Global sales of exported tea from all countries totaled US$7.22 billion in 2025, down by -16.4% since five years earlier in 2021 when worldwide tea exports were worth $8.63 billion.

Year over year, the value of worldwide tea exports shrank by an average -11.2% compared to $8.13 billion in 2024.

The 5 biggest exporters of tea are mainland China, Kenya, India, Sri Lanka and Japan. Collectively, that quintet of major tea exporters was two-thirds (66.6%) of international tea sales.

From a continental perspective, Asian countries sold the highest dollar worth of exported tea during 2025 with shipments valued at $4.4 billion or 61.1% of the global total.

In second place were exporters in Africa at 20.1% while another 15.6% of overall tea shipments originated from Europe.

Tinier percentages of globally exported tea came from suppliers in North America (2%), Latin America (1.1%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania (0.1%) led by Australia and New Zealand.

For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix for tea is 0902.

Tea Exports by Country

Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of tea during 2025.

1. mainland China: US$1.5 billion (21.4% of total tea exports)
2. Kenya: $1.1 billion (15.9%)
3. India: $930.4 million (12.9%)
4. Sri Lanka: $700.1 million (9.7%)
5. Japan: $484.2 million (6.7%)
6. Germany: $285.3 million (4%)
7. Poland: $278.2 million (3.9%)
8. United Arab Emirates: $171.7 million (2.4%)
9. United Kingdom: $144.5 million (2%)
10. Vietnam: $124.7 million (1.7%)
11. Rwanda: $118.8 million (1.6%)
12. Netherlands: $103 million (1.4%)
13. United States: $95.2 million (1.3%)
14. Taiwan: $81.5 million (1.1%)
15. France: $73 million (1%)

By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 87% of worldwide tea exports in 2025.

Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing tea exporters from 2024 to 2025 were: Japan (up 99.6%), Netherlands (up 15.3%), India (up 13.9%) and mainland China (up 8.9%).

Those countries that posted declines in their exported tea sales were led by: United Arab Emirates (down -59.9%), Sri Lanka (down -50.3%), Vietnam (down -44.7%), Kenya (down -18.6%) and Taiwan (down -6.3%).

For a more detailed listing for 100 top tea exporters, see the section below.

Searchable List of Tea Exporting Countries in 2025

The 100 top tea exporters in the automated database below accounted for 99.98% of international tea sales.

Rank	Exporter	Tea Exports	2024-5
1	mainland China	$1,545,942,000	+8.9%
2	Kenya	$1,146,160,000	-18.6%
3	India	$930,365,000	+13.9%
4	Sri Lanka	$700,078,000	-50.3%
5	Japan	$484,233,000	+99.6%
6	Germany	$285,316,000	+8.5%
7	Poland	$278,221,000	+5.1%
8	United Arab Emirates	$171,668,000	-59.9%
9	United Kingdom	$144,485,000	+5%
10	Vietnam	$124,738,000	-44.7%
11	Rwanda	$118,762,000	+5.4%
12	Netherlands	$102,968,000	+15.3%
13	United States	$95,152,000	-2.2%
14	Taiwan	$81,478,000	-6.3%
15	France	$72,992,000	+5.7%
16	Malawi	$65,238,000	-6%
17	Argentina	$64,383,000	+1.5%
18	Belgium	$58,912,000	+25.6%
19	Canada	$52,036,000	+42.1%
20	Indonesia	$48,474,000	-8.3%
21	Jordan	$39,109,000	-39.9%
22	Russia	$37,523,000	-18.4%
23	Türkiye	$36,370,000	+34.4%
24	Thailand	$32,611,000	+17.2%
25	South Africa	$30,086,000	+16.5%
26	Switzerland	$30,016,000	+5%
27	Kazakhstan	$28,882,000	+7.5%
28	Singapore	$28,649,000	-4.7%
29	Morocco	$27,667,000	-25.7%
30	Nepal	$26,363,000	-21.8%
31	Saudi Arabia	$21,321,000	-15.4%
32	Pakistan	$19,155,000	-5.6%
33	Yemen	$17,219,000	+29.7%
34	Czech Republic	$16,946,000	+7.9%
35	Egypt	$16,534,000	-27.3%
36	Tanzania	$14,779,000	-24%
37	Malaysia	$14,382,000	+4.6%
38	Spain	$14,372,000	+13.6%
39	Denmark	$14,034,000	+30.2%
40	South Korea	$13,164,000	-36.6%
41	Hong Kong	$12,957,000	-18.1%
42	Zimbabwe	$12,655,000	-19.4%
43	Iran	$10,734,000	+4.5%
44	Italy	$10,311,000	+18.2%
45	Austria	$9,550,000	+11%
46	Ireland	$8,941,000	-14.6%
47	Uganda	$8,614,000	-84.7%
48	Ukraine	$8,354,000	+11.3%
49	Sweden	$7,532,000	-6.1%
50	Azerbaijan	$6,618,000	-0.2%
51	Latvia	$5,189,000	+2.9%
52	Australia	$4,913,000	+0.7%
53	Myanmar	$4,581,000	+160%
54	Mozambique	$4,526,000	+40.6%
55	Burundi	$4,003,000	-72.1%
56	Portugal	$3,012,000	+10%
57	Lithuania	$2,678,000	-8.4%
58	Colombia	$2,519,000	+1.2%
59	Greece	$2,126,000	+50%
60	Hungary	$2,110,000	+54.7%
61	Kyrgyzstan	$1,865,000	+1292%
62	New Zealand	$1,854,000	-7.9%
63	Bangladesh	$1,843,000	-32.6%
64	Lebanon	$1,820,000	-5.7%
65	Georgia	$1,767,000	-8.8%
66	Ethiopia	$1,759,000	-1%
67	Oman	$1,620,000	-77.6%
68	Costa Rica	$1,577,000	+19%
69	Jamaica	$1,510,000	-70.7%
70	Chile	$1,501,000	-2.8%
71	Slovenia	$1,480,000	+17%
72	Honduras	$1,350,000	0%
73	Finland	$1,293,000	+37.1%
74	Brazil	$1,145,000	-32%
75	Ecuador	$1,107,000	-12.6%
76	Croatia	$1,021,000	+22.4%
77	Romania	$937,000	+72.6%
78	Bulgaria	$908,000	+43.2%
79	Estonia	$874,000	-44.1%
80	Luxembourg	$874,000	+4.2%
81	Iraq	$820,000	+151.5%
82	Slovakia	$722,000	+14.2%
83	Laos	$692,000	+87.5%
84	Serbia	$681,000	+52.7%
85	Fiji	$585,000	+12.7%
86	Mexico	$572,000	-33.6%
87	Mauritius	$527,000	+66.2%
88	Peru	$389,000	-94.3%
89	Papua New Guinea	$321,000	-61.6%
90	Senegal	$319,000	-91.9%
91	Uzbekistan	$309,000	-33.5%
92	Syria	$286,000	-5.3%
93	Mali	$241,000	+731%
94	Sierra Leone	$200,000	+31.6%
95	Norway	$178,000	+1.7%
96	Nigeria	$174,000	0%
97	Philippines	$146,000	-39.7%
98	Macao	$144,000	+433.3%
99	Albania	$127,000	-48.8%
100	North Macedonia	$110,000	+189.5%

Focusing on the 100 leading exporters, the fastest growing tea sellers on global markets from 2024 to 2025 were Kyrgyzstan (up 1,292%), Mali (up 731%), North Macedonia (up 189.5%) and Myanmar sometimes called Burma (up 160%).

You can change the presentation order in the database by clicking the triangle icon at the top of the columns. The right-most column highlights the percentage change in worldwide tea exports from 2024 to 2025.

Note that an entry of 0% in the far-right column means no value for 2024 was available.

Average Prices for Top Tea Export Countries

In 2025, the world average price for globally exported tea was an estimated US$4,127 per ton. That dollar metric reflects a 4.5% increase compared to an average $3,951 per ton five years earlier in 2021.

Year over year, the average global price of exported tea by ton increased by 6% from $3,894 for 2024.

Listed below are the average unit prices for the 15 countries that exported the greatest value in exported tea during 2025.

1. mainland China: US$3,683 per ton of exported tea (down -2.9% from 2024)
2. Kenya: $2,643 per ton (up 17.4%)
3. India: $3,400 per ton (up 4%)
4. Sri Lanka: $6,266 per ton (up 8.2%)
5. Japan: $38,308 per ton (up 40.3%)
6. Germany: $12,787 per ton (up 9.5%)
7. Poland: $13,647 per ton (up 7.9%)
8. United Arab Emirates: $8,632 per ton (up 43.5%)
9. United Kingdom: $9,667 per ton (up 1.5%)
10. Vietnam: $1,715 per ton (down -72.4%)
11. Rwanda: $2,961 per ton (down -2.3%)
12. Netherlands: $12,015 per ton (up 32.3%)
13. United States: $6,293 per ton (down -4%)
14. Taiwan: $12,759 per ton (up 6.4%)
15. France: $23,081 per ton (down -1.8%)

The least costly tea is exported from Vietnam, Kenya, Rwanda, India and mainland China. All of these top tea exporters charged below the global average of $4,127 per ton in 2025.

The most expensive tea per ton was shipped from Japan, France, Poland, Germany, Taiwan and the Netherlands.

Countries Generating Greatest Surpluses Trading Tea

The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for tea during 2025. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s exported tea and its import purchases for that same commodity.

1. mainland China: US$1.4 billion (net export surplus up 7.9% since 2024)
2. Kenya: $1.14 billion (down -18.9%)
3. India: $853.5 million (up 15.9%)
4. Sri Lanka: $684.5 million (down -50.6%)
5. Japan: $308.2 million (up 279.1%)
6. Rwanda: $118.3 million (up 5.2%)
7. Poland: $116.1 million (down -1.5%)
8. Vietnam: $76.1 million (down -61.6%)
9. Malawi: $64.8 million (down -6.1%)
10. Argentina: $61.4 million (up 1.6%)
11. Jordan: $30.1 million (reversing a -$10.9 million deficit)
12. Nepal: $25.8 million (down -22.3%)
13. Yemen: $16.4 million (reversing a -$4 million deficit)
14. Tanzania: $14.2 million (down -24.7%)
15. Zimbabwe: $11.1 million (down -24%)

Mainland China, Kenya, India and Sri Lanka generated the highest surpluses in the international trade of tea. In turn, this positive cashflows confirm the competitors’ strong competitive advantages for this specific product category.

Countries Causing Worst Deficits Trading Tea

The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for tea during 2025. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s imported tea purchases and its exports for that same commodity.

1. Pakistan: -US$610.8 million (net export deficit down -0.5% since 2024)
2. United States: -$525.2 million (up 9.1%)
3. Saudi Arabia: -$289.1 million (up 4.2%)
4. Morocco: -$261.7 million (up 26.1%)
5. United Kingdom: -$248.9 million (up 4%)
6. Egypt: -$241.4 million (down -3.5%)
7. Iraq: -$125.2 million (down -58.6%)
8. Russia: -$117.2 million (down -68.6%)
9. Australia: -$115.3 million (down -1.6%)
10. Canada: -$113 million (up 2.7%)
11. Senegal: -$102.5 million (up 3718.8%)
12. France: -$101.8 million (up 17.5%)
13. Ghana: -$87.7 million (up 2159.9%)
14. Malaysia: -$85 million (down -2%)
15. Italy: -$79.2 million (up 1%)

Highly populous Pakistan incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of tea. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights the Asian country’s strong competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for tea-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful consumer demand.

Global Tea Exporting Companies

Below are global tea-processing conglomerates that represent established players engaged in the international tea trade. Their home country is shown within parenthesis.

• Akbar Tea (Sri Lanka)
• Bigelow Tea Company (United States)
• Douwe Egberts aka Pickwick (Netherlands)
• George Steuart Group (Sri Lanka)
• Harada Tea Processing (Japan)
• Lancashire Tea (United Kingdom)
• Red Rose Tea (United States)
• Salada Tea (United States)
• Teekanne (Germany)
• Ten Fu Group (China)
• Tetley – Tata Global Beverages (India)
• Twinings (United Kingdom)

 

See also Tea Imports by Country, Hot Chocolate Exports by Country, Coffee Exports by Country and Coffee Imports by Country

Research Sources:
Alibaba, Supplier showroom for Tea. Accessed on June 15, 2026

Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on June 15, 2026

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on June 15, 2026

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on June 15, 2026