Bottled Water Statistics

Fifty years ago, one would be hard pressed to find a bottle of water for sale. Today, bottled water makes up a large portion of the beverage industry and has seen quite a rise in popularity in the past decade. Brand names like Aquafina, Fiji, Dasani and Evian have become household names and the bottled water has cemented itself in our society.

Popularity

In 2008, bottled water was the second largest selling drink in the U.S. market, beat only by carbonated soft drinks; however, soft drinks had seen a drop in sales from 2006 to 2007. There has been a marked increase in the popularity of bottled water in the past decade. In 2000, bottled water was ranked fifth in U.S. consumption, behind beer, coffee, milk and carbonated soft drinks.

Bottled Tap Water

Even though the label may claim the water you are buying is straight from the cleanest, freshest spring, about 24 percent of the bottled water found on American shelves is actually purified tap water. In a televised investigation on the "20/20" news program, five bottles of water from leading national brands were sent to a microbiologist to be tested against tap water taken from the center of New York City to find which, if any, contained sickness-causing bacteria like E. coli. They found no difference at all between the tap water and bottled water. Bottled water is also significantly more expensive than tap water, ranging from 240 to 10,000 times more in price.

Consumption

In 2008, Americans consumed approximately 8.6 million gallons of bottled water. This is quite an increase from 2000, when Americans consumed 4.7 million gallons. In 2008, the average person consumed 28.5 gallons of bottled water a year. Bottled water delivery to homes accounts for nearly 28 percent of the market. American bottled water consumption can be traced back to assumptions that the product is more convenient as well as healthier and safer than other choices.

Still, Mineral, Spring and Carbonated Water

Americans have a love for domestic non-sparkling bottled water. In 2008, the segment made up 95.8 percent of bottled water sold. Both spring and mineral water must originate from an underground source to be classified as such. Mineral water has more mineral salts than other types of water. Sparkling water is considered the same as seltzer or carbonated water. In some areas of Europe, such as Switzerland, sparkling water tends to be far more popular than still. Historically, carbonated water has been used to calm upset stomachs.

International Growth

Even though Americans make up the majority of the bottled water market, in 2008, 53 billion gallons were consumed globally, marking a sharp increase in international consumption. Between 1997 and 2005, bottled water consumption more than doubled. One of the reasons for the increase in global consumption is that bottled water is sometimes the only safe drinking water available in foreign countries.

References

• Happy Investors - Bottled Water
• International Bottled Water Association Website

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish