Gums Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends and Forecast (2026 - 2031)

Segment Analysis

By Confectionery Variant: Bubble Gums Gain on Nostalgia and Novelty

Chewing gums accounted for 84.12% of the confectionery-variant segment in 2025, reflecting established consumer habits and wide SKU availability across channels. However, bubble gums are projected to grow at a 5.68% CAGR through 2031, surpassing chewing gums by over 140 basis points, as brands capitalize on nostalgic flavors and social-media-driven viral trends to attract younger consumers. Perfetti Van Melle's Mentos Discovery, launched in 2024 with 14 flavors in a single pack, illustrates the approach of maximizing trial and shareability, while Mars Wrigley's Extra Refreshers introduced watermelon-raspberry and other fruit combinations designed to evoke summer nostalgia. Bubble gums benefit from tactile differentiation, the ability to blow bubbles, which appeals to Gen Z's preference for experiential and Instagrammable products. Meanwhile, chewing gums are shifting toward functional positioning (caffeine, vitamins, oral health) to retain market share, with Mars launching RESPAWN gum in 2024 to target gamers and Mentos introducing Vitamin Gum to attract wellness-focused consumers. The segment's growth divergence highlights a strategic split: chewing gums must justify higher price points through functional claims, while bubble gums can maintain volume through novelty and flavor variety.

Traditional mint and spearmint profiles continue to dominate chewing-gum sales, but their share is declining as tropical, dessert-inspired, and sour variants gain shelf space. Mondelez's Ice Breakers Flavor Shifters, which transition from one flavor to another during chewing, exemplify efforts to introduce novelty into the chewing-gum format without compromising the breath-freshening core benefit. Bubble gums face the opposite challenge: preserving flavor intensity and bubble-forming properties while incorporating functional ingredients that appeal to health-conscious parents buying for children. The segment's performance is also influenced by distribution: bubble gums perform strongly in convenience stores and small-format retail, where impulse purchases and child-focused merchandising drive sales, while chewing gums dominate in supermarkets and hypermarkets, where adult consumers purchase multi-packs and sugar-free options. Regulatory trends favor chewing gums: health claims for xylitol-sweetened products are easier to validate for adult-oriented SKUs than for bubble gums marketed to children, which face stricter advertising regulations and scrutiny over sugar content.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By Sugar Content: Sugar-Free Surge Reshapes Category Economics

Sugar-free gums are expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.05% through 2031, outpacing the overall market by more than 200 basis points. In contrast, sugar gums, which held a 56.27% share in 2025, are projected to decline structurally. This divergence is driven by multiple factors, including health regulations (such as FDA front-of-package labeling and sugar taxes in Mexico and other markets), clinical evidence supporting xylitol's oral-health benefits, and a consumer shift toward low-calorie options. The European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA) confirmation that xylitol-sweetened gum reduces dental caries risk provides a regulatory advantage for sugar-free products, which sugar-containing gums cannot replicate. Additionally, sugar-free gums typically command a premium price, 15-25% higher than sugared alternatives, allowing manufacturers to offset the higher costs of sweeteners like xylitol and stevia while expanding margins. Mondelez's decision to divest its developed-market gum business in 2023 was partly influenced by the capital investment required to reformulate and reposition sugared brands in a market where sugar-free options are increasingly becoming the norm.

Sugar gums maintain a majority share due to established consumption habits in emerging markets, where price sensitivity limits the adoption of sugar-free products and regulatory frameworks are less developed compared to mature markets. For instance, in Mexico, the world's second-largest gum consumer, per capita consumption reached approximately 0.5 kg annually. Mondelez operates the world's largest gum factory in Puebla, producing 60,000 tonnes per year, with 60-70% sold domestically. However, Mexico's 2014 confectionery tax (8% on products exceeding 257 kcal per 100 g) led to a 4-5% decline in sector volume, prompting manufacturers to introduce small, low-cost sugar-free packs to sustain growth. A similar trend is observed in the Asia-Pacific region, where rising disposable incomes and the expansion of modern retail networks are driving sugar-free premiumization in urban areas. Meanwhile, rural and lower-income consumers continue to favor sugared gums in single-stick formats priced for daily affordability. The segment's future depends on sweetener cost trends: if xylitol and stevia prices decrease due to scaling and agricultural advancements, sugar-free gums could achieve price parity with sugared variants by 2028, accelerating the shift. Conversely, if cost disparities persist, the market will likely remain bifurcated, with sugar-free gums dominating premium channels and sugared gums retaining their hold on value segments.

By Packaging Format: Stick Packs Ride On-the-Go Convenience

Blister packs held 45.21% of the packaging-format segment in 2025, benefiting from shelf visibility, portion control, and protection against moisture and contamination. Yet stick packs are forecast to grow at 5.81% CAGR through 2031, driven by on-the-go convenience and single-serve portability that align with post-pandemic mobility patterns. Stick packs, typically containing 5-15 pieces in a slim, pocketable format, over-index in convenience stores, gas stations, and impulse channels where consumers prioritize grab-and-go ease over bulk value. Mars Wrigley Australia's USD 6.5 million capacity expansion, completed in April 2025, included new packaging lines optimized for stick and single-serve formats, reflecting the company's bet on format diversification to capture incremental occasions. Bottles and jars, meanwhile, cater to home and office consumption, offering bulk pricing and resealability but lacking the portability that drives impulse purchase.

Blister packs' dominance is sustained by supermarkets and hypermarkets, where shelf space allocation favors larger formats and multi-pack promotions that drive basket size. However, blister packs face environmental scrutiny: the combination of plastic and aluminum foil complicates recycling, and extended producer responsibility schemes in the EU are prompting manufacturers to explore mono-material alternatives. Stick packs, often constructed from recyclable paperboard with minimal plastic lining, align better with circular-economy mandates and consumer sustainability preferences. The format's growth is also fueled by premiumization: limited-edition and seasonal flavors are frequently launched in stick packs to signal exclusivity and justify higher per-piece pricing. Bottles and jars are losing share in developed markets but remain relevant in emerging economies where bulk purchasing reduces per-unit cost and family-size formats dominate. The segment's evolution reflects broader retail trends: as e-commerce and convenience channels gain share, packaging must balance portability, sustainability, and shelf impact, a trilemma that favors stick packs in the near term but may shift toward refillable or compostable formats as regulatory and consumer pressures intensify.

By Distribution Channel: Online Retail Gains as Brands Bypass Gatekeepers

Supermarkets and hypermarkets remain the largest distribution channel for gum, with a market share of 45.26%, leveraging high foot traffic, promotional end-caps, and checkout-aisle impulse placement to drive volume. However, online retail stores are expanding rapidly as brands invest in direct-to-consumer platforms and leverage social media to drive trial. Online channels registered a CAGR of 5.48%. Mars committed over USD 50 million in early 2024 to the "Chew You Good" campaign, deploying TikTok content, Instagram activations, and AR Snapchat lenses to recruit consumers aged 25 and under, with digital channels serving as both marketing vehicles and transaction endpoints MediaPost. Smaller brands like Simply Gum offer subscription models with 10% discounts and free shipping, capturing margin that would otherwise accrue to retail intermediaries and enabling real-time consumer feedback that informs flavor development. Online retail's share of gum sales remains modest, likely a single-digit percentage of total, but is growing faster than brick-and-mortar, particularly in markets with high smartphone penetration and established last-mile delivery infrastructure.

Convenience and grocery stores over-index for impulse purchase, with gum positioned at checkout counters and near-register displays to capitalize on spontaneous buying. These channels are critical for single-serve and stick-pack formats, where portability and immediate consumption drive sales. Supermarkets and hypermarkets, by contrast, favor multi-packs and bulk formats that appeal to planned purchases and household stocking. The channel mix is shifting as e-commerce and quick-commerce platforms gain share: brands must now optimize SKU assortments for digital discovery, where search algorithms and sponsored placements replace physical shelf space as the primary battleground. Other distribution channels, including vending machines, pharmacies, and travel retail, represent smaller but strategically important touchpoints. Travel retail, in particular, offers premiumization opportunities: duty-free environments enable higher price points and limited-edition packaging that capture tourist spending. However, travel retail's recovery from pandemic lows has been uneven, with Asia-Pacific rebounding faster than Europe and North America, reflecting divergent mobility patterns and border-control policies.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

Geography Analysis

In 2025, North America held 34.85% of the global chewing gum market, driven by high per capita consumption, brand loyalty, and robust retail infrastructure. However, U.S. gum unit sales in 2023 were 32% lower than in 2018 due to Gen Z's preference for sour gummies and reduced on-the-go consumption post-pandemic. Sugar-free gums dominate, supported by FDA regulations like the 2024 "healthy" claim redefinition and xylitol's oral health benefits. Canada’s imports of sugar-containing gums reached CAD 4.98 million, highlighting reliance on cross-border supply chains. Mexico, the second-largest gum consumer globally, faces margin pressures from a 2014 confectionery tax, prompting sugar-free innovations and affordable pack formats.

Europe's chewing gum market is shaped by sustainability regulations and premiumization trends. The EU's Single-Use Plastics Directive drives compostable wrappers and refillable formats, while startups like True Gum and Gud Gum promote plastic-free, chicle-based gums. Mars Wrigley’s 2024 packaging innovation, eliminating 13 tonnes of plastic annually, may influence European operations. Cloetta targets 3-4% annual organic sales growth and a 12% adjusted EBIT margin by 2027, focusing on Germany and the UK. Regulatory hurdles persist, as the European Food Safety Authority demands robust clinical evidence for health claims, limiting differentiation on functional benefits.

Asia-Pacific is set to grow at a 5.38% CAGR through 2031, fueled by rising incomes, modern retail expansion, and localized flavors. Lotte plans a USD 300 million investment in India by 2029, signaling competition in the organized confectionery market, projected to reach INR 95,521.8 crore by 2032. Core markets like China, India, Japan, and South Korea exhibit distinct preferences, from premium gums to affordable single-serve formats. South America’s market is price-sensitive, with local brands like Colombina leveraging small-format retail and exports, while regulatory frameworks like Argentina’s ANMAT registration impact market entry. The Middle East and Africa, led by the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa, offer growth potential tied to infrastructure, Halal certification, and modern retail expansion.