2026-06-16 · percent of global tea production
China and India grow half the world's tea
Leaves are concentrated in Asia — consumption is global.
Tea's supply chain is narrower than its popularity. China grows 47% of the world's tea and India 23% — together 70% of global production — while Kenya, Sri Lanka and other producers account for the remaining 30%. The leaves are concentrated in Asia; the drinking is global, which puts a handful of harvests at the center of a worldwide habit.
1 cell = 0.1 percent of global tea production (0.1% of tea production) · 1,000 cells
Context
Figures are FAOSTAT tea production shares for 2026. China's 47% and India's 23% combine to 70%, so the title's 'half the world's tea' is, if anything, a conservative read.
Kenya and Sri Lanka lead the remaining 30%, a band that also includes other producing countries. It is the counterweight to the two giants and a reminder that tea's geography is broader than China and India alone.
The lede carries the stakes: leaves are concentrated in Asia, but consumption is global. Growing conditions in a few regions therefore matter to tea drinkers and buyers almost everywhere.
FAOSTAT tea production shares.
Share and export
Credit this grid as Inagrid — https://inagrid.com/e/2026-06-16-tea-production