U.S.A. | Whilst it's not unusual for people enjoy their daily caffeine fix, the number of coffee drinkers has grown exponentially in the past 20 years.
The number of American adults who have had coffee in the past day has increased by 37 percent since 2004, putting past-day coffee consumption at its highest level in more than 20 years, according to exclusive consumer polling published by the National Coffee Association.
NCA's Spring 2024 National Coffee Data Trends report revealed that 67 percent of American adults had coffee in the past day (more than any other beverage, including tap or bottled water), compared to 49 percent in 2004. Findings indicated that 75 percent of American adults have had coffee in the past week, up by four percent since the Spring 2023 NCDT.
Increased past-day coffee consumption is driven by consumers ages 25 and up. The greatest increase is among consumers 60 years and up, whose past-day consumption increased by nine percent (from 67 percent to 73 percent). Consumers aged 25 to 39 and 40 to 59 both saw consumption rise by 4.5 percent (from 67 percent to 70 percent and from 66 percent to 69 percent, respectively). Consumption by 18 to 24-year-olds held steady at 47 percent.
"NCA's exclusive research has tracked coffee trends for more than 70 years, and America's favourite beverage has only ever continued to grow in terms of overall popularity and in innovating to meet consumers' evolving tastes. This year's two-decade high is only the latest proof of America's enduring love affair with coffee," said William Murray, NCA president.
Specialty beverages also experienced significant growth. Over 57 percent of American adults had a specialty coffee in the past week, up by 7.5 percent year-on-year. Among specialty coffees, past-week consumption grew the most for espresso-based beverages, up by 10 percent. Lattes are the most popular espresso-based beverage, enjoyed by 18 percent of American adults in the past week and followed by espresso (16 percent) and cappuccinos (14 percent).
Ready-to-drink options became the third most popular preparation method among past-day drinkers, nearly doubling from eight percent to 15 percent and knocking espresso machines to fourth place.
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