China is expected to become a major player in the ready-to-drink (RTD) category, growing by a volume CAGR of 6% in the five years to 2027, IWSR RTDs Strategic Study 2023 shows.

According to the report, China becomes an increasingly important RTD market, while the US and Japan remain the largest While the US is the largest RTD market, Japan is expected to add the most volume going forward as the US sees its growth rates drop to +1% volume CAGR, 2022-2027. Despite this slowdown in the US, both the US and Japan will remain the largest RTD volume markets over the next 5 years, led by the growth of FABs in Japan, and cocktails/long drinks, FABs and hard tea in the US. China is also expected to become a more significant market, growing by a volume CAGR of +6%, 2022-2027, driven particularly by the FAB sub-category.