Leading tea exporters worldwide 2021

In 2021, China exported approximately 2.30 billion U.S. dollars’ worth of tea, making it the leading exporter of tea worldwide. Other major tea exporters included Sri Lanka and Kenya that year.

Tea production

Unsurprisingly, China also led the world in terms of production, making 2.8 million metric tons of tea in 2019. By far the most produced and domestically sold tea was green tea, followed by post-fermented, and oolong tea. That year, more than half 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 500 million U.S. dollars in 2019. Some of the world’s leading tea importers included Pakistan, the United Kingdom, and the United States in 2020. With a trade value of nearly 590 million U.S. dollars, Pakistan led the list that year.