Tea · ranking
A tea buyer’s guide to a ranking that is drawn from a wider chapter, and to the steps that turn a country name into a supplier you can talk to.
| # | Market | Value | Volume | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | $11.8B | — | 2024 |
| 2 | India | $5.2B | — | 2024 |
| 3 | Vietnam | $4.7B | — | 2023 |
| 4 | Germany | $4.5B | — | 2024 |
| 5 | Switzerland | $3.9B | — | 2024 |
| 6 | China | $3.6B | — | 2024 |
| 7 | Colombia | $3.6B | — | 2024 |
| 8 | Italy | $3.0B | — | 2024 |
| 9 | Indonesia | $2.7B | — | 2024 |
| 10 | Sri Lanka | $1.8B | — | 2024 |
Ranking is for the whole of HS chapter 09 (coffee, tea, mate and spices), reporter-declared, latest year available per market. Source: UN Comtrade.
Tea is heading 0902, but the ranking is calculated at chapter level, HS 09, which also takes in coffee, mate and spices. The ten values here are the totals for all of them. A country can climb high through coffee and barely feature in tea, and a tea-focused origin can appear low or be absent.
That is why an experienced tea buyer treats the list as a first sieve. It tells you which economies are big sellers of goods in this family, and it tells you very little about leaf grades, estates or auction sales.
Brazil leads at $11.8B, India is second at $5.2B and Vietnam third at $4.7B. Germany follows at $4.5B and Switzerland at $3.9B. China and Colombia both show $3.6B, then Italy at $3.0B, Indonesia at $2.7B and Sri Lanka at $1.8B.
The ten cover 63.6% of the ranked markets among 96. The value of the leader is more than double that of second place, but from India downward the figures drift down steadily without any sharp break.
For tea, provenance sells. Whether a lot is packed in a European hub or grown in a highland estate is central to how it is priced and marketed. Customs records list where goods were shipped from, and origin can be a separate field, so check both before you draw conclusions about who really supplies the leaf.
Confirm current import conditions, such as food safety testing and labelling, with the destination customs authority before agreeing a contract.
Search shipment records under the tea heading and filter by an origin from this list. You will get named exporters, receiving companies, quantities and declared values, which lets you see who ships in commercial lots and to whom.
Sellers can post a listing on the free marketplace to reach buyers who are searching for tea, and can use the same records to study the buyers of competing origins.
No. It is built on HS chapter 09, which includes coffee, mate and spices along with tea. Use records under the tea heading if you need tea alone.
Brazil leads at $11.8B, followed by India at $5.2B. The leader's total is more than twice second place, but that reflects the whole chapter.
They process, blend, pack and re-export goods, so their totals can include material grown elsewhere. Check the origin field in shipment data.
Search customs shipment records under the tea heading, filter by origin and read the shipper names, quantities and declared values.
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