Year over year, the value of worldwide tea exports shrank by an average -9.8% compared to $8.11 billion in 2020.
The 5 biggest exporters of tea are China, Kenya, Sri Lanka, India and Poland. Collectively, that quintet of major tea exporters generated over two-thirds (67.9%) of international tea sales.
From a continental perspective, Asian countries sold the highest dollar worth of exported tea during 2021 with shipments valued at $4.5 billion or 61.7% of the global total. In second place were exporters in Africa at 20.3% while another 14.8% of overall tea shipments originated from Europe.
Tinier percentages of globally exported tea came from North America (1.7%), Latin America (1.3%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania (0.2%) 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 2021.
- China: US$2.1 billion (28.6% of total tea exports)
- Kenya: $1.2 billion (16.3%)
- Sri Lanka: $732.4 million (10%)
- India: $687.9 million (9.4%)
- Poland: $262.8 million (3.6%)
- Germany: $242.5 million (3.3%)
- Japan: $189.9 million (2.6%)
- United Arab Emirates: $152.2 million (2.1%)
- United Kingdom: $135.7 million (1.9%)
- Vietnam: $130.7 million (1.8%)
- Russia: $115 million (1.6%)
- Taiwan: $113.3 million (1.5%)
- Netherlands: $94.1 million (1.3%)
- United States: $93.4 million (1.3%)
- Indonesia: $89.2 million (1.2%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 86.5% of global tea exports in 2021.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing tea exporters from 2020 to 2021 were: Japan (up 23.1%), Taiwan (up 13.1%), Russia (up 9.1%) and Germany (up 6.3%).
Those countries that posted declines in their exported tea sales were led by: United Arab Emirates (down -51.8%), Sri Lanka (down -44.9%), Vietnam (down -34.3%), Indonesia (down -7.4%) and Kenya (down -2.6%).
For the detailed listing for 100 tea exporters, see the section Searchable List of Tea Exporting Countries below.
Countries Generating Greatest Surpluses Trading Tea
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for tea during 2021. 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.
- China: US$1.9 billion (net export surplus up 3.8% since 2020)
- Kenya: $1.2 billion (down -2.5%)
- Sri Lanka: $717.5 million (down -45.4%)
- India: $628.5 million (up 0.6%)
- Poland: $138.3 million (up 3.8%)
- Argentina: $75 million (up 1.3%)
- Malawi: $66.3 million (down -10.7%)
- Indonesia: $66.2 million (down -6.1%)
- Rwanda: $60.3 million (up 6%)
- Tanzania: $32.4 million (up 2.9%)
- Taiwan: $25.3 million (up 13%)
- Uganda: $24.7 million (down -68.5%)
- Nepal: $23 million (down -28.4%)
- Zimbabwe: $17.1 million (up 9%)
- Japan: $15.8 million (reversing a -$2.3 million deficit)
Mainland China generated the highest surplus in the international trade of tea. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms China’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Countries Causing Worst Deficits Trading Tea
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for tea during 2021. 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.
- Pakistan: -US$574.6 million (net export deficit down -0.2% since 2020)
- United States of America: -$438.3 million (up 14%)
- Russia: -$321.2 million (up 4.7%)
- Egypt: -$213.2 million (up 11.9%)
- Hong Kong: -$212.9 million (up 20.8%)
- Saudi Arabia: -$176.6 million (down -22.9%)
- Morocco: -$174.8 million (up 0.4%)
- United Kingdom: -$171.7 million (down -19.5%)
- France: -$112.4 million (down -2.7%)
- Canada: -$110.5 million (up 39.3%)
- Iran: -$109.1 million (down -65.3%)
- Ghana: -$102.7 million (up 9.2%)
- Australia: -$100.3 million (up 6.6%)
- Italy: -$79.7 million (up 7.5%)
- Kazakhstan: -$62.6 million (down -23.9%)
Overtaking the United States in 2021, Pakistan incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of tea. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights both countries’ strong competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for tea-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful consumer demand.
Global Tea Exporting Companies
Below are global tea-processing conglomerates that represent established players engaged in the international tea trade. Their home country is shown within parenthesis.
- Akbar Tea (Sri Lanka)
- Bigelow Tea Company (United States)
- Douwe Egberts aka Pickwick (Netherlands)
- George Steuart Group (Sri Lanka)
- Harada Tea Processing (Japan)
- Lancashire Tea (United Kingdom)
- Red Rose Tea (United States)
- Salada Tea (United States)
- Teekanne (Germany)
- Ten Fu Group (China)
- Tetley – Tata Global Beverages (India)
- Twinings (United Kingdom)
Searchable List of Tea Exporting Countries in 2021
The 100 top tea exporters in the automated database below accounted for 99.97% of international tea sales.
| Rank | Exporter | Tea Exports (US$) | 2020-1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | China | $2,096,169,000 | +2.9% |
| 2. | Kenya | $1,192,788,000 | -2.6% |
| 3. | Sri Lanka | $732,381,000 | -44.9% |
| 4. | India | $687,890,000 | -0.6% |
| 5. | Poland | $262,807,000 | -0.6% |
| 6. | Germany | $242,467,000 | +6.3% |
| 7. | Japan | $189,891,000 | +23.1% |
| 8. | United Arab Emirates | $152,184,000 | -51.8% |
| 9. | United Kingdom | $135,733,000 | -0.5% |
| 10. | Vietnam | $130,728,000 | -34.3% |
| 11. | Russia | $115,015,000 | +9.1% |
| 12. | Taiwan | $113,346,000 | +13.1% |
| 13. | Netherlands | $94,077,000 | +1.2% |
| 14. | United States | $93,439,000 | +4.7% |
| 15. | Indonesia | $89,185,000 | -7.4% |
| 16. | Argentina | $76,944,000 | +2.1% |
| 17. | Malawi | $66,430,000 | -10.9% |
| 18. | France | $63,106,000 | +18.5% |
| 19. | Rwanda | $60,318,000 | +5.7% |
| 20. | Hong Kong | $49,203,000 | +7.9% |
| 21. | Belgium | $46,666,000 | -4.4% |
| 22. | Malaysia | $35,969,000 | +23.2% |
| 23. | Tanzania | $32,881,000 | +2.9% |
| 24. | Morocco | $32,682,000 | +15.7% |
| 25. | Canada | $31,118,000 | -29.2% |
| 26. | Switzerland | $29,830,000 | -4.4% |
| 27. | Jordan | $26,921,000 | +28.9% |
| 28. | Uganda | $25,026,000 | -68.2% |
| 29. | Thailand | $24,314,000 | +3.6% |
| 30. | Nepal | $23,801,000 | -28.1% |
| 31. | Singapore | $23,445,000 | -23.7% |
| 32. | South Africa | $22,806,000 | +4.6% |
| 33. | Pakistan | $21,875,000 | +46.8% |
| 34. | Turkey | $21,723,000 | +21.8% |
| 35. | Kazakhstan | $19,148,000 | +0.9% |
| 36. | Zimbabwe | $17,839,000 | +9.6% |
| 37. | South Korea | $16,785,000 | +145.6% |
| 38. | Burundi | $14,392,000 | -33.4% |
| 39. | Spain | $13,312,000 | +25.6% |
| 40. | Iran | $12,595,000 | -20.6% |
| 41. | Saudi Arabia | $12,268,000 | -14.7% |
| 42. | Austria | $11,572,000 | -7.2% |
| 43. | Czech Republic | $10,968,000 | +28.7% |
| 44. | Yemen | $10,230,000 | -12% |
| 45. | Azerbaijan | $8,492,000 | -10.2% |
| 46. | Australia | $8,267,000 | +14.2% |
| 47. | Denmark | $8,210,000 | +30.9% |
| 48. | Egypt | $7,959,000 | +19.6% |
| 49. | Ireland | $7,805,000 | +8.8% |
| 50. | Mozambique | $6,221,000 | +39.8% |
| 51. | Italy | $5,886,000 | +13.8% |
| 52. | Ukraine | $5,886,000 | +12.7% |
| 53. | Sweden | $5,665,000 | +9.1% |
| 54. | New Zealand | $5,428,000 | +350.1% |
| 55. | Chile | $4,442,000 | +39.6% |
| 56. | Lithuania | $4,409,000 | -1.6% |
| 57. | Latvia | $4,390,000 | +9.5% |
| 58. | Peru | $3,836,000 | +662.6% |
| 59. | Belarus | $3,540,000 | +65% |
| 60. | Israel | $3,141,000 | -3.6% |
| 61. | Colombia | $2,639,000 | +6% |
| 62. | Ethiopia | $2,425,000 | -25% |
| 63. | Portugal | $2,202,000 | +23.8% |
| 64. | Myanmar | $2,068,000 | -8.9% |
| 65. | Oman | $1,929,000 | -23.3% |
| 66. | Georgia | $1,803,000 | +45.5% |
| 67. | Bangladesh | $1,792,000 | -59.6% |
| 68. | Jamaica | $1,712,000 | -56.9% |
| 69. | Luxembourg | $1,692,000 | +131.1% |
| 70. | Laos | $1,682,000 | +175.7% |
| 71. | Ecuador | $1,450,000 | +8.5% |
| 72. | Finland | $1,409,000 | +40.1% |
| 73. | Djibouti | $1,399,000 | +0.3% |
| 74. | Senegal | $1,285,000 | +17.5% |
| 75. | Brazil | $1,132,000 | -20.7% |
| 76. | Hungary | $1,100,000 | +29.3% |
| 77. | Romania | $1,024,000 | -39.2% |
| 78. | Costa Rica | $978,000 | -50.9% |
| 79. | Croatia | $873,000 | +24.4% |
| 80. | Mexico | $849,000 | -62.1% |
| 81. | Macao | $807,000 | 0% |
| 82. | Mauritius | $774,000 | +47.1% |
| 83. | Estonia | $703,000 | +95.8% |
| 84. | Greece | $636,000 | -0.3% |
| 85. | Trinidad/Tobago | $623,000 | -35% |
| 86. | Slovakia | $592,000 | +57.9% |
| 87. | Lebanon | $547,000 | -58.1% |
| 88. | Moldova | $506,000 | -27% |
| 89. | Bulgaria | $491,000 | -24.1% |
| 90. | Papua New Guinea | $485,000 | -7.3% |
| 91. | Serbia | $445,000 | -0.4% |
| 92. | Fiji | $412,000 | -21.2% |
| 93. | Slovenia | $350,000 | +17.1% |
| 94. | Uzbekistan | $286,000 | +45.2% |
| 95. | Kyrgyzstan | $277,000 | -62.1% |
| 96. | Syrian Arab Republic | $267,000 | +6% |
| 97. | Guatemala | $239,000 | +6.2% |
| 98. | Sierra Leone | $237,000 | -12.9% |
| 99. | North Macedonia | $217,000 | +189.3% |
| 100. | Suriname | $198,000 | 0% |
Calculated based on the 100 leading exporters, the fastest growing tea sellers on global markets from 2020 to 2021 were Peru (up 662.6%), New Zealand (up 350.1%), North Macedonia (up 189.3%), Laos (up 175.7%), South Korea (up 145.6%), Luxembourg (up 131.1%) and Estonia (up 95.8%).
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 2020 to 2021. (Note that an entry of 0% in the far right column means no value for 2020 was available.)
Average Prices for Top Tea Export Countries
The world average price for globally exported tea in 2021 was US$4,094 per ton. That dollar metric reflects a 23.6% increase from an average $3,313 per ton during 2020.
Listed below are the average unit prices for the 15 countries that exported the greatest value in exported tea during 2021.
- China: US$6,215 per ton of exported tea (up 7.1% from 2020)
- Kenya: $2,143 per ton (up 0.8%)
- Sri Lanka: $4,786 per ton (up 2.6%)
- India: $3,488 per ton (up 6.1%)
- Poland: $12,045 per ton (up 10.5%)
- Germany: $11,065 per ton (up 7.8%)
- Japan: $30,038 per ton (up 3.9%)
- United Arab Emirates: $8,334 per ton (up 53.7%)
- United Kingdom: $10,073 per ton (up 39.4%)
- Vietnam: $1,665 per ton (up 6%)
- Russia: $5,263 per ton (up 2.5%)
- Taiwan: $12,638 per ton (up 1.2%)
- Netherlands: $8,495 per ton (down -3.1%)
- United States: $6,127 per ton (down -1.7%)
- Indonesia: $2,077 per ton (down -2.8%)
The least costly tea is exported from Vietnam, Indonesia, Kenya and India. In 2021, all 4 of these top tea exporters charged less than the global average of $4,094 per ton.
The most expensive tea is shipped from Japan, Taiwan, Poland, Germany and the 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 6, 2022
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on June 6, 2022
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on June 6, 2022
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on June 6, 2022
