The global consumption of bottled water reached 154 billion liters (41 billion gallons) in 2004, up 57 percent from the 98 billion liters consumed five years earlier.
Making bottles to meet Americans’ demand for bottled water requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel some 100,000 U.S. cars for a year.
Worldwide, some 2.7 million tons of plastic are used to bottle water each year.
According to the Container Recycling Institute, 86 percent of plastic water bottles used in the United States become garbage or litter.
Bottled Water Consumption per Person in Leading Countries, 1999 and 2004 | ||
| Country | 1999 | 2004 |
Liters | ||
| Italy | 154.8 | 183.6 |
| Mexico | 117.0 | 168.5 |
| United Arab Emirates | 109.8 | 163.5 |
| Belgium * | 121.9 | 148.0 |
| France | 117.3 | 141.6 |
| Spain | 101.8 | 136.7 |
| Germany | 100.7 | 124.9 |
| Lebanon | 67.8 | 101.4 |
| Switzerland | 90.1 | 99.6 |
| Cyprus | 67.4 | 92.0 |
| United States | 63.6 | 90.5 |
| Saudi Arabia | 75.3 | 87.8 |
| Czech Republic | 62.1 | 87.1 |
| Austria | 74.6 | 82.1 |
| Portugal | 70.4 | 80.3 |
| Global Average | 16.3 | 24.2 |
| * Belgium figures include Luxembourg | ||
| Source: Beverage Marketing Corporation, cited in John G. Rodwan, Jr., "Bottled Water 2004: U.S. and International Statistics and Developments," Bottled Water Reporter, April/May 2005. | ||
Bottled Water Consumption in Top Ten Countries and World, 1999 and 2004 | ||
| Country | 1999 | 2004 |
| Billion Liters | ||
| United States | 17.3 | 25.8 |
| Mexico | 11.6 | 17.7 |
| China | 4.6 | 11.9 |
| Brazil | 5.7 | 11.6 |
| Italy | 8.9 | 10.7 |
| Germany | 8.3 | 10.3 |
| France | 6.9 | 8.5 |
| Indonesia | 3.4 | 7.4 |
| Spain | 4.1 | 5.5 |
| India | 1.7 | 5.1 |
| All Others | 25.9 | 39.9 |
| Total | 98.4 | 154.3 |
| Source: Beverage Marketing Corporation, cited in John G. Rodwan, Jr., "Bottled Water 2004: U.S. and International Statistics and Developments," Bottled Water Reporter, April/May 2005. | ||
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