Research: Soda Down 17 Percent, Bottled Water Up 38 Percent

Despite their overwhelming popularity, carbonated soft drink consumption in the U.S. is slowly giving way to water drinking, particularly bottled water, according to recent research from Global Information (GII), an information service company partnering with over 300 research companies around the world. GII claims Americans are drinking an average of 44 gallons of soda per year, representing a 17 percent drop from peak soda consumption averages in 1998. Over the same period, the average amount of water people drink has increased 38 percent to about 58 gallons a year. Paralleling this trend, bottled water consumption has nearly doubled to 21 gallons a year.