United Kingdom: Tea imports 2009-2020, by EU/non-EU trade

In 2020, the amount of tea imported into the United Kingdom had a net mass of approximately 129 thousand tons. The overwhelming majority of imports came from outside of the European Union. The non-EU imports measured more than 20 times the amount of EU imports. In 2020, the overall volume of imports reached its highest point in the last twelve years.

The main source of UK tea

The largest share of non-EU imports came from the Sub-Saharan African region, followed by Asia and Oceania. Only minor amounts are imported from the Americas.

Tea consumption

About sixty percent of the population of the United Kingdom drink tea every day, while about ten percent of the population never drink any tea. Most commonly people drink white and bleak tea in the UK. Usually the beverage is consumed at breakfast or in the afternoon. Levels of consumption, however, are on the decline as the United Kingdom moves closer to becoming a nation of coffee drinkers rather than tea drinkers.