List of countries by tea consumption per capita

Tea is the most popular manufactured drink in the world in terms of consumption. Its consumption equals all other manufactured drinks in the world – including coffee, chocolate, soft drinks, and alcohol – put together. Most tea consumed outside East Asia is produced on large plantations in the hilly regions of India and Sri Lanka, and is destined to be sold to large businesses. Opposite this large-scale industrial production are many small "gardens," sometimes minuscule plantations, that produce highly sought-after teas prized by gourmets. These teas are both rare and expensive, and can be compared to some of the most expensive wines in this respect.
India is the world's largest tea-drinking nation, although the per capita consumption of tea remains a modest 750 grams per person every year with 2.5 kg of tea consumed per person per year, is the world's greatest per capita consumer.   
  

Production

In 2003, world tea production was 3.21 million tonnes annually. In 2010, world tea production reached over 4.52 million tonnes. The largest producers of tea are the People's Republic of China, India, Kenya, Sri Lanka, and Turkey.

 

Percentage of total tea production in 2008

   Less than 0.5% or insignificant quantities

   From 0.5 to 1%.

   From 1 to 5%.              

   From 5 to 10%.

   From 10 to 20%.

   More than 20%

Percentage of total global tea production by country in 2007

The following table shows the amount of tea production (in tonnes) by leading countries in recent years. Data are generated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United

Certification

Workers who pick and pack tea on plantations in developing countries can face harsh working conditions and can earn below the living wage.
A number of bodies independently certify the production of tea. Tea from certified estates can be sold with a certification label on the pack. The most important certification schemes are Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, UTZ Certified, and Organic. All these schemes certify other crops (such as coffee, cocoa and fruit), as well. Rainforest Alliance certified tea is sold by Unilever brands Lipton and PG Tips in Western Europe, Australia and the US. Fairtrade certified tea is sold by a large number of suppliers around the world. UTZ Certified announced a partnership in 2008 with Sara Lee brand Pickwick tea.
Production of organic tea is rising; 6,000 tons of organic tea were sold in 1999. The majority of this tea (about 75%) is sold in France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.^{[citation needed]}

Trade

According to the FAO in 2007, the largest importer of tea, by weight, was the Russian Federation, followed by the United Kingdom, Pakistan, and the United States. Kenya, China, India and Sri Lanka were the largest exporters of tea in 2007 (with exports of: 374229, 292199, 193459 and 190203 tonnes respectively).The largest exporter of black tea in the world is Kenya, while the largest producer (and consumer) of black tea in the world is India^.