Which country consumes the most tea and herbal teas in the world? Rankings and evidence
Sep
Type the question into a search engine and you’ll get five different answers in five clicks. Here it’s England, there it’s Turkey, elsewhere it’s Argentina or Sri Lanka—with mind-boggling figures. It’s not that everyone is lying; it’s just that «drinking the most tea» means nothing unless you specify how you’re measuring it. In metric tons or per person? Just tea from the tea plant, or all herbal infusions? Production, imports, or cups actually consumed? At Tisane Addict, we’ve taken the time to go back to authoritative sources—the FAO foremost among them—to provide you with a ranking where every entry is verifiable.
1. By volume: China, and no one else in sight
The global authority on this subject is the Intergovernmental Tea Group of the FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Its January 2024 report estimates global tea consumption at 6.5 million metric tons in 2022, up 3.3 % per year over the decade. And the country rankings leave no room for suspense.
1. China
46 % of all the tea consumed worldwide. The country is also the world's leading producer and keeps about 88 % of its harvest for itself.
2. India
Nearly 18 % of global consumption, and the world's largest market for black tea.
3. Turkey
Third in terms of land area, with a population 16 times smaller than China’s: it’s already clear who’s going to top the per-capita ranking.
4. Pakistan
The fastest-growing market: +8.1 % per year over a ten-year period, according to the FAO.
5. Russia
The land of the samovar ranks fifth in the world in terms of volume.
Source: FAO, Commodity Committee, Intergovernmental Group on Tea, «Current Market Situation and Medium-Term Outlook,» January 2024, 2022 data.
2. Per capita: Turkey, the undisputed world leader
When you adjust these figures for population, the top three rankings look completely different. The most commonly cited per-capita ranking, published by Statista for 2022, shows the Turkey: 3.15 kg of tea per person per year, ahead of Ireland (2.19 kg), the United Kingdom (1.94 kg), followed by Pakistan and Iran at around 1.5 kg. We wanted to verify this using only official figures: dividing the FAO’s 250,021 metric tons by the approximately 85 million Turks yields about 2.9 kg per person. The two methods agree, and the FAO had already noted in a 2003 market research study Turkish consumption stands at 2.38 kg per capita, with a record high of 2.97 kg in 1999. Turkey’s dominance is not a passing trend: it has been a constant for twenty-five years.
≈ 3 kg / year
Turkey
Tea served in tulip-shaped glass cups, from morning to night, in every office and every shop. Here, tea is a social bond more than just a drink.
2.19 kg per year
Ireland
Strong black tea with milk, several times a day: the Irish even outpace their British neighbors.
1.94 kg per year
United Kingdom
The idyllic image of tea remains English, but per capita consumption has shifted eastward.
And what about China? Its 3 million metric tons divided by 1.4 billion people comes to just over 2 kg per person: quite respectable, but behind Turkey and Ireland. India, despite ranking second in volume, falls below one kilogram per capita. Being first in metric tons doesn’t mean being first in cups per person.
3. Why Online Rankings Contradict Each Other
If you’ve ever come across a table showing that Argentina consumes 27 kg of tea per capita and Sri Lanka more than 50 kg, you’ve fallen into the classic trap. These figures come from statistical databases that lump together the «tea and mate» category and measure total availability, not the number of cups consumed. Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay have sky-high figures in these statistics… because of mate, which has nothing to do with the tea plant. Three other common misconceptions keep cropping up:
Production and consumption are not the same thing. Kenya and Sri Lanka produce enormous quantities and export almost everything: ranking them among the top consumers makes no sense.
Imports are just one indicator. In the absence of actual consumption statistics, some countries, such as Morocco, are assessed based on their purchases from abroad, which does not take into account inventory or re-exports.
The reference years are mixed up. Many pages still cite data from 2014, when Turkey’s figure was over 7 kg per capita. Comparing 2014 to 2022 is like comparing two calculation methods, not two countries.
Our guidelines for this article: FAO figures in metric tons, clearly identified per capita ratios (Statista for the rankings, our own breakdowns for verification), and the word «tea» reserved for the tea plant. We’ll cover herbal infusions later.
4. The Case of Morocco: World Champion in Green Tea
There isn’t a single tea plant in Morocco, and yet the country holds a unique place in the geography of tea. According to the Moroccan Association of Tea and Coffee Manufacturers (AMITC), as reported by Le360 In 2025, Moroccans will consume nearly 70,000 metric tons of green tea per year, or about 1.9 kilograms per person, with black tea remaining a niche product. Above all, Morocco is China’s largest global customer for green tea: it alone accounts for about a quarter of China’s tea exports, primarily gunpowder and chunmee—these rolled leaves that, combined with fresh mint and sugar, become the atay served in every home.
What makes the Moroccan case so fascinating is that it alone illustrates just how difficult this task is: local economists acknowledge that there are no statistics on actual consumption, and that estimates are based on import volumes. As a result, the figures fluctuate—depending on the year and the source—between 1.76 kg and more than 2 kg per person. One thing is certain, however: the ritual. Mint tea is a codified gesture of hospitality, poured from a height, shared among three glasses, and it is the traditional way to conclude a meal, as we described in our guide tea or herbal tea after a meal.
5. What about herbal teas? Why can't anyone give you a ranking?
Let's be honest, because a lot of websites aren't: There are no official global statistics on herbal tea consumption.. Tea is a unique raw material, derived from a single plant, which the FAO has been tracking for decades. Herbal teas, on the other hand, are made from hundreds of different plants, often grown in gardens or picked in the wild, and sold under disparate customs categories. No organization aggregates these figures. Any ranking of «countries that drink the most herbal teas» that you come across is therefore a commercial estimate, not a measured fact.
What we can honestly do is map out the major traditions. South America and its mate, which significantly boosts the rankings we mentioned earlier. South Africa and its rooibos, the nation’s caffeine-free herbal tea. The Maghreb, where infused verbena and thyme predated the massive influx of green tea and still accompany it today. And France, land of linden and evening verbena, where herbal tea remains a family ritual before it is a market. So many cultures of the hot cup, without tea plants and without a podium.
Key Takeaways
- By volume : China (3 Mt, 46.1% of the world's total), India, Turkey, Pakistan, Russia (FAO, 2022).
- Per capita : Turkey (≈3 kg), Ireland (2.19 kg), United Kingdom (1.94 kg).
- Green tea : Morocco is the world's leading importer (≈1.9 kg per capita, AMITC).
- The rankings based on 27 or 50 kg per capita include mate or production: disregard them.
- Herbal Teas : There is no official ranking; only traditions.
FAQ: The Countries That Drink the Most Tea
Which country drinks the most tea per capita?
Turkey, with about 3 kg of tea per person per year (3.15 kg according to Statista 2022; about 2.9 kg when FAO figures are divided by the population). Ireland and the United Kingdom round out the top three, at around 2 kg.
Is China the world's largest consumer of tea?
Yes, by volume—and by a wide margin: 3 million metric tons in 2022, or 46 % of global consumption, according to the FAO. Per capita, however, consumption stands at around 2 kg, behind Turkey and Ireland.
Does mate count as tea in these rankings?
In some databases, yes, and that explains the absurd figures for Argentina and Paraguay—more than 20 kg per capita. Mate is an infusion made from South American holly, which is unrelated to the tea plant: a serious classification of tea excludes it.
Which country consumes the most green tea?
In absolute terms, China is the leading producer. However, the world’s largest importer of green tea is Morocco, which accounts for about a quarter of Chinese exports—nearly 70,000 metric tons per year, or about 1.9 kilograms per capita, according to the AMITC.
How much tea is consumed worldwide each year?
According to the FAO, approximately 6.5 million metric tons in 2022, with an annual growth rate of 3.3 % over the past decade, driven by China, India, and Pakistan. Tea remains, after water, the most widely consumed beverage on the planet.