According to figures from the Dutch Association for Soft Drinks, Water and Juice (FWS), the average person in the Netherlands drinks a great deal fewer fizzy drinks than they did in 2012.

Number of litres showing downward trend in the Netherlands

In 2012, almost 1.670 million litres of soft drink was consumed, with the average person in the Netherlands drinking around 100 litres that year. This number has dropped significantly in the last five years. The FWS recently published figures, which revealed that the Dutch nation drank 1470,3 million litres of soft drink in 2016. The average person in the Netherlands thus drank 86,4 litres.

To give you a better idea of what that looks like; 86,4 litres is around 262 (330ml) cans per year or one can per day excluding the weekends. Of the soft drink sold in the Netherlands, the amount of “light/diet” versions bought has remained constant through the years at around 30 percent.

The favourite soft drink of the Dutch nation

According to FWS figures, the soft drink with the highest consumption percentage in the Netherlands is cola (all types). This result has also been confirmed by the 2017 results of the National Soft Drink Survey, which surveyed around 1.140 people in the Netherlands.

24 percent of participants in the Survey reported opting for cola and a further 19 percent for its light versions. Coming in third place was iced tea; still, soft drinks took fourth place, both scoring 10 percent.

Reasons for the downward trend

Many who filled in the survey indicate drinking fewer soft drinks than the previous year for health reasons. These reasons include soft drinks containing sugar, being detrimental to your health, causing weight gain and being bad for your teeth amongst others.

Others participating in the Survey said they chose light soft drink versions, as these contain less sugar and calories. Amongst those drinking fewer soft drinks, tap water was the chosen replacement, followed by hot drinks.

Whilst the consumption of soft drinks in the Netherlands has been decreasing, the consumption of flavoured water shows an upward trend. In 2016, the average person drank one litre more of flavoured water than in 2013.

Netherlands vs. other countries

The Netherlands is below average when it comes to the litres of soft drinks consumed in EU countries; the average being 94,5 per person per year in 2016. Germany consumes the most soft drinks, with an average of 139,6 litres per person. Denmark comes in second, with the Czech Republic following shortly after. Greece is at the bottom of the list with only 47,7 litres consumed per person.

For more figures visit FWS (in Dutch).