Sri Lanka’s tea supply outweighs its coffee supply by about 225 times per person, the widest gap of any country in 2023
More than half of the 170 countries with usable data lean coffee by a factor of 5 or more
Turkey and China remain firmly tea dominant even after building two of the world’s fastest growing coffee markets
Chile, Senegal, and Ivory Coast flipped from leaning toward tea in 2010 to leaning toward coffee in 2023
Argentina and Paraguay’s high tea to coffee ratios reflect yerba mate, not Camellia sinensis tea
Tea and coffee are two of the most popular beverages on the planet. The balance between them varies enormously by country, and it has shifted substantially since 2010.
To visualize these changes, I created the maps below using FAO data.
Sri Lanka stands at one extreme. The average resident’s tea supply outweighs their coffee supply by roughly 225 times, the widest gap of any country in 2023.
Coffee turns out to be the more common preference by weight. Out of 170 countries with usable data for both drinks in 2023, more than half lean coffee by a factor of 5 or more. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Romania rank near the extreme coffee end of the scale, all supplying more than a hundred times as much coffee as tea per resident. Tea still wins decisively in a smaller group of countries, led by Sri Lanka and Tanzania, both far ahead of the rest of the tea dominant group.
Turkey and China stand out for a different reason. Both built some of the fastest growing coffee markets anywhere over the past decade, yet both remain firmly tea dominant by weight. Coffee has closed real ground in China specifically since 2010, but tea still keeps a wide lead in both countries.
Country
2010
2023
India
Tea only
Tea only
Malaysia
40.7x more tea
Tea only
Sri Lanka
266x more tea
225x more tea
Kenya
16.5x more tea
183x more tea
Tanzania
1.7x more tea
155x more tea
Pakistan
Tea only
95.0x more tea
Bangladesh
Tea only
79.0x more tea
Nepal
6.8x more tea
46.9x more tea
Uganda
Coffee only
40.0x more tea
Paraguay
25.5x more tea
37.3x more tea
Zimbabwe
Coffee only
25.0x more tea
China
65.7x more tea
22.6x more tea
Rwanda
Coffee only
21.8x more tea
Afghanistan
Tea only
20.0x more tea
Malawi
1.0x more tea
18.4x more tea
Ecuador
12.2x more coffee
18.3x more tea
Türkiye
2.4x more tea
11.0x more tea
Argentina
2.9x more tea
10.9x more tea
Mauritania
156x more tea
8.2x more tea
Indonesia
1.2x more tea
7.5x more tea
Myanmar
1.5x more tea
6.5x more tea
Sierra Leone
1.2x more coffee
6.3x more tea
Niger
4.9x more tea
4.7x more tea
Ghana
2.5x more tea
4.0x more tea
Uruguay
2.9x more tea
3.6x more tea
Vietnam
N/A
2.7x more tea
Iraq
29.3x more tea
2.6x more tea
Iran
2.5x more tea
1.9x more tea
Cameroon
3.1x more coffee
1.8x more tea
Thailand
4.9x more tea
1.7x more tea
Syria
1.8x more tea
1.7x more tea
Mozambique
9.5x more tea
1.6x more tea
Tajikistan
5.8x more tea
1.6x more tea
Zambia
3.6x more coffee
1.5x more tea
Kiribati
1.6x more coffee
1.4x more tea
Egypt
3.3x more tea
1.4x more tea
Morocco
1.9x more tea
1.4x more tea
Gambia
15.7x more tea
1.3x more tea
Mauritius
2.5x more coffee
1.2x more tea
Lesotho
Coffee only
1.0x more tea
Uzbekistan
Tea only
1.0x more coffee
Burkina Faso
1.4x more coffee
1.0x more coffee
Turkmenistan
N/A
1.1x more coffee
Ivory Coast
5.0x more tea
1.1x more coffee
Eswatini
6.4x more coffee
1.2x more coffee
Papua New Guinea
2.0x more coffee
1.2x more coffee
United Arab Emirates
3.6x more coffee
1.3x more coffee
Chile
2.7x more tea
1.3x more coffee
Senegal
2.7x more tea
1.4x more coffee
Yemen
Coffee only
1.5x more coffee
Brazil
1.2x more coffee
1.5x more coffee
Grenada
6.6x more coffee
1.5x more coffee
Azerbaijan
5.5x more coffee
1.5x more coffee
Saint Kitts and Nevis
1.4x more coffee
1.6x more coffee
Republic of Congo
11.3x more coffee
1.8x more coffee
Russia†
3.7x more coffee
1.9x more coffee
Kyrgyzstan
2.3x more coffee
2.3x more coffee
Botswana
1.5x more coffee
2.3x more coffee
Libya
1.0x more coffee
2.4x more coffee
Kazakhstan
1.7x more coffee
2.6x more coffee
Algeria
5.8x more coffee
3.0x more coffee
Belarus
7.5x more coffee
3.1x more coffee
Bhutan
N/A
3.2x more coffee
Guinea-Bissau
Coffee only
3.2x more coffee
Tuvalu
N/A
3.3x more coffee
Tunisia
2.5x more coffee
3.7x more coffee
South Africa
2.5x more coffee
3.7x more coffee
Nigeria
1.5x more coffee
4.0x more coffee
United Kingdom
1.6x more coffee
4.1x more coffee
Saint Lucia
41.9x more coffee
4.4x more coffee
Oman
3.2x more coffee
4.5x more coffee
Namibia
190x more coffee
5.0x more coffee
Nicaragua
Tea only
5.0x more coffee
Vanuatu
43.2x more coffee
5.0x more coffee
Saudi Arabia
3.7x more coffee
5.3x more coffee
Barbados
8.0x more coffee
5.6x more coffee
Nauru
N/A
5.7x more coffee
Albania
19.6x more coffee
5.7x more coffee
Mongolia
4.7x more coffee
5.9x more coffee
Poland
2.5x more coffee
5.9x more coffee
Gabon
10.2x more coffee
6.3x more coffee
Kuwait
1.5x more coffee
6.3x more coffee
Bahrain
N/A
6.9x more coffee
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
14.3x more coffee
7.4x more coffee
Czechia
9.0x more coffee
7.5x more coffee
Qatar
N/A
7.9x more coffee
Liberia
5.6x more coffee
8.0x more coffee
United States
7.8x more coffee
8.3x more coffee
Ukraine
10.4x more coffee
8.8x more coffee
Seychelles
1.4x more coffee
8.8x more coffee
Ethiopia
22.0x more coffee
8.8x more coffee
Sao Tome and Principe
2.8x more coffee
9.0x more coffee
Bahamas
4.9x more coffee
9.9x more coffee
Malta
6.7x more coffee
10.2x more coffee
Djibouti
1.4x more tea
10.3x more coffee
Ireland
2.7x more coffee
10.8x more coffee
Suriname
3.8x more coffee
10.9x more coffee
Maldives
24.9x more coffee
11.0x more coffee
Antigua and Barbuda
2.4x more coffee
11.6x more coffee
Portugal
34.8x more coffee
12.2x more coffee
Fiji
1.1x more tea
12.3x more coffee
Denmark
40.7x more coffee
13.0x more coffee
Bolivia
10.9x more coffee
13.1x more coffee
Belize
18.8x more coffee
14.0x more coffee
Laos
18.2x more coffee
14.0x more coffee
Iceland
16.4x more coffee
14.2x more coffee
Australia
8.1x more coffee
14.3x more coffee
Cambodia
20.0x more coffee
15.6x more coffee
Georgia
13.9x more coffee
16.1x more coffee
Germany
14.6x more coffee
16.6x more coffee
Austria
77.6x more coffee
17.2x more coffee
Switzerland
29.6x more coffee
17.4x more coffee
DR Congo
4.0x more tea
17.7x more coffee
Canada
16.0x more coffee
18.0x more coffee
Jordan
10.0x more coffee
18.5x more coffee
El Salvador
15.6x more coffee
19.2x more coffee
Samoa
69.2x more coffee
19.6x more coffee
Lebanon
16.6x more coffee
20.5x more coffee
Spain
45.6x more coffee
22.8x more coffee
Solomon Islands
62.7x more coffee
24.1x more coffee
Guyana
10.0x more coffee
24.6x more coffee
France
20.1x more coffee
24.8x more coffee
Trinidad and Tobago
33.6x more coffee
25.1x more coffee
Israel
20.5x more coffee
25.6x more coffee
Belgium
29.9x more coffee
26.3x more coffee
Sweden
28.8x more coffee
27.2x more coffee
Guinea*
2.3x more coffee
27.7x more coffee
Hungary
4.6x more coffee
27.7x more coffee
New Zealand
17.3x more coffee
28.5x more coffee
Moldova
17.2x more coffee
29.4x more coffee
Cyprus
26.6x more coffee
29.4x more coffee
Armenia
41.6x more coffee
33.0x more coffee
New Caledonia
24.2x more coffee
33.0x more coffee
Panama
17.9x more coffee
36.8x more coffee
South Korea
24.8x more coffee
36.9x more coffee
Greece
42.0x more coffee
38.3x more coffee
Marshall Islands
N/A
41.5x more coffee
Norway
38.5x more coffee
42.3x more coffee
Montenegro
111x more coffee
45.1x more coffee
Latvia
27.8x more coffee
46.8x more coffee
Italy
49.7x more coffee
50.9x more coffee
Angola
21.0x more coffee
55.0x more coffee
Costa Rica
55.9x more coffee
55.5x more coffee
North Macedonia
26.3x more coffee
56.3x more coffee
Cabo Verde
70.4x more coffee
57.3x more coffee
Luxembourg
44.6x more coffee
59.3x more coffee
Finland
51.0x more coffee
59.8x more coffee
Tonga
N/A
62.3x more coffee
Lithuania
39.8x more coffee
63.8x more coffee
Netherlands
5.5x more coffee
66.5x more coffee
Guatemala
28.8x more coffee
68.6x more coffee
Philippines
245x more coffee
71.0x more coffee
Colombia
46.3x more coffee
72.0x more coffee
Peru
7.9x more coffee
72.7x more coffee
Estonia
27.5x more coffee
74.7x more coffee
Croatia
190x more coffee
76.3x more coffee
Micronesia (Federated States of)
N/A
77.2x more coffee
Slovakia
20.9x more coffee
81.3x more coffee
Bulgaria
104x more coffee
81.8x more coffee
Mexico
59.0x more coffee
83.0x more coffee
Slovenia
71.9x more coffee
86.9x more coffee
Venezuela
81.2x more coffee
104x more coffee
Dominican Republic
201x more coffee
121x more coffee
Madagascar
212x more coffee
154x more coffee
French Polynesia
45.2x more coffee
161x more coffee
Romania
31.3x more coffee
174x more coffee
Honduras
21.5x more coffee
202x more coffee
Timor-Leste
301x more coffee
252x more coffee
Bosnia and Herzegovina
331x more coffee
356x more coffee
Serbia
312x more coffee
1215x more coffee
Comoros
Coffee only
Coffee only
Haiti
Coffee only
Coffee only
Jamaica
106x more coffee
N/A
Cuba
Coffee only
N/A
Chile, Senegal, and Ivory Coast all leaned toward tea in 2010 and toward coffee by 2023, a small but genuine shift toward coffee culture in parts of Latin America and Africa. Argentina and Paraguay remain at the tea dominant end of the table throughout, though that reflects yerba mate rather than traditional tea leaves.
