Tea in numbers: the most popular drink after water
The world produces more than six million tonnes of tea a year, and around 13 million people make a living from it. How much tea is drunk, who grows the most, and why tea became the planet’s number two drink.
TeaWelton Black teaSee the tea →According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), tea is the most consumed drink in the world after water. Global production is worth more than 18 billion dollars a year, and around 13 million people work in the chain from plantation to cup.
In 2023 the world produced about 6.6 million tonnes of tea, a quarter more than ten years earlier. Almost half comes from China, about 3.2 million tonnes, followed by India, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Turkey.
Interestingly, the biggest producers also drink the most. China consumes almost 90 percent of its own production, and Turkey nearly all it grows. Only about a quarter of the total reaches the world market.
Per person, Turkey is number one, with more than 3 kg of tea a year, three to four small glasses a day for every inhabitant. Ireland, Azerbaijan and the UK follow with around 2 kg, then Pakistan, Iran and Russia. The Balkans are still coffee country: in neighbouring Bulgaria people drink only about 0.1 kg of tea per person a year.
Why tea? It is affordable, easy to make and comes in hundreds of flavours: from black, green and white tea from the same plant (Camellia sinensis) to herbal and fruit blends. In many cultures tea is also a ritual: welcoming a guest, a break at work, a cup before bed.
Black, green and white tea contain caffeine and polyphenols, natural plant compounds that science has studied for decades. Herbal teas such as mint and chamomile are usually caffeine-free. In the next articles we look at what studies really show, and what they don’t.
