News

Study says chocolate bars have shrunk by up to 36%

13 Aug 2026 2 minute read

The study says that chocolate bars have shrunk by up to 36%. Photo by Denny Müller

Nation Cymru staff

A study analysing ‘shrinkflation’ in chocolate bar weights between the 1990s and now has revealed that chocolate bars today have significantly reduced in weight.

The study by experts at the Liquidation Centre found that of the 10 chocolate bars they analysed, chocolate bars have reduced by an average of 15.4%. Mars bars lost the most chocolate, shrinking by 36%. Snickers have seen a reduction of 23.2%, while Terry’s Chocolate Orange shrunk by 17.1%.

Richard Hunt, Director at Liquidation Centre, said: “Keeping the price the same can make the product feel more affordable to shoppers, but if the pack gets smaller, customers are still paying more for less. And when it’s a product people have been buying for years, they’re bound to notice when their favourite chocolate bar suddenly feels a little smaller.”

The study comes after a 35 year old mars bar went viral for weighing 22.5g more than today’s version.

Searches for ‘35 year old Mars bar’ have soared by 3,000% since the discovery, according to Google Trends.

Rank	Chocolate Bar	1990s weight (g)	2026 weight (g)	Reduction in weight (%)
1	Mars	62.5	40	36%
2	Snickers (formerly Marathon)	62.5	48	23.20%
3	Terry’s Chocolate Orange	175	145	17.10%
4	Lion	49	42	14.30%
5	Twix	58	50	13.8%
6	KitKat	48	41.5	13.50%
7	Yorkie	52	46	11.50%
8	Crunchie	44.5	40	10.10%
9	Double Decker	60	54.5	9.20%
10	Wispa	39	36	7.70%

The findings highlight how the size of some of the UK’s most recognisable chocolate products has changed over the past three decades, with every bar analysed showing a reduction in weight, ranging from 7.7% for Wispa to 36% for Mars.

Richard Hunt, Director at Liquidation Centre, explains what shrinkflation tells us about the pressure businesses are under to keep products affordable for customers while also protecting their profits:

“Shrinkflation is really a sign of the difficult choices businesses are having to make. When the cost of producing and selling the product goes up, companies have to decide whether to raise the price, reduce the size, or find savings elsewhere.

“With shoppers becoming more careful about what they spend, businesses need to strike the right balance between managing their own costs and making sure customers still feel like they’re getting good value. Nobody wants to open a chocolate bar and think ‘Wasn’t this bigger before?!’ If people start to feel like they’re getting less for their money, it can quickly damage trust.”

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