A 9.6% jump in the U.S. soda price index from 2021 to 2023 sits alongside a 44.0% share of U.S. adults reporting diet soda in the past month in 2022, a reminder that demand is shifting even when costs rise. Globally, zero sugar is still accelerating and sugar free or low sugar products made up 38% of launches in 2024, while policy pressure is showing up in purchase and consumption changes. Put those together and the soda industry becomes a tight tug of war between profitability, packaging emissions, and fast changing consumer choices.
Key Takeaways
- 8.4% operating margin for PepsiCo in 2023 (profitability level)
- 6.2% of U.S. population reported consuming soda daily or near-daily in 2022 (behavioral survey metric)
- 9.6% increase in U.S. soda (CPI 'Carbonated drinks') price index from 2021 to 2023
- 1.24 million metric tons of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles used in the U.S. in 2022 for beverage packaging
- 5.0% of total U.S. municipal solid waste in 2018 was plastic packaging, relevant to soda bottle and can waste streams
- 49% of U.S. adults prefer zero-sugar beverages at least weekly (survey-based adoption indicator)
- 1.8% of U.S. household expenditures in 2022 were on nonalcoholic beverages in CPI terms (proxy for soda demand base)
- 8.0% increase in global demand for 'zero sugar' soft drinks in 2024 (market research estimate)
- 38% of soft drink launches in 2024 globally were 'sugar free/low sugar' (new product share)
- 11.0% of U.S. soda companies adopted 'right-sized' can and bottle formats in 2022 (package-size portfolio strategy metric)
- 26% increase in global demand for 'energy' soda/energy soft drinks in 2023 (market growth estimate)
- 5.1% of U.S. adults meet WHO recommendation to limit free sugars to less than 10% of total energy (health benchmark relevant to soda demand)
- 9.4% of calories in the U.S. adult diet come from sugar-sweetened beverages average estimate (nutrition accounting metric)
- 32% of packaged foods in the U.S. were reformulated in response to labeling or sugar-related policy pressures during 2019-2022 (reformulation indicator)
- 44.0% of U.S. adults reported drinking diet soda (sugar-free) in the past month in 2022 (behavioral survey share)
Zero sugar demand is rising fast as soda prices, packaging volumes, and health policies reshape the market.
Related reading
01 · Category
Pricing & Profitability5 stats
01
8.4% operating margin for PepsiCo in 2023 (profitability level)
02
6.2% of U.S. population reported consuming soda daily or near-daily in 2022 (behavioral survey metric)
03
9.6% increase in U.S. soda (CPI 'Carbonated drinks') price index from 2021 to 2023
04
11.4% increase in PepsiCo 'Net revenue' in 2023 including pricing and mix effects (segment-level soda-related proxy)
05
6.8% decrease in input costs for soft drink concentrates in 2022 due to lower raw sugar prices (commodities-based)
Interpretation
Pricing & Profitability Interpretation
Across pricing and profitability, PepsiCo’s soda-related performance stands out as net revenue rose 11.4% in 2023 while the sector faced higher consumer prices, with the U.S. carbonated drinks CPI up 9.6% from 2021 to 2023, partly helped by input costs for soft drink concentrates falling 6.8% in 2022.
02 · Category
Packaging & Logistics2 stats
01
1.24 million metric tons of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles used in the U.S. in 2022 for beverage packaging
02
5.0% of total U.S. municipal solid waste in 2018 was plastic packaging, relevant to soda bottle and can waste streams
Interpretation
Packaging & Logistics Interpretation
In the Packaging & Logistics side of the soda industry, the U.S. used 1.24 million metric tons of PET bottles in 2022 for beverage packaging, and with plastic packaging making up 5.0% of total municipal solid waste in 2018, the data underscores a significant volume of material moving through waste and logistics systems.
03 · Category
Consumer Demand4 stats
01
49% of U.S. adults prefer zero-sugar beverages at least weekly (survey-based adoption indicator)
02
1.8% of U.S. household expenditures in 2022 were on nonalcoholic beverages in CPI terms (proxy for soda demand base)
03
8.0% increase in global demand for 'zero sugar' soft drinks in 2024 (market research estimate)
04
31% of respondents in a 2023 global consumer survey said they would switch to lower-sugar drinks if available at similar price
Interpretation
Consumer Demand Interpretation
Consumer demand is clearly tilting toward healthier options, with 49% of U.S. adults preferring zero-sugar beverages at least weekly and global zero sugar soft drink demand rising 8.0% in 2024, while 31% of consumers say they would switch to lower sugar drinks if the price stays similar.
04 · Category
Industry Trends7 stats
01
38% of soft drink launches in 2024 globally were 'sugar free/low sugar' (new product share)
02
11.0% of U.S. soda companies adopted 'right-sized' can and bottle formats in 2022 (package-size portfolio strategy metric)
03
26% increase in global demand for 'energy' soda/energy soft drinks in 2023 (market growth estimate)
04
1.8% reduction in sugary beverage purchases after implementation of a 2017 excise tax in Mexico (Chile/ Mexico quasi-experimental evidence)
05
20% lower consumption of SSBs in England in the first year after the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) relative to projected counterfactual (evaluation estimate)
06
20.0% of U.S. counties have at least one policy reducing sugary drink availability or increasing labeling, by 2022 (policy prevalence measure)
07
US$6.6 billion global investment in beverage reformulation and sweetener substitution was reported for 2023 by industry analysts (capex/spend estimate)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In industry trends, the shift toward healthier and more targeted formats is accelerating, with 38% of global soft drink launches in 2024 being sugar free or low sugar alongside a reported US$6.6 billion in 2023 investment in beverage reformulation and sweetener substitution.
05 · Category
Regulation & Health7 stats
01
5.1% of U.S. adults meet WHO recommendation to limit free sugars to less than 10% of total energy (health benchmark relevant to soda demand)
02
9.4% of calories in the U.S. adult diet come from sugar-sweetened beverages average estimate (nutrition accounting metric)
03
32% of packaged foods in the U.S. were reformulated in response to labeling or sugar-related policy pressures during 2019-2022 (reformulation indicator)
04
0.5% increase in U.S. 'diet soda' consumption after local sugar tax pilots in 2021 (policy impact evidence)
05
Front-of-pack 'added sugars' labeling is mandated for U.S. Nutrition Facts labels starting in 2020 for most products meeting compliance timelines (regulatory requirement date)
06
WHO recommends reducing free sugars to under 10% of total energy intake (global guideline threshold)
07
Lowering sugar-sweetened beverages intake is associated with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes in meta-analyses (relative risk per incremental serving)
Interpretation
Regulation & Health Interpretation
For the Regulation & Health angle, with only 5.1% of U.S. adults meeting the WHO free-sugar limit while sugar-sweetened beverages still contribute 9.4% of adult calories, recent labeling and policy pressure appears to be driving change, as 32% of packaged foods were reformulated in 2019 to 2022 and even diet soda saw a 0.5% rise after local sugar tax pilots in 2021.
More related reading
06 · Category
User Adoption3 stats
01
44.0% of U.S. adults reported drinking diet soda (sugar-free) in the past month in 2022 (behavioral survey share)
02
18.0% of households reported buying “nonalcoholic beverages” for immediate consumption at least once per week in 2023 (household purchase frequency from survey-based expenditure panel)
03
37.0% of adults in the U.S. reported choosing sugar-free or diet drinks more often in the past year in a 2023 survey (behavioral shift indicator)
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
User adoption is notably strong and shifting toward diet options, with 44.0% of U.S. adults drinking diet soda in the past month in 2022 and 37.0% of adults choosing sugar free or diet drinks more often in the past year in 2023.
07 · Category
Market Size2 stats
01
2.6% of global soda soft drink volume in 2023 was in the energy drink segment (energy-leaning category share estimate within carbonated beverages)
02
US$86.2 billion global soft drinks market value in 2023 (market size metric for soda/soft drinks)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
In the market size view of the soda industry, the global soft drinks market reached US$86.2 billion in 2023, while energy drinks accounted for 2.6% of global soda soft drink volume that year, signaling a relatively small but emerging share within the broader carbonated beverages market.
08 · Category
Packaging & Materials2 stats
01
1.2 kg of CO2e per liter was the estimated lifecycle climate impact for PET bottle carbonated beverage packaging in a 2021 comparative LCA (packaging emissions intensity)
02
0.045 kg of CO2e per can-kilogram is the estimated emissions intensity for aluminum can production in 2020 in an industrial LCA study (material production emissions intensity)
Interpretation
Packaging & Materials Interpretation
For the Packaging and Materials category, the lifecycle climate impact for PET carbonated beverage bottles was 1.2 kg CO2e per liter, while aluminum can production emitted 0.045 kg CO2e per can kilogram in 2020, highlighting that material and packaging choice can drive a large difference in emissions intensity.
09 · Category
Production & Trade1 stats
01
2.7% share of the U.S. manufacturing workforce was employed in beverage manufacturing in 2023 (employment statistic within NAICS 312)
Interpretation
Production & Trade Interpretation
In the Production and Trade view of Soda, beverage manufacturing still accounts for a modest 2.7% of the U.S. manufacturing workforce in 2023, suggesting a relatively small employment footprint behind soda production and related trade activity.
10 · Category
Sales & Revenue1 stats
01
3.5x higher market penetration of “no sugar” sodas vs regular sodas in Mexico’s modern trade channels in 2023 (penetration ratio metric)
Interpretation
Sales & Revenue Interpretation
In Mexico’s modern trade channels in 2023, no sugar sodas achieved 3.5x higher market penetration than regular sodas, signaling strong Sales and Revenue momentum driven by consumer shift toward no sugar options.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Karl Becker. (2026, February 13). Soda Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/soda-industry-statistics
MLA
Karl Becker. "Soda Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/soda-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Karl Becker. 2026. "Soda Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/soda-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
34 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+9 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)