Tea Imports by Country

June 20, 2017 by

Tea Imports by Country

Hot tea in teacup

Global purchases of imported tea totaled US$6.1 billion in 2016.

Overall, the value of tea imports for all importing countries was down by an average -14.5% since 2012 when tea purchases were valued at $7.1 billion. Year over year, the value of tea imports depreciated by -13.5% from 2015 to 2016.

From a continental perspective, Asian countries accounted for the highest dollar worth of imported tea during 2016 with purchases valued at $2.2 billion or 35.7% of the global total.

In second place were European countries at 34.7% while 15.8% of worldwide tea imports were delivered to customers in Africa. North American tea imports amounted to 10.4%. Smaller percentages were purchased by importers in Oceania (2.1%) and Latin America minus Mexico and the Caribbean (1.3%).

The 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix for tea is 0902.

Tea Imports by Country

Top 15


Below are the 15 countries that imported the highest dollar value worth of tea during 2016:

  1. Russia: US$548.3 million (9% of total tea imports)
  2. United States: $483.2 million (7.9%)
  3. United Kingdom: $363.3 million (6%)
  4. Egypt: $282.3 million (4.6%)
  5. Iran: $261.9 million (4.3%)
  6. Saudi Arabia: $256.4 million (4.2%)
  7. Germany: $226.5 million (3.7%)
  8. Morocco: $199.4 million (3.3%)
  9. Japan: $165.1 million (2.7%)
  10. France: $161.6 million (2.6%)
  11. United Arab Emirates: $142.4 million (2.3%)
  12. Canada: $140.9 million (2.3%)
  13. Vietnam: $130.3 million (2.1%)
  14. Netherlands: $125.2 million (2.1%)
  15. Kazakhstan: $112.2 million (1.8%)

Among the above countries, the fastest-growing markets for tea since 2012 were: Vietnam (up 1,798%), Morocco (up 19.2%), Netherlands (up 13%) and United States (up 10.6%).

Those countries that posted declines in their imported tea purchases were led by: United Arab Emirates (down -76.5%), Canada (down -22.4%), Kazakhstan (down -19%) and United Kingdom (down -16.9%).

The listed 15 countries purchased 59% of all tea imports in 2016.

Russia

Tea Imports into Russia

Below are the top 15 suppliers from which Russia imported the highest dollar value worth of tea during 2016. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country since 2012.

  1. Sri Lanka: $160.5 million (down -38.2%)
  2. India: $144.7 million (up 19.2%)
  3. Kenya: $77.4 million (up 15.4%)
  4. China: $47.7 million (down -11.1%)
  5. Vietnam: $29.6 million (up 28.1%)
  6. United Arab Emirates: $28.7 million (up 1.9%)
  7. Indonesia: $24.7 million (up 9.8%)
  8. Germany: $7.1 million (down -46.3%)
  9. Tanzania: $7 million (up 83%)
  10. Kazakhstan: $6.7 million (down -68.3%)
  11. Azerbaijan: $2.8 million (down -83.4%)
  12. Argentina: $1.9 million (up 19.3%)
  13. Zimbabwe: $1.7 million (up 466.4%)
  14. Poland: $1.4 million (down -46.3%)
  15. Rwanda: $895,000 (up 22,275%)

The listed 15 countries shipped 99% of all Russian tea imports in 2016.

Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of tea to Russia since 2012 were: Rwanda (up 22,275%), Zimbabwe (up 466.4%), Tanzania (up 83%) and Vietnam (up 28.1%).

Countries that experienced declines in the value of their tea supplies to Russian importers included: Azerbaijan (down -83.4%), Kazakhstan (down -68.3%), Germany (down -46.3%) and Poland (down -46.3%).

Overall, the value of Russian tea imports were down by an average -15.7% from all supplying countries since 2012 when tea purchases were valued at $650.2 million.

USA

Tea Imports into the United States

Below are the top 15 suppliers from which the United States imported the highest dollar value worth of tea during 2016. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country since 2012.

  1. China: $104.2 million (up 7.3%)
  2. Argentina: $77.3 million (down -5.9%)
  3. India: $56.2 million (up 7.2%)
  4. Japan: $45.3 million (up 51.6%)
  5. Sri Lanka: $38 million (up 49.4%)
  6. Canada: $29.1 million (down -5.5%)
  7. Malawi: $21.4 million (up 230.6%)
  8. Germany: $16.5 million (down -45%)
  9. United Kingdom: $13.2 million (up 23.5%)
  10. Taiwan: $10.3 million (up 51.6%)
  11. Kenya: $10.1 million (up 63.7%)
  12. Indonesia: $9.3 million (down -9%)
  13. Vietnam: $8.3 million (down -22.2%)
  14. Morocco: $8.2 million (up 37.7%)
  15. Poland: $4.3 million (up 16%)

The listed 15 countries shipped 93.4% of all American tea imports in 2016.

Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of tea to United States since 2012 were: Malawi (up 230.6%), Kenya (up 63.7%), Japan (up 51.6%) and Taiwan (up 51.6%).

Countries that experienced declines in the value of their tea supplies to American importers included: Germany (down -45%), Vietnam (down -22.2%), Indonesia (down -9%) and Argentina (down -5.9%).

Overall, the value of American tea imports were up by an average 10.6% from all supplying countries since 2012 when tea purchases were valued at $436.9 million.

UK

Tea Imports into the United Kingdom

Below are the top 15 suppliers from which the United Kingdom imported the highest dollar value worth of tea during 2016. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country since 2012.

  1. Kenya: $173 million (down -3.3%)
  2. India: $52.9 million (down -41.8%)
  3. Poland: $20.4 million (up 7.1%)
  4. Netherlands: $13.9 million (up 505.3%)
  5. Sri Lanka: $11.3 million (down -11%)
  6. Malawi: $11.1 million (down -30.5%)
  7. China: $10.6 million (down -4.3%)
  8. Germany: $9.4 million (up 63.1%)
  9. Switzerland: $9.2 million (up 50.6%)
  10. Tanzania: $7.5 million (down -12.4%)
  11. Rwanda: $6.9 million (up 111.6%)
  12. Ireland: $6.3 million (down -9.5%)
  13. United States: $4.3 million (down -22.2%)
  14. South Africa: $3.7 million (up 1.7%)
  15. Zimbabwe: $2.9 million (down -20.4%)

The listed 15 countries shipped 94.5% of all UK tea imports in 2016.

Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of tea to United Kingdom since 2012 were: Netherlands (up 505.3%), Rwanda (up 111.6%), Germany (up 63.1%) and Switzerland (up 50.6%).

Countries that experienced declines in the value of their tea supplies to UK importers included: India (down -41.8%), Malawi (down -30.5%), United States (down -22.2%) and Zimbabwe (down -20.4%).

Overall, the value of UK tea imports were down by an average -16.9% from all supplying countries since 2012 when tea purchases were valued at $437.4 million.

Egypt

Tea Imports into the United Kingdom

Below are the top 15 suppliers from which Egypt imported the highest dollar value worth of tea during 2016. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country since 2012.

  1. Kenya: $250.8 million (down -9.8%)
  2. Sri Lanka: $10.6 million (down -24.3%)
  3. India: $6.9 million (down -64.9%)
  4. United Arab Emirates: $4.9 million (up 144%)
  5. Saudi Arabia: $2.6 million (up 15,919%)
  6. China: $2.5 million (down -28.7%)
  7. Vietnam: $2 million (up 272.1%)
  8. Uganda: $524,000 (down -77.8%)
  9. Indonesia: $502,000 (down -87.7%)
  10. Malawi: $342,000 (down -73.4%)
  11. Tanzania: $190,000 (down -88.2%)
  12. Poland: $110,000 (down -89.4%)
  13. Rwanda: $71,000 (down -91.7%)
  14. South Africa: $57,000 (no change)
  15. Germany: $44,000 (down -22.8%)

The listed 15 countries shipped 99.9% of all Egyptian tea imports in 2016.

Three countries grew their supplies of tea to Egypt since 2012: Saudi Arabia (up 15,919%), Vietnam (up 272.1%), and United Arab Emirates (up 144%).

Countries that experienced declines in the value of their tea supplies to Egyptian importers included: Rwanda (down -91.7%), Poland (down -89.4%), Tanzania (down -88.2%) and Indonesia (down -87.7%).

Overall, the value of Egyptian tea imports were down by an average 14.6% from all supplying countries since 2012 when tea purchases were valued at $330.5 million.



 

Searchable List of Tea Importing Countries

You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the columns below.

RankImporter2016 Tea Imports% World Total
1.RussiaUS$548.3 million9%
2.United States$483.2 million7.9%
3.United Kingdom$363.3 million6%
4.Egypt$282.3 million4.6%
5.Iran$261.9 million4.3%
6.Saudi Arabia$256.4 million4.2%
7.Germany$226.5 million3.7%
8.Morocco$199.4 million3.3%
9.Japan$165.1 million2.7%
10.France$161.6 million2.6%
11.United Arab Emirates$142.4 million2.3%
12.Canada$140.9 million2.3%
13.Vietnam$130.3 million2.1%
14.Netherlands$125.2 million2.1%
15.Kazakhstan$112.2 million1.8%
16.China$111.7 million1.8%
17.Iraq$109 million1.8%
18.Poland$103.2 million1.7%
19.Australia$98.7 million1.6%
20.Kenya$92.2 million1.5%
21.Hong Kong$84.6 million1.4%
22.Ghana$83.9 million1.4%
23.Italy$80.8 million1.3%
24.Belgium$78.1 million1.3%
25.Taiwan$62.7 million1%
26.Malaysia$59.3 million1%
27.Syria$57.4 million0.9%
28.Ukraine$56.7 million0.9%
29.Libya$56.1 million0.9%
30.Kuwait$55.9 million0.9%
31.Pakistan$53.4 million0.9%
32.South Africa$50.6 million0.8%
33.Chile$49.8 million0.8%
34.Algeria$49.7 million0.8%
35.Azerbaijan$47.6 million0.8%
36.Jordan$43.8 million0.7%
37.Singapore$43.2 million0.7%
38.Turkey$41.1 million0.7%
39.Ireland$39.9 million0.7%
40.Sweden$38 million0.6%
41.India$37.8 million0.6%
42.Uzbekistan$37.5 million0.6%
43.Belarus$33.8 million0.6%
44.Switzerland$33.4 million0.5%
45.Spain$33.2 million0.5%
46.Myanmar (Burma)$30.1 million0.5%
47.Oman$30 million0.5%
48.Indonesia$29.8 million0.5%
49.Austria$24.5 million0.4%
50.Czech Republic$24.4 million0.4%
51.New Zealand$24 million0.4%
52.Mali$23.6 million0.4%
53.Lebanon$23.4 million0.4%
54.Denmark$22 million0.4%
55.Mauritania$19.7 million0.3%
56.Thailand$17.7 million0.3%
57.Norway$17.4 million0.3%
58.Sri Lanka$15.2 million0.2%
59.Finland$13.6 million0.2%
60.Lithuania$12.8 million0.2%
61.Bangladesh$12.5 million0.2%
62.Guinea$11.5 million0.2%
63.Latvia$11.1 million0.2%
64.Turkmenistan$10.5 million0.2%
65.South Korea$10.5 million0.2%
66.Mexico$10.2 million0.2%
67.Côte d'Ivoire$9.8 million0.2%
68.Afghanistan$9.7 million0.2%
69.Kyrgyzstan$9.4 million0.2%
70.Greece$8.8 million0.1%
71.Tunisia$8.1 million0.1%
72.Israel$8.1 million0.1%
73.Niger$8 million0.1%
74.Tajikistan$7.9 million0.1%
75.Senegal$7.9 million0.1%
76.Hungary$7.6 million0.1%
77.Moldova$7.3 million0.1%
78.Nigeria$7.3 million0.1%
79.Portugal$7 million0.1%
80.Georgia$6.8 million0.1%
81.Macao$6.5 million0.1%
82.Qatar$6.3 million0.1%
83.Philippines$6.1 million0.1%
84.Botswana$6.1 million0.1%
85.Angola$5.6 million0.1%
86.Estonia$5.2 million0.1%
87.Romania$4.8 million0.1%
88.Bulgaria$4.4 million0.1%
89.Namibia$4.2 million0.1%
90.Mongolia$4 million0.1%
91.Guinea-Bissau$3.9 million0.1%
92.Zambia$3.8 million0.1%
93.Slovakia$3.8 million0.1%
94.Luxembourg$3.7 million0.1%
95.Mozambique$3.6 million0.1%
96.Congo$3.6 million0.1%
97.Burkina Faso$3.5 million0.1%
98.Bahrain$3.2 million0.1%
99.Trinidad/Tobago$3.1 million0.1%
100.Cyprus$3 million0.05%
101.Palestine$3 million0.05%
102.Zimbabwe$2.9 million0.05%
103.Fiji$2.7 million0.04%
104.Brazil$2.5 million0.04%
105.Yemen$2.5 million0.04%
106.Malta$2.5 million0.04%
107.Armenia$2.4 million0.04%
108.Cambodia$2.3 million0.04%
109.Swaziland$2 million0.03%
110.Uruguay$2 million0.03%
111.Colombia$1.9 million0.03%
112.Peru$1.9 million0.03%
113.Maldives$1.9 million0.03%
114.Argentina$1.9 million0.03%
115.Gambia$1.8 million0.03%
116.Lesotho$1.7 million0.03%
117.Costa Rica$1.6 million0.03%
118.Panama$1.6 million0.03%
119.Croatia$1.6 million0.03%
120.Paraguay$1.5 million0.03%
121.Sudan$1.5 million0.03%
122.Guatemala$1.5 million0.02%
123.Iceland$1.5 million0.02%
124.Slovenia$1.5 million0.02%
125.Macedonia$1.5 million0.02%
126.Gabon$1.4 million0.02%
127.Bolivia$1.4 million0.02%
128.Venezuela$1.4 million0.02%
129.Brunei Darussalam$1.3 million0.02%
130.Cameroon$1.3 million0.02%
131.Belize$1.1 million0.02%
132.Barbados$1 million0.02%
133.Mauritius$985,0000.02%
134.Guyana$896,0000.01%
135.Bahamas$894,0000.01%
136.Liberia$877,0000.01%
137.Suriname$786,0000.01%
138.Jamaica$749,0000.01%
139.Chad$740,0000.01%
140.Dominican Republic$718,0000.01%
141.Benin$714,0000.01%
142.Nepal$671,0000.01%
143.Solomon Islands$638,0000.01%
144.Serbia$634,0000.01%
145.Sierra Leone$628,0000.01%
146.New Caledonia$614,0000.01%
147.Bermuda$594,0000.01%
148.Bosnia/Herzegovina$585,0000.01%
149.Greenland$512,0000.01%
150.Nicaragua$504,0000.01%
151.Togo$497,0000.01%
152.North Korea$483,0000.01%
153.French Polynesia$466,0000.01%
154.Somalia$465,0000.01%
155.Faroe Islands$462,0000.01%
156.Saint Lucia$433,0000.01%
157.Seychelles$415,0000.01%
158.El Salvador$406,0000.01%
159.Rwanda$382,0000.01%
160.Democratic Rep. Congo$381,0000.01%
161.Gibraltar$364,0000.01%
162.Honduras$354,0000.01%
163.Curaçao$350,0000.01%
164.Montenegro$349,0000.01%
165.Papua New Guinea$349,0000.01%
166.Laos$341,0000.01%
167.Timor-Leste$336,0000.01%
168.Andorra$281,0000.005%
169.Cuba$270,0000.004%
170.Aruba$265,0000.004%
171.Samoa$265,0000.004%
172.Cayman Islands$257,0000.004%
173.Antigua/Barbuda$222,0000.004%
174.US Minor Outlying Is.$206,0000.003%
175.Ecuador$190,0000.003%
176.Comoros$182,0000.003%
177.St Vincent/Grenadines$164,0000.003%
178.Equatorial Guinea$153,0000.003%
179.Malawi$142,0000.002%
180.Albania$140,0000.002%
181.Ethiopia$130,0000.002%
182.Cabo Verde$116,0000.002%
183.Madagascar$109,0000.002%
184.Bhutan$92,0000.002%
185.Kiribati$91,0000.001%
186.St Maarten (Dutch part)$83,0000.001%
187.Djibouti$70,0000.001%
188.Uganda$59,0000.001%
189.Cook Islands$57,0000.001%
190.Vanuatu$42,0000.001%
191.Sao Tom/Principe$42,0000.001%
192.Saint Helena$38,0000.001%
193.Haiti$31,0000.001%
194.Tonga$27,0000.0004%
195.Grenada$26,0000.0004%
196.British Virgin Is.$24,0000.0004%
197.St. Pierre/Miquelon$24,0000.0004%
198.South Sudan$23,0000.0004%
199.Dominica$23,0000.0004%
200.Turks/Caicos Is.$22,0000.0004%
201.Tanzania$21,0000.0003%
202.Burundi$17,0000.0003%
203.Niue$16,0000.0003%
204.Bonaire/St Eustatius/Saba$15,0000.0002%
205.Nauru$14,0000.0002%
206.Norfolk Island$12,0000.0002%
207.St Kitts/Nevis$5,0000.0001%
208.Wallis/Futuna Is.$5,0000.0001%
209.Northern Mariana Is.$3,0000.00005%
210.Micronesia$3,0000.00005%
211.American Samoa$2,0000.00003%
212.French South Antarctic$1,0000.00002%
213.Falkland Is. (Malvinas)$1,0000.00002%
214.Marshall Islands$1,0000.00002%
215.Palau$1,0000.00002%


See also Tea Exports by Country, Coffee Exports by Country, Russia’s Top Trading Partners and Top Soft Drinks Exporters by Country

Research Sources:
The World Factbook, Field Listing: Imports – Commodities, Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on June 7, 2017

Trade Map, International Trade Centre. Accessed on June 7, 2017

Investopedia, Net Importer Definition. Accessed on June 7, 2017







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