In this article, you will gain insight into the energy drink industry, the consumption of the beverages, which energy drinks are popular in the United States, and the nutritional value and possible effects of these energy drinks.
So what are you waiting for? Dive into these stats and facts about energy drinks. They’ll be sure to get your pulse racing.
Top 10 Energy Drink Statistics and Facts
- Global energy drink sales reached $57.4 billion in 2020.
- North America topped the global energy drinks market in 2018.
- Red Bull sold over 7.9 billion energy drink cans in 2020.
- Energy drinks only really became popular in the United States in 1997 with the launch of Red Bull in the country.
- Energy drinks with sugar are bad for diabetic patients.
- About 28% of US energy drink consumers are concerned about addiction.
- Excessive consumption of energy drinks can lead to high blood pressure.
- Mixing energy drinks with alcohol may lead to heart palpitations.
- Energy drinks often contain copious amounts of B vitamins.
- It takes 12 hours on average for the body to eliminate caffeine from the bloodstream.
Energy Drink Consumption and Industry Statistics
The consumption of energy-boosting beverages has achieved immense growth over the years, especially among young adults and adolescents. Extreme sports players also increasingly turned to energy drinks due to their ability to provide an instant energy boost and improved cognitive performance.
In this section, we explore some of the most compelling energy drink consumption statistics for 2020 and investigate just how much this canned energy grew in popularity worldwide.
1. Global energy drink sales reached $57.4 billion in 2020.
(Investopedia, Statista)
The sales are further expected to grow. According to energy drink industry statistics, the industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7% between 2020 and 2025. It’s projected to gross $86 billion in sales by 2026.
According to energy drink market statistics, most energy drinks sales are realized at convenience stores, e-commerce websites, and supermarkets.
2. In 2016, the sales of energy drinks in the United States totaled $2.8 billion.
(Statista)
The sales of energy drinks had increased by 5.13% when compared to the previous year.
3. Red Bull sales amounted to $3 billion in 2016.
(Statista)
There are many new energy drink companies in the United States, but Red Bull remains the brand selling the most out of all energy drinks. In comparison, Monster Energy had a sales total of around $1.5 billion.
4. The Asia-Pacific region will likely be the fastest-growing energy drink market between 2019 and 2026.
(Investopedia, Allied Market Research)
This region is expected to record growth at 7.3% CAGR in the forecast period due to a spike in disposable income and changes in demographics.
5. North America topped the global energy drinks market in 2018.
(Investopedia, Allied Market Research)
The energy drinks market in North America is primarily driven by an increase in health concerns and a rise in awareness of the benefits of energy drinks as dietary supplements.
Combined, the Asia-Pacific and the North American market made up almost 55% of the global energy drinks market share in 2018.
6. Around 47% of consumers claim that they consume energy drinks on multiple occasions in the space of one week.
(Statista)
Gas stations, supermarkets, convenience stores, and general stores sell the most energy drinks. People who consume energy drinks say that they choose their drink of preference due to the brand image, the taste, and the price of the product.
7. More than 33% of people between the ages of 18 and 29 claimed that they consumed energy drinks regularly, according to energy drink consumption statistics.
(Statista)
This is the result of a study conducted in 2018, where people were asked about their consumption of energy drinks.
8. Energy drinks made up 30% of the sales in dollars of packaged drinks for purchase at convenience stores in the United States in 2017.
(Statista)
These energy drink products are one of the most popular packaged beverages on sale in the country.
9. Red Bull sold over 7.9 billion energy drink cans in 2020.
(Red Bull)
That’s an increase of 5.2% in comparison with 2019. Group sales went up by 4%—from €6.067 billion (about $7.02 billion) to €6.307 billion (about $7.29 billion).
The Red Bull energy drink market statistics show that the main factor behind the growth was phenomenal sales development in countries like Turkey, the US, Germany, Russia, and Canada.
10. Monster Beverage, which makes the popular Monster Energy drink, has seen a revenue growth by a minimum of 9% every year since 2001.
(Business Insider)
Shares in the energy drink company have grown by 60,000% since the company first went public in 2003.
11. In 2020, Red Bull sales reached $2.9 billion in the US alone.
(Statista)
Monster Energy followed closely with $1.76 billion in US sales that year, according to energy drink consumption statistics from 2020.
The trend continued in 2021. Red Bull accounted for 23.3% market share ($2.89 billion) in May 2021, and Monster Energy followed closely, amounting to 23.2%.
12. Millennials appear to be the target market for energy drinks, with 61% of this generation consuming these beverages.
(Natural Products Insider)
Those who seem to be the biggest fans of energy drinks are around the ages of 27 to 37. Although this generation does consume the most energy drinks, 74% of those within this age group are concerned that energy drinks are unhealthy.
13. The demographic that consumes the largest amount of energy drinks is men aged between 18 and 34 years old.
(National Institutes of Health)
In addition to this, around a third of teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 regularly consume these energy drinks, as revealed by reports on energy drink consumption by age.
14. In the European Union, around 68% of those under the age of 19 years old consume energy drinks.
(National Health Service)
Moreover, around 30% of adults in the EU consume energy drinks. The drinks were first introduced in the 60s in Japan and then later became popular in the 80s and 90s in Europe.
Popular Energy Drinks in America
As you may already know, Red Bull and Monster energy drinks lead the way in the world of energy drinks in the US. Other notable names include Bang, Rockstar, Hi-Tiger, etc.
Let’s get familiar with these exceptionally well-known energy drink brands and learn about their history.
15. Energy drinks only really became popular in the United States in 1997 with the launch of Red Bull in the country.
(Investopedia)
The popular drink had been around since 1987 in Austria, where the company Red Bull GmbH was initially started.
16. Originally, Monster Beverage Corp was founded as Hansen Natural Corp in 1990.
(Investopedia)
According to historical energy drink facts, the company later started selling Monster energy drinks in 2002 to compete with Red Bull, seeing the business do a total pivot of its brand.
17. Rockstar Energy was launched in San Francisco in 2001 by the owner and founder Russ Weiner.
(Investopedia)
There are 27 different varieties of this brand of energy drink, including a calorie-free option.
Are Energy Drinks Safe?
In the past two decades, energy drinks have been promoted as the go-to drink for boosting assertiveness and improving energy fast. However, despite their popularity, these beverages aren’t the safest, especially if taken in excess.
Many users are unaware of certain energy drinks’ dangerous ingredients and their effects on overall health.
Here, we educate you on the safety of energy drinks and discuss their potential adverse effects.
18. The number of visits to an emergency room due to the consumption of energy drinks increased two-fold between 2007 and 2011.
(National Institutes of Health)
Of all these visits to the emergency room due to the consumption of these drinks, around 10% (one in 10) ended up with the person being admitted to the hospital.
19. Energy drinks with sugar are bad for diabetic patients.
(Healthline)
That energy drinks often contain substantial amounts of sugar is one of the most well-known energy drink facts. For example, a single 8.4-oz can of Red Bull contains nearly seven teaspoons of sugar.
Such beverages lead to a rapid increase in blood sugar levels, exacerbating diabetes symptoms. Moreover, prolonged daily consumption of sugar-containing energy drinks increases the chances of developing type 2 diabetes by 26%.
20. About 28% of US energy drink consumers are concerned about addiction.
(Statista, Verywell Mind)
Addiction is one of the top energy drinks health risks and concerns, as they contain potentially habit-forming substances such as caffeine and sugar.
Scientists believe both adults and children can get addicted to energy drinks.
21. 42% of emergency room visits related to energy drinks in 2011 were cases where energy drinks had been mixed with alcohol or drugs.
(National Institutes of Health)
The drugs that the energy drinks were mixed with were often marijuana, prescription medications, or medications that could be bought over-the-counter. This shows that drinking or taking drugs can be extremely dangerous with energy drinks.
22. An estimated 25% of students in college use energy drinks mixed with alcohol.
(National Institutes of Health)
According to the Centers for Disease Control, young people aged between 15 and 23 who choose to consume alcohol with energy drinks are more likely (by four times) to binge on alcohol in large amounts than those who don’t consume energy drinks as a mixer. By binge-drinking, we are talking about consuming an excess of six drinks.
23. Over-consumption of energy drinks can result in a caffeine overdose.
(National Health Services)
The symptoms of a caffeine overdose can include nausea and vomiting, heart palpitations, body convulsions, increased blood pressure, and even, in extreme circumstances, death.
24. Energy drinks can be dangerous for pregnant women, possibly causing miscarriages.
(National Health Services)
Energy drinks statistics and facts show that the caffeine in energy drinks can also cause stillborn babies and babies with low birth weight.
25. The caffeine in energy drinks can have negative effects on a person’s mind and body.
(Medical News Today)
It can cause increased anxiety, drive up a person’s heart rate, cause stomach issues, and leave a person dehydrated.
Energy Drinks Effects
There are numerous side effects associated with consuming energy drinks, especially in cases of excessive consumption.
While most energy drinks can provide you with an energy boost within minutes, excessive intake can lead to restlessness, disturbance in heart rhythm, vomiting, etc.
Let’s delve into all the effects these beverages can produce.
26. Excessive consumption of energy drinks can lead to high blood pressure.
(Journal of the American Heart Association, Eat This, Not That)
One of the well-known energy drink facts is that energy drinks contain caffeine—one of the most famous substances that can quickly increase blood pressure and heart rate.
Alongside caffeine, these energy-boosting beverages also contain other ingredients that can contribute to high blood pressure, fatigue, heart palpitations, insomnia, kidney failure, and dehydration when combined with caffeine, sugar, and other energy drink ingredients.
These include herbal extracts such as ginseng, Ginkgo biloba, guarana, taurine, etc.
27. Energy drinks can lead to excessive weight gain.
(LIVESTRONG.com)
For example, according to nutrition stats on energy drinks, a 16-oz Red Bull contains at least 12 teaspoons of sugar and packs a whopping 212 kcal.
Although this poses no immediate health threats, excess high calorie-count and substantial doses of sugar contribute to weight gain and obesity over time.
28. If you consume energy drinks regularly, you may experience caffeine withdrawal.
(Medical News Today)
Due to the amount of caffeine within these drinks, you could experience caffeine withdrawals 12 to 24 hours after you’ve had the energy drink.
29. During the first 15 to 45 minutes after consuming an energy drink, you will likely feel more alert and concentrate better.
(Medical News Today)
Studies on energy drinks’ effects reveal this is because, during this time, you are feeling the peak effects of the caffeine in your system.
30. Mixing energy drinks with alcohol may lead to heart palpitations.
(Healthline)
An Australian study examining 406 young adults demonstrated that people who combine energy drinks with alcohol are six times more likely to experience palpitations than those who consume only alcohol.
31. While one of the benefits of energy drinks is that they will increase alertness and energy levels, a person can start to crash as soon as one hour after consuming an energy drink.
(Medical News Today)
At around one hour, the sugar and caffeine will have peaked, and the effects will start to crash, leaving you feeling less energetic than you had initially.
Energy Drink Nutrition Facts
Did you know that, besides guarana, sugar, and other energy-boosting ingredients, energy drinks can also contain beneficial vitamins and antioxidants?
This section will take you through energy drinks’ nutritional values, some of their most prominent ingredients, and the most critical energy drink facts for 2020 regarding their nutritional profile.
Let’s check them out!
32. Most energy drinks contain a large amount of caffeine.
(Mayo Clinic)
Other common ingredients in these beverages are ginkgo biloba, glucuronolactone, l-carnitine, guarana, sugars, ginseng, trace minerals, and antioxidants.
33. Energy drinks often contain copious amounts of B vitamins.
(Men’s Health, NCBI)
Many energy drinks contain staggering amounts of B vitamins (B2, B3, B5, B6, B12)—some provide over 8,000% DV of B12 and 2,000% DV of B6.
The role of B vitamins is to help convert sugar and other substances to energy. However, although B vitamins are responsible for a portion of the health benefits of energy drinks, their excessive intake is unnecessary, according to experts.
Though rarely, excessive intake of B vitamins may also cause some adverse effects.
34. Energy drink health facts show that an 8-ounce (240 ml) can of Monster Energy contains around 110 calories.
(Very Well Fit)
It also contains 180 mg of sodium, 27 grams of sugar, and 27 grams of carbohydrates. It doesn’t contain any fats, fiber, or protein.
35. Energy drinks contain high levels of taurine.
(Mayo Clinic, Medical News Today)
Taurine, an amino acid, serves as a stimulant, enhancing mental and physical performance—one of the top benefits of drinking energy drinks.
This organic compound found in the brain and muscle tissue can help regulate water and mineral content in the human body. However, excessive consumption can lead to extreme lowering of blood pressure in some people.
36. The average energy drink contains around the same amount of caffeine as four servings of coffee–320 mg.
(Reuters)
Around 32 ounces of commercially available energy drinks is likely to cause health hazards, such as issues with blood pressure and the heart’s functionality.
37. It takes 12 hours on average for the body to eliminate caffeine from the bloodstream.
(Medical News Today)
According to energy drink facts, people with underlying health conditions (e.g., liver damage), pregnant women, and children may take more time to eliminate caffeine obtained from energy drinks from their system.
FAQs
How many deaths are related to energy drinks?
(Journal of the American Heart Association)
In May 2019, it was published in a paper that there had been 34 deaths thus far related to drinking energy drinks. Caffeine consumption statistics show us that people who consume too much caffeine can have heart problems. Most caffeinated energy drinks have a large amount of caffeine in them, as well as other ingredients that are expected to boost energy levels.
While FDA regulations on energy drinks are there to ensure that a single serving of the beverage is safe, people can easily consume multiple energy drinks without knowing that they affect their health. Looking at this danger, energy drinks in schools and places where teenagers and children are should be looked at in terms of health concerns.
What age group consumes the most energy drinks?
(National Institutes of Health)
The data on who drinks energy drinks the most shows that the most common age group to consume these beverages in large quantities is those between 18 and 34 years old. This is quite a large grouping of people. The data also shows that men consume more energy drinks in general than women.
Energy drink trends show that many different people consume these beverages. Some are attracted to the brand itself, others to the taste, and many to the fact that the drinks offer extra energy.
What is the strongest energy drink in the world?
(Caffeine Informer)
If you’re looking for the strongest energy drink in terms of how much caffeine is in a single serving, two brands have the highest caffeine content. They include Hyde Power Potion and Spike Energy Drink, with each can containing 350 mg of caffeine.
Popular brands like Red Bull and Monster Energy don’t make it to the top 10 energy drinks with the most caffeine. You’ll find more up-and-coming energy drinks on this list than established and well-known brands.
The strongest energy shot you can buy is the 10 Hour Energy Shot, which has around 422 mg of caffeine per bottle. The second-highest amount of caffeine that you will find in an energy shot is 350 mg per bottle. The thing is, energy shots come in much smaller containers than energy drinks, so they contain far more caffeine per amount of liquid.
Why are energy drinks bad for you?
(Independent)
Energy drinks have no nutritional value and quite a high amount of sugar in them, except, of course, for energy drinks that are marketed as having zero sugar. The high sugar content contributes to obesity problems. This is why energy drinks should never be seen as dietary supplements.
Energy drinks also have high caffeine content. The high caffeine content can be dangerous for people’s blood pressure and hearts. Consuming multiple energy drinks can be a health hazard, especially if consumed within a short period.
Another one of the many effects of energy drinks on the body is that they can cause the heart to race and increase anxiety. People need to be wary when they consume energy drinks, even though they are regulated by the caffeine laws in the United States.
Conclusion
While energy drinks are technically safe to drink as they are regulated by the law surrounding caffeinated products, energy drink statistics show that over-consumption of these beverages can be harmful to the average person. These drinks contain no nutritional value and can affect the heart rate, blood pressure, and even anxiety levels of the person drinking them.
Sources:
- Allied Market Research
- Business Insider
- Caffeine Informer
- Healthline
- Independent
- Investopedia
- Journal of the American Heart Association
- LIVESTRONG.com
- Mayo Clinic
- Mayo Clinic
- Medical News Today
- Medical News Today
- Medical News Today
- Men’s Health
- National Health Service
- National Institutes of Health
- Natural Products Insider
- NCBI
- Red Bull
- Reuters
- Statista
- Statista
- Statista
- Statista
- Statista
- Verywell Mind
- Very Well Fit
