Obey Your Third: How Sprite Became America's No. 3 Soft Drink

The lemon-lime beverage is now the nation’s third-favorite soft drink, surpassing Pepsi for the first time last year. Only Coca-Cola and Dr Pepper rank higher.

In terms of sales volume, Sprite controls 8.03% of the U.S. carbonated soft drink category, according to recently released 2024 figures from trade publication Beverage Digest. Pepsi, meanwhile, accounts for 7.97% of the market.

How Sprite burst the bubble

Sprite’s fizz to the highest echelons of the soda wars follows a year in which its owner, the Coca-Cola Company, has been shaking up its marketing strategy and investing more in the brand.