An average human guzzled 227 litres of drinks, both soft and hard, in 2005, says a www.just-drinks.com report quoting Zenith International.

The 2.5% rise in beverage sales last year was driven mainly by soft drinks, whose global consumption jumped by 3.9% to 499bn litres, which is 77 litres per person.

The consultancy predicts that 'better for you' categories such as bottled water, fruit drinks and functional drinks are set set to beat carbonated soft drinks by 2009. The growth rates for alcoholic drinks have been fairly steady if modest, Zenith said.

Tea is the world's most popular drink at 57 litres per person; bottled water is the fastest growing market, recording a 34% gain between 2001 and 2005.

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