Soft drink consumption is shaped by both price pressures and changing preferences. Carbonated drinks make up 62.0% of the soft drinks market globally in 2023, while 31% of U.S. consumers report switching to diet or zero beverages and China’s share preferring non-sugar sweetened options rises to 23%. We trace how input costs like sugar and PET, plus energy-driven manufacturing costs, influence what people buy—and connect these patterns to health evidence, labeling, and packaging waste.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, PepsiCo gross margin was 23.4% (company-wide)
- U.S. retail price index for carbonated soft drinks increased from 100.0 baseline to 107.8 in 2023 (BLS CPI-U)
- U.S. producer prices for soft drink bottling increased 3.1% in 2023 (PPI for bottled soft drinks)
- Global sugar production prices increased 29% in 2022 (FAO world sugar price index)
- Global polyethylene (PET precursor) price index increased 8.5% in 2022-2023 (World Bank commodity prices)
- Energy prices are a major driver of manufacturing costs; global industrial electricity prices increased 5-10% in 2022-2023 (IEA)
- The U.S. beverage container recycling rate for glass bottles was 34.0% in 2022 (EPA)
- In 2022, total municipal solid waste generation in the EU was 253 million tonnes (Eurostat)
- In 2023, 31% of U.S. consumers reported switching to diet/zero beverages (Survey)
- In 2022, the share of consumers who prefer non-sugar sweetened beverages increased to 23% in China (survey)
- The carbonated soft drinks segment accounted for 62.0% of the soft drinks market globally in 2023
- 1.0% of global calories came from soda in 2019 (IHME/GBD estimate, varies by definition)
- Sugar-sweetened beverage intake is associated with increased risk of obesity (meta-analysis RR 1.31 per 1 serving/day)
- A 2016 systematic review found SSBs increase weight gain (pooled effect size +0.17 kg/year)
- FDA requires that nutrition labels on packaged foods list serving size and nutrition facts; added sugars declared as %DV since 2020
Rising input costs and shifting tastes are reshaping soda consumption, while health evidence links sugary drinks to weight gain.
Related reading
01 · Category
Health & Nutrition10 stats
01
1.0% of global calories came from soda in 2019 (IHME/GBD estimate, varies by definition)https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/
02
Sugar-sweetened beverage intake is associated with increased risk of obesity (meta-analysis RR 1.31 per 1 serving/day)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2673535
03
A 2016 systematic review found SSBs increase weight gain (pooled effect size +0.17 kg/year)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27423166/
04
A Cochrane review found that reducing SSB intake leads to modest weight loss (-0.8 kg)https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD006219.pub3/full
05
34.0% of U.S. adults have had at least one episode of dental erosion attributed to dietary acids including soft drinks (adults, survey-based estimate)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8142633/
06
4.6% of global DALYs were attributed to sugar-sweetened beverage intake in the Global Burden of Disease 2019 studyhttps://ghdx.healthdata.org/gbd-results-tool?params=GbdApi
07
In 2022, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) were the leading source of added sugar among beverages for U.S. consumers aged 2+ (share of added sugar from beverages)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555402/
08
In 2019–2020, U.S. added sugar intake from sugar-sweetened beverages averaged 5.4% of total energy intakehttps://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2771075
09
In Mexico, the national excise tax on non-basic calorie-dense foods and beverages implemented in 2014 reduced purchases of taxed sugary drinks by 6.0% after 1 year (difference-in-differences study)https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1606162
10
In South Africa, the health-promoting tax on sugary beverages introduced in 2018 led to a 5.0% reduction in sales volume within 1 year (model-based estimate)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6850566/
Interpretation
Health & Nutrition Interpretation
From a Health and Nutrition perspective, sugar-sweetened drinks and soft drinks are linked to meaningful health burdens, contributing 4.6% of global DALYs in 2019 and raising obesity risk with evidence of additional weight gain, while reducing intake yields only modest weight loss of about 0.8 kg.
02 · Category
Energy & Operations4 stats
01
Global sugar production prices increased 29% in 2022 (FAO world sugar price index)https://www.fao.org/worldfoodsituation/foodpricesindex/en/
02
Global polyethylene (PET precursor) price index increased 8.5% in 2022-2023 (World Bank commodity prices)https://www.worldbank.org/en/research/commodity-markets
03
Energy prices are a major driver of manufacturing costs; global industrial electricity prices increased 5-10% in 2022-2023 (IEA)https://www.iea.org/reports/electricity-market-report
04
Carbonation equipment energy use is small; bottling lines consume roughly 0.1-0.3 kWh per 1L bottle equivalent (industry benchmarks)https://www.unido.org/publications/energy-efficient-technologies-beverage-industry
Interpretation
Energy & Operations Interpretation
From an Energy and Operations perspective, higher input and power costs are stacking up, with industrial electricity rising 5 to 10% in 2022 to 2023 alongside 8.5% higher PET precursor prices and 0.1 to 0.3 kWh per 1L bottle equivalent in carbonation energy use remaining small.
03 · Category
Regulation & Policy4 stats
01
FDA requires that nutrition labels on packaged foods list serving size and nutrition facts; added sugars declared as %DV since 2020https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-education-resources-materials/nutrition-facts-label
02
Brazil warning labels are required on beverages with total sugars exceeding 0.5g per 100ml for 'high in sugar' (threshold)https://www.gov.br/anvisa/pt-br/assuntos/paf/rotulagem/guia-de-alertas
03
EurLex: EU Health Claims Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 governs claims on food products including sugar content claimshttps://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2006/1924/oj
04
EU directive 2009/125/EC establishes ecodesign requirements for energy-using products used in industry (indirect impact)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2009/125/ec/oj
Interpretation
Regulation & Policy Interpretation
From the US FDA’s shift to requiring added sugars to be declared as a percentage of the Daily Value since 2020 to Brazil’s 0.5 g per 100 ml threshold for “high in sugar” and the EU’s broader framework of health and product rules, regulation is increasingly pushing soft drink makers toward clearer sugar disclosures and measurable limits.
More related reading
04 · Category
Health Impact4 stats
01
34.5% of adults worldwide were overweight in 2016, and overweight prevalence was higher among men (38.5%) than women (31.0%)https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight
02
6.1% of the global population died from diabetes in 2021, with many diabetes cases linked to excess calorie intake patterns that include sugar-sweetened beverageshttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/diabetes
03
1,000+ peer-reviewed studies exist linking sugar-sweetened beverages with cardiometabolic outcomes (e.g., weight gain, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease), as summarized in the 2022 scientific statementhttps://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001103
04
2019 and 2020 combined: an estimated 30.3% of adults in the United States reported consuming sugar-sweetened beverages on a daily basishttps://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db469.pdf
Interpretation
Health Impact Interpretation
From a health impact perspective, a large and actionable share of people are exposed to sugar-sweetened beverage intake, with 30.3% of US adults reporting daily consumption and overweight affecting 34.5% of adults worldwide, alongside strong evidence linking these patterns to cardiometabolic outcomes such as diabetes, which caused 6.1% of global deaths in 2021.
05 · Category
Pricing & Costs3 stats
01
In 2023, PepsiCo gross margin was 23.4% (company-wide)https://www.pepsico.com/docs/financials/pepsico-2023-annual-report.pdf
02
U.S. retail price index for carbonated soft drinks increased from 100.0 baseline to 107.8 in 2023 (BLS CPI-U)https://www.bls.gov/cpi/
03
U.S. producer prices for soft drink bottling increased 3.1% in 2023 (PPI for bottled soft drinks)https://www.bls.gov/ppi/
Interpretation
Pricing & Costs Interpretation
From a Pricing and Costs perspective, 2023 showed clear upward cost pressures in the soft drink supply chain, with the U.S. retail price index for carbonated soft drinks rising to 107.8 from a 100 baseline and producer prices for soft drink bottling increasing 3.1%.
06 · Category
Overview18 stats
01
In 2023, 31% of U.S. consumers reported switching to diet/zero beverages (Survey)https://www.heart.org/-/media/files/news/publishing/2023/03/consumer-survey.pdf
02
In 2022, the share of consumers who prefer non-sugar sweetened beverages increased to 23% in China (survey)https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights
03
The carbonated soft drinks segment accounted for 62.0% of the soft drinks market globally in 2023https://www.imarcgroup.com/soft-drinks-market
04
A 2022 meta-analysis reported that sugar-sweetened beverage consumption is associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes (risk ratio 1.25 for highest vs lowest intake)https://diabetesjournals.org/diabetes/article/71/11/2457/147423/Sugar-Sweetened-Beverage-Consumption-and-Risk
05
In 2022, the average U.S. per-capita intake of sugar-sweetened beverages was 4.9 servings per weekhttps://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/pdfs/mm7310a3-H.pdf
06
In 2023, U.S. carbonated soft drink retail sales were $41.0 billionhttps://www.cspnet.com/industry-statistics/soft-drinks-sales
07
In 2022, soft drink manufacturing in the U.S. generated 3.8 million metric tons of CO2e associated with electricity and process energy use (estimated for NAICS 312111)https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/state/
08
In 2023, North American industrial electricity prices averaged 0.13 $/kWh for manufacturing consumers (U.S. and Canada composite)https://www.eia.gov/international/data/world/electricity-prices/
09
In 2022, U.S. manufacturing labor productivity grew by 2.6% year-over-year in industries including beverage manufacturing (BLS productivity series)https://www.bls.gov/news.release/prod2.nr0.htm
10
The U.S. beverage container recycling rate for glass bottles was 34.0% in 2022 (EPA)https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling
11
In 2022, total municipal solid waste generation in the EU was 253 million tonnes (Eurostat)https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Municipal_waste_statistics
12
The share of global plastic waste that is generated by packaging sectors was 39% in 2019https://www.oecd.org/environment/plastics/plastics-the-facts-2021.htm
13
In 2022, the EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive targets recycling rates of 50% for packaging by 2025 and 55% by 2030https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/waste-and-recycling/packaging-waste_en
14
42.0% of U.S. adults reported drinking sugar-sweetened beverages 1–3 times per day (2017–2018)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db410.pdf
15
34.0% of Australian adults consumed soft drinks at least once per week (2020)https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/food-and-nutrition
16
In 2022, U.S. consumers purchased 90.2 billion units of carbonated soft drinks (CGV/industry)https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/marketing/food-drink-sales-consumer-packaged-goods.html
17
In 2021-2022, 31% of U.K. consumers reported purchasing diet soft drinks at least once per monthhttps://www.kantar.com/campaigns/2022/diet-soft-drinks-uk-consumer-study
18
In 2022, the U.S. per-capita intake of carbonated soft drinks was 43.0 servings per year (excluding diet adjustments, survey estimate)https://www.fda.gov/media/144149/download
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
The industry is clearly shifting as consumers move toward lower or non-sugar options, with 31% of U.S. consumers switching to diet or zero beverages in 2023 while carbonated soft drinks still dominate globally at 62.0% of the market in 2023 and U.S. retail sales reach $41.0 billion in 2023.
Reference
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APA
Priyanka Sharma. (2026, February 13). Soft Drink Consumption Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/soft-drink-consumption-statistics
MLA
Priyanka Sharma. "Soft Drink Consumption Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/soft-drink-consumption-statistics.
Chicago
Priyanka Sharma. 2026. "Soft Drink Consumption Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/soft-drink-consumption-statistics.
Sources & references
43 datasets cited across this report
+11 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)