Bottled water is on course to overtake sales of carbonated sugary soft drinks for the first time to become the world’s best selling drink this year.
Sales of bottled water have gone up by an average of 6% every year since 2008, according to market researchers Canadean. At the same time, sales of carbonated pop drinks grew, but by only 1.3% a year.
In Britain sales of bottled water rose 10% in the year to the end of March, according to market researcher Nielsen.
More than 238 billion litres of water is likely to be sold around the world this year, while soda sales are expected to be 227 billion litres.
Just five years ago, only 170 billion litres of packaged water was drunk in comparison to 215 billion litres of pop.
The push in water sales is helped by people in emerging economies, with consumption increasing in India, China and Brazil. The struggle to access reliable tap water in many places has only added to bottled water’s popularity.
“With nearly one-third of the world’s population residing in these countries the impact is significant. Packaged water is often necessary in areas susceptible to flooding or other natural occurrences, as these often lead to water contamination and the spread of diseases,” said Fiona Baillie, an analyst at Canadean.
Concerns about obesity, additives and the high sugar content of soft drinks have contributed to rising sales in the US and Europe.
Last year marked the 10th anniversary of the start of the steady decline in soft drink purchases in the US. Sales have dropped off by 14% over the decade, according to Beverage Digest.
Consumers should be careful what they buy. The world’s largest producers of bottled water include France’s Danone, Switzerland’s Nestlé, and the US companies Coca-Cola and PepsiCo.
