Coca-Cola Original Taste is the most consumed soft drink in the United States ahead of Sprite and Pepsi, but only by a small margin. Another cola drink, Dr. Pepper, is creeping up behind, as data by Statista Consumer Insights reveals, showing the competitive nature of the U.S. cola and carbonated drinks market.
The U.S. market offers a lot of choice in the soda isle, including for cola products, many of which have cultivated loyal followings. 36 percent of Americans said they had consumed the original Coca-Cola soda in the past 12 months, compared to 31 percent who said the same about Pepsi and 30 percent who had picked up at least one Dr. Pepper.
It is a different story outside of the U.S., however, where Coca-Cola has curated a bigger market leadership. While Coke is only 6 percentage points ahead of its competitor Pepsi stateside, this gap is far ahead of 30 percent in countries like Brazil, Germany or Mexico. India and the United Kingdom meanwhile are also home to a high number of Pepsi drinkers that rivals the number of Coca-Cola consumers in the respective nations.
For citrus-flavored sodas, Coca-Cola's Sprite is typically around 10 percentage points ahead of its main competitor 7 Up by KeurigDr.Pepper (U.S. ownership) or Pepsico (international ownership). Pepsico has another beverage in the U.S. top 10 – Mountain Dew, while KeurigDr.Pepper owns top 7 contestant Canada Dry, showing how the U.S. soda market is largely consolidated across three major players. Coca-Cola's sugar-free products round out the top 10 at 14 percent each, with sugar-free products by KeurigDr.Pepper and Pepsico trailing behind at 9-10 percent.
22 percent of Americans said they had consumed Coca-Cola's Fanta Orange. The product is much more popular in other markets, for example being the second most-drunk soda in Germany at 32 percent annual consumers in 2026.
