Biggest Tea Exporter in the World 2025
Tea is more than a drink it’s culture, economy, identity. As global tastes evolve, the flow of tea across borders remains a key indicator of agricultural strength, trade capacity, and international demand.
Who exports the most tea now? Let’s explore the biggest exporter of tea, the largest exporters of tea in the world, and understand where the powerhouses stand in 2025.
Key Metrics & What We Mean by “Biggest Tea Exporter in the World”
To assess who is the biggest exporter of tea, it helps to look at:
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Export volume (metric tons)
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Export value (USD)
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Types of tea (black, green, orthodox, CTC)
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Domestic consumption vs export
These factors change over time due to climate, cultivation area changes, trade policies, and global demand.
Top Tea Exporting Countries in 2024-25
China: Reign of the Biggest Tea Exporter in the World
China holds the top spot as the biggest tea exporter in the world in recent reports. To understand how:
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It exports large volumes of green tea (which usually carries different pricing and demand trends than black tea).
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Expansion in export capacity and agricultural acreage over recent years.
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Even when domestic consumption is strong, export value and volume put it ahead of others.
However, while China leads in export value and certain tea categories, some competitors are catching up in black tea export volumes or specialty markets.
Kenya & Sri Lanka: Competing Powerhouses Among the Largest Tea Exporters of Tea in the World
While China leads overall:
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Kenya remains a top exporter in black tea, with strong global demand, especially for bulk and CTC teas. Its export volume in metric tons is among the highest.
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Sri Lanka has built its reputation around quality, orthodox black teas, and has managed to maintain high export values despite production and economic challenges. It plays a key role in the list of largest tea exporter in the world by value.
India’s Position: Production vs Export
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India is one of the largest tea-producing countries but exports a smaller fraction relative to production because of high domestic consumption.
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In 2024, India’s exports crossed 250 million kg, surpassing some competitors in export quantity. Agron Food Processing
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Challenges: climate issues (e.g. heat, floods), cost of production, and logistics affect both production and export potential.
Trends Affecting Which Country Becomes or Remains the Biggest Tea Exporter of Tea
These are some of the influencing factors:
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Climate change and weather events droughts, floods, heat waves in major tea regions reduce yield.
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Shifts in consumer preferences increased demand for green tea, specialty teas, organic teas, single-origin teas. Countries strong in these categories benefit.
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Logistics & trade policy tariffs, export restrictions, quality / phytosanitary standards matter.
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Domestic consumption trends if a producing country has growing demand at home, exportable surplus shrinks. India is a good example.
Final Thoughts
When considering the biggest tea producers in the world, the distinction is not only about who ships the most kilos, but also who commands high value, quality, and stable export markets. As of 2025:
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China is still the top, the biggest tea exporter in the world.
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Kenya and Sri Lanka are major players to watch, especially as global demand for specialty teas grows.
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India may rise further in export rankings depending on how it manages domestic consumption, environmental pressures, and infrastructure.
For those needing very detailed export data, trade flows by country, and current figures for specific tea types, the site https://www.seair.co.in provides updated, accurate global export-import statistics and is a valuable resource.
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