHG reduction, achieved in 2025.[26]
  • 16.4% was Mars’ reduction in its carbon footprint versus the 2015 baseline by the end of 2024.[26]
  • 1.9% was Mars’ absolute GHG-emissions reduction versus its 2015 baseline by the end of 2024.[26]
  • 17% was the increase in water-use efficiency reported in Mars’ almond-acre initiative’s first year of subsurface-irrigation research.[26]
  • 22,408,568 gigajoules was Mars’ direct-operations energy use in 2024.[26]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Regional footprints and production capacity are used to explain scale. Perfetti Van Melle’s Breda facility production volume was approximately 33,500 tonnes in 2025.

Globalization in the chewing gum industry

  • More than 150 countries are served by Perfetti Van Melle, a global manufacturer and distributor of chewing gum and confectionery, in 2023.[32]
  • 24,000 tonnes is Continental Confectionery’s reported annual chewing-gum production capacity in 2024.[83]
  • 33,500 tonnes is the approximate annual production volume of Perfetti Van Melle’s Breda facility, serving Europe, the United States and Japan, in 2025.[32]
  • $1.35 billion was the announced value of Perfetti Van Melle’s acquisition of Mondelēz’s developed-market gum business covering the United States, Canada and Europe in 2022.[31]
  • 6.32% was Germany’s share of global chewing-gum imports in 2024.[84]

Cultural adaptation in the chewing gum industry

  • 17.6% was Hershey’s growth in U.S. regular-gum sales for the 52 weeks ending June 16, 2024.[24]
  • 8.0% was Perfetti Van Melle’s reported U.S. gum-sales growth for the 52 weeks ending June 16, 2024.[24]
  • 3 additional regions—Australia, the Americas and the Middle East—were scheduled for Mars’s chewing-gum platform rollout during 2024.[26]
  • 5 brands—Orbit, Extra, Freedent, Yida and Mentos—were included in Mars’s global chewing-gum brand-platform expansion in 2024.[26]
  • 4 European launch markets—the United Kingdom, Poland, Spain and CEAB—were selected for Mars’s Chew You Good gum platform in the first half of 2024.[26]

Supplier management in the chewing gum industry

  • 2 production sites—Italy and China—are listed for Gum Base Co., Perfetti Van Melle’s gum-base business, in 2025.[85]
  • 3 certifications—FSSC 22000, OHSAS 18001 and ISO 14001—are listed for Perfetti Van Melle’s Rudrapur plant in India, in 2025.[32]
  • 6 certifications—including ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 22000, SA-8000, BRC and IFS—are listed for Perfetti Van Melle’s Breda facility, in 2025.[32]
  • 80% of the Istanbul plant’s annual output is chewing gum, with the remaining 20% candies, in 2025.[32]
  • 1 Shanghai branch is operated by Gum Base Co. to support gum-base production and service in China, in 2025.[85]

Stakeholder management in the chewing gum industry

  • 94% of measured microplastic release occurred during the first 8 minutes of chewing in the summarized 2026 research.[27]
  • 250,000-plus microplastic particles were reported by the Plastic Soup Foundation as released into saliva after one hour of chewing plastic gum, in 2025.[86]
  • 70% is the maximum reported reduction in gum litter achieved in participating towns through industry-supported awareness and education campaigns, in 2025.[33]
  • 3 times the retail price or more can be required for municipal gum removal, according to evidence summarized in 2026 research.[27]
  • 637 microplastic particles per gram of gum were estimated in a 2026 review summarizing chewing-gum research.[27]

Distribution channels in the chewing gum industry

  • 60 WH Smith travel locations carried Milliways plastic-free gum in the United States in 2024.[23]
  • 16% was the reported 2025 value share of convenience stores in the global natural plastic-free chewing-gum market.[29]
  • 45% was the reported 2025 value share of supermarkets and hypermarkets in the global natural plastic-free chewing-gum market.[29]
  • 400-plus Sprouts Farmers Market stores carried Milliways plastic-free gum in the United States in 2024.[23]
  • 39% was the reported 2025 value share of online retail in the global natural plastic-free chewing-gum market.[29]

Key questions about the Chewing Gum Industry

What is the current market size for chewing gum in the United States and globally?
U.S. gum sales reached $4.1 billion for the 52 weeks ending June 14, 2026. IMARC valued the global chewing gum market at $29.6 billion in 2025.
How fast is the market growing, and what does recent U.S. growth look like?
IMARC forecasts the global market to reach $39.3 billion by 2034, implying a 3.2% CAGR from 2026 to 2034. In the U.S., sales rose 7.3% year over year to $4.1 billion for the 52 weeks ending June 14, 2026.
Which companies lead the chewing gum industry?
Mars leads Gitnux's 2026 chewing gum ranking with an Overall score of 9.9, with 55% projected value share of the U.S. gum market in 2026. Perfetti Van Melle is the runner-up at 9.2, with 23% projected value share of the U.S. gum market in 2026.
What technology shifts are showing up in chewing-gum manufacturing and supply chain operations?
Manufacturing output can run at 4,500 kilograms per hour on HANSELLA’s fully automated production lines, reported in 2026. In parallel, 35% of consumer-market respondents said companies integrated digital capabilities end to end in 2026.
How concentrated is sugarless-gum supply in the U.S. market?
Mars Wrigley led with $2.1 billion in the 52 weeks ending June 14, 2026, followed by Perfetti Van Melle at $1.05 billion and Hershey at $434.2 million. Together these three companies represented approximately 96.9% of reported sugarless-gum sales in that ranking.
Which product formats and regulatory points matter for gum buyers?
In the U.S., sugarless gum was $3.7 billion versus $476.8 million for regular gum for the 52 weeks ending June 14, 2026. In the U.S., the FDA requires phenylalanine statements for products containing aspartame for consumers with phenylketonuria.
Reference

Cite This Report

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APA
Marcus Afolabi. (2026, February 13). Chewing Gum Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/chewing-gum-industry-statistics
MLA
Marcus Afolabi. "Chewing Gum Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/chewing-gum-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Marcus Afolabi. 2026. "Chewing Gum Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/chewing-gum-industry-statistics.

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