Mineral water

It's hot in Germany. This year will probably be the hottest summer in history. When it's hot, one should not forget to drink enough during the day. What to drink? Well, the Germans probably don't have to think about this question long: "Water, please ... mineral water".

When I started working here in Germany, it occurred to me that most of my colleagues were drinking mineral water all day. I drank tap water to the surprise of my colleagues.

I was wondering whether it was just my perception that Germans drink so much mineral water compared to the Dutch. So, time for a small investigation.

Surfing around for a bit delivered some interesting results. Here is the European top 5 ,by Wikipedia.

1. Italians 203 liters/year
2. French 149
3. Belgians 145
4. Germans 129
5. Spaniards 126

The Dutch supposedly only drink 17 liters of mineral water per year on average, not even enough for the top-20. And the Chinese don't get further than 3,6 liters per year on average, although I am sure this number will rise quickly in the coming years.
Mineral water is getting more and more popular. Over the past decades, these numbers have risen strongly for most countries.

This site provides excellent information on mineral waters from all over the world. With 487 brands, the Germans come second, after the Italians, with 585 brands.With 19 and 63 brands respectively, the Netherlands and China cannot compete with those numbers.

As it seems, my assumption was correct: the Germans do drink a lot of mineral water. But they are not the only ones. And, to live up to their reputation, the Dutch prefer tap water ... why spend more?