Top 10 Most Popular Soft Drinks (Sodas)
What are the top-selling soft drinks in the USA?
The carbonated soft drink (CSD) market is dominated by two major players: Coca Cola Company, and PepsiCo. Each company markets a huge number of brands, with Coca Cola Company having the larger market share.
This is reflected in drink sales with Coca cola continuing to outsell Pepsi.
The top sodas (in order) are:
Top 10 Soft Drinks By Year*
| 2018 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2007 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Coca-cola | Coca-cola | Coca-cola | Coca-cola | Coca-cola | Coca-cola |
| 2. | Pepsi | Pepsi | Diet Coke | Diet Coke | Diet Coke | Pepsi |
| 3. | Diet Coke | Diet Coke | Pepsi | Pepsi | Pepsi | Diet Coke |
| 4. | Mountain Dew | Mountain Dew | Mountain Dew | Mountain Dew | Mountain Dew | Mountain Dew |
| 5. | ? | Dr Pepper | Dr Pepper | Dr Pepper | Dr Pepper | Diet Pepsi |
| 6. | ? | Sprite | Sprite | Sprite | Sprite | Dr Pepper |
| 7. | ? | Diet Pepsi | Diet Pepsi | Diet Pepsi | Diet Pepsi | Sprite |
| 8. | ? | Fanta | Diet Mountain Dew | Diet Mountain Dew | Diet Mountain Dew | Fanta |
| 9. | ? | Diet Mountain Dew | Fanta | Fanta | Diet Dr. Pepper | Caffeine-Free Diet Coke |
| 10. | ? | Coke Zero | Coke Zero | Diet Dr. Pepper | Fanta | Diet Mountain Dew |
Energy drinks are a different category and market. See the top-selling energy drink brands here.
*From 2017 onwards individual sales numbers of a drink variant are very difficult to come by, and in many cases not publicly available. In most cases sales numbers are estimated by analysts.
Who Owns Each Brand or Soft Drink?
The beverage industry is bewilderingly complex. Globally the entire carbonated beverage market size is valued at USD 406 Billion.
Different companies market a multitude of brands, and even have licensing agreements to supply other brands in different markets.
However the big players look like this:
Coca Cola Company
The company offers more than 500 brands in more than 200 countries.
- Coca-cola
- Sprite
- Fanta
- Powerade
- Also Minute Maid, Glaceau, Barq’s, Fresca, Appletiser, and many more.
PepsiCo
PepsiCo has a number of food brands (Frito-Lay: Doritos, Fritos) as well as a large number of drink brands. Some are surprising (for example, Sodastream belongs to PepsiCo. Rockstar energy drinks were acquired by PepsiCo in 2020).
As already stated – the industry is confusing: PepsiCo has the rights to 7 Up outside North America, but it’s Keurig Dr Pepper who sell 7 Up inside the USA !
- Pepsi
- Mountain Dew
- 7 Up (outside US)
- Gatorade
- Also Starbucks RTDs, Lipton, Soda Stream
Keurig Dr Pepper
What was Cadbury Schweppes, then became Dr Pepper Snapple Group. Which was then acquired by Keurig Green Mountain… which became Keurig Dr Pepper.
- Dr Pepper
- 7 Up (inside US)
- Sunkist, Sun Drop, Schweppes, A&W, RC Cola.
Top Beverage Brands in the World in 2020
These brands are ordered by estimated brand value, and give a good indication of soft drink popularity. Note that beverage companies may own many different brands, which can even vary between regions.
- Coca-Cola
- Pepsi
- Red Bull
- Nescafé
- Sprite
- Monster
- Gatorade
- Lipton
- Mountain Dew
- Fanta
- Dr Pepper
- Tropicana
- 7-Up
- Twinings
- Lavazza
Source: Brand Directory Rankings
It’s important to note that many of the brands listed in the table above are subsidiaries of major brands like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo.
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