Tea market: major exporting countries worldwide 2018

In 2018, China exported approximately 1.8 billion U.S. dollars’ worth of tea, making it the leading exporter of tea worldwide. Other major tea exporters included Kenya and India that year.

Tea production

Unsurprisingly, China also led the world in terms of production, making over two and a half million metric tons of tea in 2018. By far the most produced and domestically sold tea was green tea, followed by post-fermented, and oolong tea. That year, almost two-thirds of the tea produced in China was green tea.

Tea importers

Many countries, including Vietnam and Morocco, import large amounts of tea from China. Hong Kong was the top export destination with an export value of over 300 million U.S. dollars in 2018. Some of the world’s leading tea importers included Pakistan, the Russian Federation, and the United States in 2018. With a trade value of over 570 million U.S. dollars, Pakistan led the list that year.