Global Premium Bottled Water Report 2026
Also included in the Global Water Database 2026 Global LicencePremium bottled water worldwide, measured brand by brand.
The 8th edition measures premium bottled water volume, value and value per litre for the world and seven regions, with actuals through 2025 and forecasts to 2030. It ranks the top five markets by volume and by value, profiles the global premium brands and takes a deep dive into six markets: the USA, the UK, Japan, China and the UAE, updated from the 7th edition, and Germany, new in the 8th edition.
The report follows the 7th edition, published in 2018, chapter for chapter, with the same charts in a new design. Its 2010 to 2017 history is kept as published, so every year compares on the same definition. Every chart page explains what happened, why it happened, with the evidence named, and what comes next.
No payment now. Waitlist members hear first when the report goes live and receive a free sample before public release.
Global and regional view
Premium volume, value and value per litre for the world and seven regions, with the top five markets ranked by volume and by value.
Six market deep dives
The USA, the UK, Japan, China and the UAE, updated from the 7th edition, plus Germany, new in the 8th edition. Each is also sold as a single-market report.
Part of the Global Water Database
Included in the Global Water Database 2026 Global Licence, or buy the report on its own.
Global Premium Bottled Water Report 2026: What the Data Covers
7
regions, plus the global total
6
market deep dives, Germany new
5
global premium brands profiled
2010 to 2030
annual series, actuals through 2025
3
measures: volume, value and value per litre
3
currencies: US dollars, euros and local currency
Where the 7th Edition Left Off
The 2018 edition measured the global premium bottled water market at its 2017 base:
11.2 bn litres
premium bottled water in 2017
4.7%
of plain packaged water volume
US$16.5 bn
consumer value
US$1.47
average value per litre
France, Germany, USA, Italy, UK
the top five markets by volume
5
market deep dives: USA, UK, Japan, China and the UAE
The 8th edition carries the series from that base through 2025, forecasts it to 2030 and adds Germany as a sixth deep dive.
What the 2026 Edition Covers
Deliverable 1
PDF report
- 1
Methodology and definitions: the brand-level premium definition, the cut-off in each deep-dive market and the scope of the 8th edition
- 2
Introduction and executive summary
- 3
Global overview: premium volume, value and value per litre for the world and seven regions; the top five markets by volume and by value; premium share of packaged water in volume and value; value per litre against all bottled water; still and sparkling; consumer perception, claims and packaging trends; forecasts to 2030
- 4
Global brand profiles: Evian, Perrier, S.Pellegrino, Vittel and Volvic, refreshed for ownership and brand changes since 2018
- 5
Six market deep dives: the USA, the UK, Japan, China, the UAE and Germany, each with its own local brand profiles
Deliverable 2
Excel data
- Global and seven regions: volume, value and value per litre in US dollars and euros, 2010 to 2030
- The top five markets by volume and by value
- A sheet for each deep-dive market
- Year-on-year change and CAGR
- Selectors and charts
Every chart page reads as what happened, why it happened and what comes next. Each reason is backed by a named source: company statements, official statistics, surveys, regulation or events. Where no evidence exists, the report says so.
Six Market Deep Dives
USA
Updated from the 7th editionUK
Updated from the 7th editionJapan
Updated from the 7th editionChina
Updated from the 7th editionUAE
Updated from the 7th editionGermany
New in the 8th editionEvery deep dive covers, in around 25 pages
- Key figures: premium volume and value, share of plain water, change since 2017 and the 2030 forecast
- Market overview, consumer perception, challenges and opportunities
- Premium share of packaged water, in volume and value
- Market size in volume and value, with value per litre against mainstream and own-label water
- Brand shares and brand volumes over time
- Premium still and sparkling against all other water
- Price positioning: brand price per litre by pack size, and a key-brand shelf price table from store checks
- Claims and sub-segments
- Imports by country of origin, and the brands behind them
- SWOT, with the evidence behind each point
- Outlook to 2030
- Local brand profiles: the brand, its range and marketing, why its volume moved, and its outlook
Further markets that pass Zenith's data checks will follow in an extended edition after the 8th edition.
Need One Market? Single-Market Premium Reports
Each of the six deep dives is also sold on its own, as a single-market premium report: the market chapter as a PDF report, with its own Excel workbook.
PDF market report
The full deep-dive chapter with its brand profiles, in the same design as the global report.
Excel market workbook
- Topline
- Premium volume, value and value per litre
- Brands
- Still and sparkling
- Shelf prices
- Imports by origin
- History from 2010
- Brand owners
- Methodology
- USA
- UK
- Japan
- China
- UAE
- GermanyNew in the 8th edition
How Zenith Defines and Measures Premium Water
Definition
A brand is premium in a market when its average value per litre sits above that market's premium cut-off. Evian, Perrier, S.Pellegrino, Vittel and Volvic count as premium in every market. This is the definition the 7th edition used.
Cut-off
Each deep-dive market's cut-off is set where the premium brands separate from mainstream water on shelf price per litre, from brand median prices on standard packs, tested in store checks across the main retailers in two cities.
Evidence
Brand volumes for 2018 to 2025 are triangulated from at least two independent sources: company reports, trade data on imports by country of origin and the market builds of Zenith's Global Water Database, which also add up to the global and regional totals. Values are in US dollars, euros and local currency at annual average exchange rates.
Why the numbers moved
Every movement is explained with a named source: company statements, official statistics, surveys, regulation or events. Trade policy, standards and deals are checked at the primary source on the report date. Where no evidence exists, the report says so.
The 7th edition series to 2017 is kept as published.
Need the Whole Water Market? The Global Water Database 2026 Includes This Report
The Global Water Database measures plain still and sparkling water, bulk water, flavoured and functional water, and premium water in 86 markets, with production, trade, consumption and values. Its Global Licence includes the full Global Premium Bottled Water Report 2026, and each market's Water plus Premium edition carries that market's premium figures.
Global and regional premium volume, value and value per litre
Premium report
Global Water Database Global Licence
Top five markets, global brand profiles and six market deep dives
Premium report
Global Water Database Global Licence
Premium figures for each of the 86 markets
Premium report
Not includedGlobal Water Database Global Licence
Plain, bulk and flavoured water
Premium report
Not includedGlobal Water Database Global Licence
Production, imports, exports and consumption
Premium report
Not includedGlobal Water Database Global Licence
Consumer retail value and trade value for every market
Premium report
Not includedGlobal Water Database Global Licence
Who it's for
- Premium and craft water brands
- Global beverage groups and their premium portfolios
- Importers and distributors of premium water
- Hotel, restaurant and fine-dining buyers
- Retail and travel retail category teams
- Glass and premium packaging suppliers
- Investors, corporate development and M&A teams
Related Intelligence
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the 2026 edition cover?
Premium bottled water volume, value and value per litre for the world and seven regions, with actuals through 2025 and forecasts to 2030, the top five markets by volume and by value, global brand profiles and deep dives on six markets. It comes as a PDF report with Excel data.
Which markets get a deep dive?
Six: the USA, the UK, Japan, China and the UAE, the five deep dives of the 7th edition updated to 2026, and Germany, new in the 8th edition.
What does each deep dive include?
Key figures, the market overview and consumer perception, premium share of packaged water, market size and value per litre, brand shares and brand volumes, still and sparkling, price positioning by pack size, claims, imports by origin, SWOT, the outlook to 2030 and local brand profiles.
Can I buy a single market?
Yes. Each deep dive is also sold as a single-market premium report: the market chapter as a PDF report with its own Excel workbook.
Does the report cover every country?
The report gives the global total, the seven regions and the top five markets, and goes market by market for the six deep dives. Premium figures for each of the 86 markets in the Global Water Database are in that market's Water plus Premium edition.
Will more markets be added?
Yes. Further markets that pass Zenith's data checks will follow in an extended edition after the 8th edition.
How is premium water defined?
At brand level. A brand counts as premium in a market when its average value per litre sits above that market's premium cut-off. Evian, Perrier, S.Pellegrino, Vittel and Volvic count as premium in every market. This is the definition the 7th edition used, so the series stays comparable.
Does the report explain why the market moved?
Yes. Every chart page sets out what happened, why it happened and what comes next, and each reason names its source: company statements, official statistics, surveys, regulation or events. Where no evidence exists, the report says so.
How does it compare with the 7th edition?
It follows the 7th edition chapter for chapter. The 2010 to 2017 series is kept as published. The 8th edition adds researched actuals for 2018 to 2025, forecasts to 2030, refreshed global brand profiles, the five deep dives updated to 2026 and Germany as a new deep dive.
Which currencies are values shown in?
US dollars and euros for the global and regional figures, plus local currency for each deep-dive market, at annual average exchange rates.
Is the premium report part of the Global Water Database?
Yes. The Global Water Database 2026 Global Licence includes the full report. You can also buy the report on its own.
When will it be available?
Waitlist members hear first when the report goes live and receive a free sample before public release.
Can our whole group, or our members, use the report?
Yes. Tell us how you plan to use it in the waitlist form and we will set out the licence options before launch.
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Included in the Global Water Database
The Global Water Database 2026 Global Licence includes this report.
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