Non-alcoholic drink monthly production in China 2023-2024
In March 2024, approximately 18 million metric tons of soft drinks were produced in China, indicating almost the same amount as in the same period of the previous year.
Soft drink market
The accumulated production volume of soft drinks in China in 2023 has reached nearly 175 million metric tons. A closer look on consumption patterns reveals an increase in the purchase of soft drinks in China between 2011 and 2019. The forecasted sales revenue of non-alcoholic drinks was expected to cross 138 billion U.S. dollars by 2025. However, leading Chinese beverage companies in the 2023 Fortune China 500 ranking only consisted four non-alcoholic beverage companies.
Functional beverages
According to several surveys, less people in China favor regular carbonated soft drinks and more prefer functional drinks such as energy-boosting beverages, fermented/probiotic drinks, low-calorie drinks, drinks promoting beauty or brain performance and health, functional water, and "detox" drinks. Most respondents admitted that they had tried fermented beverages promoting gut health and water with added vitamins or minerals. The majority would purchase such drinks in a supermarket or mini-mart rather than order them in a café or buy online.