Americans bought less soda for the 10th straight year in 2014 , with diet sodas shrinking more than their sugary counterparts , according to a report released Thursday . An annual report by the industry tracker Beverage Digest found that overall soda volume slipped 0.9 percent last year , moderating from the decline of 3 percent the previous year . And the poor performance of diet sodas in particular led to a shake-up in the top 10 U.S. soda rankings ; even though people bought less Pepsi , it managed to regain the No . 2 spot from Diet Coke , which suffered an even steeper decline . Diet Coke had knocked Pepsi off the No . 2 spot in 2010 . Not flying off the shelves : . U.S. soda volume declined for the tenth straight year in 2014 , with diet sodas faring worse than their regular counterparts . Coke remained by far the most popular soda in the U.S. , selling about twice as much as No . 2 Pepsi . John Sicher , publisher of Beverage Digest , attributed the moderation in soda 's decline in 2014 to the continued growth of energy drinks . He also noted that Coca-Cola Co. , PepsiCo and Dr Pepper Snapple Group have improved marketing for their soda brands . Soda volume has been declining in the U.S. since 2004 amid concerns that sugary drinks fuel weight gain , and a proliferation of alternatives in the beverage aisle . More recently , industry executives have attributed an accelerating decline of diet sodas to concerns over artificial sweeteners like aspartame . The American Beverage Association , which represents Coke , Pepsi and others , is trying to address the shift away from diet sodas in part by funding studies showing the benefits of the drinks . Despite the ongoing decline of soda volume , the broader U.S. beverage industry performed better than in the previous year with growth of 1.7 percent , according to Beverage Digest . That increase was driven by an increase in bottled water sales . Back in second place : Even though Pepsi 's volume dipped , it managed to regain the No . 2 spot .
Americans bought less soda for the 10th straight year in 2014 , with diet sodas shrinking more than their sugary counterparts . Coke remained by far the most popular soda in the U.S. , selling about twice as much as No . 2 Pepsi . John Sicher , publisher of Beverage Digest , attributed the moderation in soda 's decline in 2014 to the continued growth of energy drinks .