Global purchases of imported tea totaled US$7.33 billion in 2024.
The overall value of tea imported by all buyer countries increased by an average 6% since 2020 when global tea purchases cost $6.92 billion.
Year over year, the total dollar cost of imported tea rose by 3.1% compared to $7.11 billion during 2023.
In 2024, the 5 most valuable import markets for tea are Pakistan, United States of America, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and Russia. Combined, those major importers generated almost a third (31.5%) of the worldwide sales of imported tea.
Almost three-quarters (74.7%) of globally imported tea was for purchases of black teas, with the remaining 25.3% for imported green teas (up from 23.3% in the prior year).
From a continental perspective, customers in Asian countries bought the most imported tea during 2024 with purchases totaling $3.2 billion or 43.8% of the worldwide total. In second place were European countries at 27.6% while another 15.2% of all tea imports was delivered to buyers in Africa.
Smaller percentages went to North America (10.1%), Oceania (2%) led by Australia and New Zealand, then Latin America (1.4%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix for tea is 0902.
Below are the 15 countries that imported the highest dollar value worth of tea during 2024.
- Pakistan: US$634.4 million (8.7% of total imported tea)
- United States: $578.6 million (7.9%)
- United Kingdom: $377 million (5.1%)
- United Arab Emirates: $372 million (5.1%)
- Russia: $350.9 million (4.8%)
- Saudi Arabia: $302.6 million (4.1%)
- Morocco: $252.1 million (3.4%)
- Germany: $241.3 million (3.3%)
- Iraq: $239.4 million (3.3%)
- Egypt: $209.9 million (2.9%)
- Ghana: $175.4 million (2.4%)
- Japan: $161.3 million (2.2%)
- mainland China: $157.6 million (2.1%)
- France: $155.5 million (2.1%)
- Iran: $148.7 million (2%)
By value, the listed 15 countries purchased 59.4% of all tea imported in 2024.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing markets for tea since 2023 were: Ghana (up 6,863%), United Arab Emirates (up 68.3%), Morocco (up 34.5%) and the United Kingdom (up 21.5%).
Those countries that posted declines in their imported tea purchases were: Iran (down -64.2% from 2023), Egypt (down -32.3%), Iraq (down -14.9%) and Russia (down -8.3%).
Ranked in the database below, the 100 key import markets for tea accounted for 98.3% of the value of globally imported tea during 2024.
| Rank | Importer | Tea Imports | 2023-4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Pakistan | $634,413,000 | +7.1% |
| 2. | United States | $578,578,000 | +11.3% |
| 3. | United Kingdom | $377,010,000 | +21.5% |
| 4. | United Arab Emirates | $372,021,000 | +68.3% |
| 5. | Russia | $350,946,000 | -8.3% |
| 6. | Saudi Arabia | $302,630,000 | +18.2% |
| 7. | Morocco | $252,072,000 | +34.5% |
| 8. | Germany | $241,253,000 | +6.7% |
| 9. | Iraq | $239,422,000 | -14.9% |
| 10. | Egypt | $209,877,000 | -32.3% |
| 11. | Ghana | $175,408,000 | +6863% |
| 12. | Japan | $161,272,000 | +1% |
| 13. | mainland China | $157,612,000 | +7.6% |
| 14. | France | $155,456,000 | +1.9% |
| 15. | Iran | $148,673,000 | -64.2% |
| 16. | Poland | $146,902,000 | +32.4% |
| 17. | Canada | $146,664,000 | +8.8% |
| 18. | Australia | $122,078,000 | +16.2% |
| 19. | Netherlands | $112,836,000 | -0.6% |
| 20. | Hong Kong | $104,086,000 | -45.2% |
| 21. | Malaysia | $100,401,000 | +11.9% |
| 22. | Italy | $88,322,000 | +11.3% |
| 23. | Uzbekistan | $80,948,000 | +60.6% |
| 24. | Kazakhstan | $80,161,000 | -23.9% |
| 25. | India | $80,010,000 | +74.1% |
| 26. | Taiwan | $78,208,000 | -3.1% |
| 27. | Azerbaijan | $76,488,000 | +8.4% |
| 28. | Belgium | $71,457,000 | -0.4% |
| 29. | Libya | $65,473,000 | -11% |
| 30. | Senegal | $62,715,000 | +1056% |
| 31. | Jordan | $62,277,000 | +7.8% |
| 32. | Chile | $57,561,000 | +13% |
| 33. | Ireland | $53,576,000 | +19.3% |
| 34. | Algeria | $53,113,000 | -26.8% |
| 35. | Spain | $50,407,000 | +3.9% |
| 36. | Singapore | $48,693,000 | +1.6% |
| 37. | Vietnam | $47,704,000 | +95.6% |
| 38. | Ukraine | $47,501,000 | -3.3% |
| 39. | Syria | $45,428,000 | -2.6% |
| 40. | Yemen | $44,817,000 | -28.3% |
| 41. | Sweden | $44,520,000 | -17.8% |
| 42. | Switzerland | $41,219,000 | +0.5% |
| 43. | Mali | $38,356,000 | +58.3% |
| 44. | South Africa | $37,919,000 | +8% |
| 45. | Türkiye | $35,473,000 | -2.5% |
| 46. | Czech Republic | $31,610,000 | +4.9% |
| 47. | Indonesia | $31,164,000 | +20.8% |
| 48. | Austria | $30,239,000 | -1.6% |
| 49. | Thailand | $28,272,000 | +13.2% |
| 50. | Niger | $25,122,000 | +228.9% |
| 51. | Denmark | $24,884,000 | +9.3% |
| 52. | South Korea | $24,545,000 | +2.4% |
| 53. | Kuwait | $24,426,000 | -56% |
| 54. | Sri Lanka | $23,595,000 | +41.7% |
| 55. | Guinea | $22,019,000 | +5.2% |
| 56. | Mauritania | $21,434,000 | -4.4% |
| 57. | Philippines | $21,069,000 | +6.1% |
| 58. | Oman | $20,118,000 | -50.9% |
| 59. | Norway | $19,528,000 | +8.1% |
| 60. | Kyrgyzstan | $17,164,000 | +49.1% |
| 61. | New Zealand | $16,310,000 | +5.7% |
| 62. | Mexico | $16,294,000 | +42.6% |
| 63. | Qatar | $16,082,000 | -42.8% |
| 64. | Finland | $15,862,000 | +5.3% |
| 65. | Nigeria | $15,319,000 | -16.3% |
| 66. | Afghanistan | $15,308,000 | -65% |
| 67. | Lebanon | $13,304,000 | -39.5% |
| 68. | Greece | $12,451,000 | +33% |
| 69. | Ivory Coast | $12,043,000 | +14.9% |
| 70. | Sudan | $11,940,000 | -64.2% |
| 71. | Cameroon | $11,938,000 | -36.4% |
| 72. | Hungary | $11,852,000 | +22.7% |
| 73. | Albania | $11,392,000 | +5833% |
| 74. | Portugal | $10,758,000 | +24.6% |
| 75. | Lithuania | $10,589,000 | -1.4% |
| 76. | Israel | $10,557,000 | +32.6% |
| 77. | Chad | $10,541,000 | +34.9% |
| 78. | Macao | $10,169,000 | -10.7% |
| 79. | Tunisia | $10,155,000 | +877.4% |
| 80. | Botswana | $9,150,000 | +23.9% |
| 81. | Latvia | $8,841,000 | +0.9% |
| 82. | Georgia | $8,537,000 | -5.1% |
| 83. | Bahrain | $7,808,000 | -50.5% |
| 84. | Moldova | $7,433,000 | -3% |
| 85. | Estonia | $6,634,000 | +17.5% |
| 86. | Mongolia | $6,525,000 | +32% |
| 87. | Somalia | $6,491,000 | -33.3% |
| 88. | Tajikistan | $6,300,000 | -11.3% |
| 89. | Romania | $6,029,000 | -1.9% |
| 90. | Kenya | $4,800,000 | -44.6% |
| 91. | Slovakia | $4,790,000 | -7.8% |
| 92. | Bulgaria | $4,779,000 | +20.1% |
| 93. | South Sudan | $4,719,000 | -61.1% |
| 94. | Namibia | $4,573,000 | +6.4% |
| 95. | Cambodia | $4,518,000 | +37.4% |
| 96. | Burundi | $4,105,000 | +20425% |
| 97. | Belarus | $4,050,000 | +1.9% |
| 98. | Burkina Faso | $4,037,000 | +46% |
| 99. | Cyprus | $3,981,000 | +12.6% |
| 100. | Turkmenistan | $3,920,000 | -68% |
Expanding the scope to the 100 leading buyer countries, the fastest-growing import markets for tea from 2023 to 2024 are Burundi (up 20,425%), Ghana (up 6,863%), Albania (up 5,833%), Senegal (up 1,056%) and Tunisia (up 877.4%).
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the columns above. An entry of 0% in the right-most column means that no 2023 data was available.
Tea Imports into Pakistan
Below are the top 15 suppliers from which Pakistan imported the highest dollar value worth of tea during 2024. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2023 to 2024.
- Kenya: US$557.5 million (up 12.12% from 2023)
- Rwanda: $33.3 million (up 24%)
- Vietnam: $13.3 million (down -10.1%)
- Malawi: $8.3 million (down -8.1%)
- Uganda: $8.2 million (down -65.5%)
- Tanzania: $5.5 million (down -43.3%)
- mainland China: $2.5 million (down -52.9%)
- Burundi: $2.4 million (down -18.8%)
- Indonesia: $1.6 million (down -14%)
- Bangladesh: $1.3 million (up 727.3%)
- South Africa: $71,000 (2023 data unavailable)
- Brunei Darussalam: $41,000 (2023 data unavailable)
- United Arab Emirates: $38,000 (up 216.7%)
- Kiribati: $33,000 (2023 data unavailable)
- Sri Lanka: $31,000 (down -72.6%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 99.98% of tea imported by Pakistan in 2024.
Among the above countries, growth suppliers of tea to Pakistan since 2023 were: Bangladesh (up 727.3%), United Arab Emirates (up 216.7%), Rwanda (up 24%) and Kenya (up 12.1%).
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their tea supplied to Pakistani importers included: Sri Lanka (down -72.6% from 2023), Uganda (down -65.5%), mainland China (down -52.9%) and Tanzania (down -43.3%).
Overall, the value of Pakistan’s imported tea went up by an average 7.1% from all supplying countries since 2023 when tea purchased cost $592.2 million.
Tea Imports into the United States
Below are the top 15 suppliers from which the United States imported the highest dollar value worth of tea during 2024. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2023 to 2024.
- Japan: US$110.4 million (up 3% from 2023)
- India: $68.5 million (up 21.8%)
- Argentina: $62.7 million (down -1.3%)
- mainland China: $59.6 million (up 15.2%)
- Sri Lanka: $49.3 million (up 6.1%)
- United Kingdom: $30.9 million (up 55.6%)
- Canada: $28.5 million (up 30.2%)
- Taiwan: $22.6 million (up 1.9%)
- United Arab Emirates: $21.7 million (up 72.5%)
- Poland: $19.2 million (down -4.5%)
- Germany: $18.5 million (up 16.6%)
- Vietnam: $11 million (up 35.4%)
- Pakistan: $10.5 million (up 19.2%)
- Malawi: $10.4 million (down -12.1%)
- Kenya: $5.7 million (up 37.8%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 91.5% of tea imported by the United States of America in 2024.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of tea to the United States since 2023 were: United Arab Emirates (up 72.5%), United Kingdom (up 55.6%), Kenya (up 37.8%) and Vietnam (up 35.4%).
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their tea supplied to American importers were: Malawi (down -12.1% from 2023), Poland (down -4.5%) and Argentina (down -1.3%).
Overall, the value of America’s imported tea increased by an average 11.3% from all supplying countries since 2023 when tea purchased cost $519.8 million.
Tea Imports into the United Kingdom
Below are the top 15 suppliers from which Britain imported the highest dollar value worth of tea during 2024. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2023 to 2024.
- Kenya: US$147.4 million (up 20.3% from 2023)
- India: $60.5 million (up 35.4%)
- Rwanda: $20.9 million (up 52%)
- Switzerland: $20.8 million (up 15.8%)
- Sri Lanka: $17 million (up 6.4%)
- Malawi: $16.4 million (up 2.8%)
- Poland: $15 million (up 25.1%)
- Germany: $12.2 million (up 63.2%)
- mainland China: $12 million (up 31.2%)
- Japan: $8.1 million (up 57.8%)
- Tanzania: $7.53 million (up 1.2%)
- Türkiye: $7.46 million (up 55.3%)
- Ireland: $3.6 million (up 23.4%)
- South Africa: $2.9 million (down -54.5%)
- Mozambique: $2.2 million (up 101.8%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 93.9% of tea imported by the UK in 2024.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of tea to the United Kingdom since 2023 were: Mozambique (up 101.8%), Germany (up 63.2%), Japan (up 57.8%) and Türkiye (up 55.3%).
South Africa was the lone competitor to experience a decline in the value of tea supplied to UK’s importers, recording a -54.5% setback versus 2023.
Overall, the value of the United Kingdom’s imported tea accelerated by an average 21.5% from all supplying countries since 2023 when tea purchased cost $310.3 million.
Tea Imports into the United Arab Emirates
Below are the top 15 suppliers from which the United Arab Emirates imported the highest dollar value worth of tea during 2024. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2023 to 2024.
- India: US$83.9 million (up 6.7% from 2023)
- Kenya: $70 million (down -32.4%)
- Sri Lanka: $26 million (down -25.4%)
- mainland China: $5.5 million (down -38.4%)
- United States: $4.6 million (up 204.1%)
- Poland: $4.4 million (down -18.7%)
- Tanzania: $2.7 million (down -16%)
- Egypt: $2.3 million (up 197.1%)
- United Kingdom: $2.05 million (up 17.1%)
- Vietnam: $2.04 million (up 69%)
- Japan: $2.02 million (up 196.9%)
- Germany: $1.82 million (up 92.3%)
- Uganda: $1.82 million (down -30.4%)
- Malawi: $1.7 million (down -24.9%)
- Indonesia: $1.4 million (down -74.6%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 99.95% of tea imported by the United Arab Emirates in 2024.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of tea to the United Arab Emirates since 2023 were: United States of America (up 204.1%), Egypt (up 197.1%), Japan (up 196.9%) and Germany (up 92.3%).
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their tea supplied to UAE importers included: Indonesia (down -74.6% from 2023), mainland China (down -38.4%), Kenya (down -32.4%) and Uganda (down -30.4%).
Overall, the value of the United Arab Emirates’ imported tea fell by an average -15.3% from all supplying countries since 2023 when tea purchased cost $260.8 million.
See also Tea Exports by Country, Coffee Exports by Country, Coffee Imports by Country, Hot Chocolate Exports by Country and Wine Exports by Country
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Imports – Commodities. Accessed on June 10, 2025
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on June 10, 2025
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on June 10, 2025