Top 10 Most Popular Soft Drinks (Sodas)
What are the top-selling soft drinks in the USA?
The latest beverage market stats are out — and there are some interesting highlights.
The epic battle between Coke and Pepsi continues, but so far Coke still has the top spot.
Both Coke and Pepsi fans are a loyal bunch so it will be hard to sway either of them to the other side.
Update: We originally published this list back in 2007 and we were pretty lucky at finding new data each year. However, over the last 5+ years, it has been hard to find data on individual soft drinks and not “brands in general.
What about the top-selling energy drinks? They’re listed here.
Top 10 Soft Drinks
| 2018³ | 2014³ | 2013³ | 2012 | 2011 | 2007 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Coca-cola Classic (coca-cola) | Coca-cola Classic (coca-cola) | Coca-cola Classic (coca-cola) | Coca-cola Classic (coca-cola) | Coca-cola Classic (coca-cola) | Coca-cola Classic (coca-cola) |
| 2. | Pepsi-cola (PepsiCo) | Pepsi-cola (PepsiCo) | Diet Coke (coca-cola) | Diet Coke (coca-cola) | Diet Coke (coca-cola) | Pepsi-cola (PepsiCo) |
| 3. | Diet Coke (coca-cola) | Diet Coke (coca-cola) | Pepsi-cola (PepsiCo) | Pepsi-cola (PepsiCo) | Pepsi-cola (PepsiCo) | Diet Coke (coca-cola) |
| 4. | Mountain Dew (PepsiCo) | Mountain Dew (PepsiCo) | Mountain Dew (PepsiCo) | Mountain Dew (PepsiCo) | Mountain Dew (PepsiCo) | Mountain Dew (PepsiCo) |
| 5. | ? | Dr Pepper (Dr. Pepper) | Dr Pepper (Dr. Pepper) | Dr Pepper (Dr. Pepper) | Dr Pepper (Dr. Pepper) | Diet Pepsi (PepsiCo) |
| 6. | ? | Sprite (coca-cola) | Sprite (coca-cola) | Sprite (coca-cola) | Sprite (coca-cola) | Dr Pepper (Cadbury-Schweppes) |
| 7. | ? | Diet Pepsi (PepsiCo) | Diet Pepsi (PepsiCo) | Diet Pepsi (PepsiCo) | Diet Pepsi (PepsiCo) | Sprite (coca-cola) |
| 8. | ? | Fanta (coca-cola) | Diet Mountain Dew (PepsiCo) | Diet Mountain Dew (PepsiCo) | Diet Mountain Dew (PepsiCo) | Fanta (coca-cola) |
| 9. | ? | Diet Mountain Dew (PepsiCo) | Fanta (coca-cola) | Fanta (coca-cola) | Diet Dr. Pepper (Dr. Pepper/Snapple) | Caffeine-Free Diet Coke (coca-cola) |
| 10. | ? | Coke Zero | Coke Zero | Diet Dr. Pepper (Dr. Pepper/Snapple) | Fanta (coca-cola) | Diet Mountain Dew (PepsiCo) |
Top Ten Soda Brands Changes?
- Pepsi regained the #2 spot in 2014 after losing that spot in 2008.
- The list has been pretty static since 2011. The only change was Fanta moving to spot 9 and Diet Dr. Pepper falling to 10 in 2012 and falling out of the top 10 for 2013.
- Coke Zero was expected to break into the top 10 in 2012, but finally broke the top 10 in 2013.
- For the first time in history a diet soda has achieved the number 2 spot and in 2013 diet sodas occupy 4 positions.
- Diet sodas are becoming more popular, which shows a trend in people becoming more aware of too much sugar in the diet.
- Both Coca-cola and Pepsi lost market share. Coca-cola can blame it on the CEO – after all, they only paid him $32 million dollars for his year’s work. This downward trend has continued.
- Soft drinks are down 3% in 2013³, which is the worst year yet.
- Soft drinks still hold the majority market share – 51% (down 0.6% from the previous year). (07)
- Energy Drinks had a massive 49% growth – but the total market share is just 0.8% (which makes you wonder about all the over-enthusiastic media reporting). (07)
- Red Bull has the most market share there, Monster is second, and Rockstar is third.
Top Beverage Companies in the World in 2019
| 2019 |
|---|
| 1. Coca-Cola Co. |
| 2. PepsiCo |
| 3. Red Bull |
| 4. Nescafe |
| 5. Sprite |
| 6. Gatorade |
| 7. Monster |
| 8. Dr. Pepper |
| 9. Fanta |
| 10. Lipton |
| 11. Mountain Dew |
| 12. 7-Up |
| 13. Tropicana |
| 14. Folgers |
| 15. Twinings |
| 16. Milo |
| 17. Lavazza |
| 18. Jacobs |
| 19.Evian |
| 20. Mirinda |
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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Written by James Foster, last updated on January 9, 2020
