Tea leaves — Production in China, mainland

China, mainland: Tea leaves — Production was 16.26 million t in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
16.26 million t
Change on year
up 5.6%
World rank
2nd
of 45 countries
All-time high
16.26 million t
in 2024
All-time low
74,000 t
in 1962
Years of data
64
1961–2024

Tea leaves — Production in China, mainland, 1961–2024

05.0M10.0M15.0M196119922024

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in t.

Analysis

The most recent figure for tea leaves — production in China, mainland is 16.26 million t, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.

The figure is up 5.6% on the previous year and up 71.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, tea leaves — production in China, mainland peaked at 16.26 million t in 2024 and was at its lowest, 74,000 t, in 1962.

China, mainland ranks 2nd of 45 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Tea leaves — Production in China, mainland, year by year

Annual values for Tea leaves — Production in China, mainland, 1961 to 2024.
Year t Change
1961 79,000 t —
1962 74,000 t -6.3%
1963 84,000 t +13.5%
1964 92,000 t +9.5%
1965 100,600 t +9.3%
1966 106,000 t +5.4%
1967 113,000 t +6.6%
1968 118,000 t +4.4%
1969 122,000 t +3.4%
1970 136,000 t +11.5%
1971 153,000 t +12.5%
1972 170,000 t +11.1%
1973 182,000 t +7.1%
1974 198,000 t +8.8%
1975 211,000 t +6.6%
1976 233,500 t +10.7%
1977 252,100 t +8.0%
1978 268,000 t +6.3%
1979 277,100 t +3.4%
1980 304,000 t +9.7%
1981 343,000 t +12.8%
1982 397,000 t +15.7%
1983 400,550 t +0.9%
1984 414,000 t +3.4%
1985 432,337 t +4.4%
1986 460,468 t +6.5%
1987 509,000 t +10.5%
1988 545,416 t +7.2%
1989 534,876 t -1.9%
1990 540,070 t +1.0%
1991 2.35 million t +336.0%
1992 2.43 million t +3.4%
1993 2.61 million t +7.2%
1994 2.56 million t -1.9%
1995 2.56 million t +0.0%
1996 2.58 million t +0.8%
1997 2.67 million t +3.4%
1998 2.89 million t +8.4%
1999 2.94 million t +1.7%
2000 2.97 million t +1.1%
2001 3.05 million t +2.7%
2002 3.24 million t +6.2%
2003 3.34 million t +3.1%
2004 3.63 million t +8.7%
2005 4.07 million t +12.0%
2006 4.47 million t +10.0%
2007 5.07 million t +13.4%
2008 5.47 million t +7.9%
2009 5.91 million t +8.1%
2010 6.60 million t +11.7%
2011 7.40 million t +12.1%
2012 8.10 million t +9.5%
2013 8.70 million t +7.4%
2014 9.50 million t +9.2%
2015 10.32 million t +8.6%
2016 10.48 million t +1.6%
2017 11.10 million t +5.9%
2018 11.80 million t +6.3%
2019 12.60 million t +6.8%
2020 13.20 million t +4.8%
2021 14.20 million t +7.6%
2022 14.53 million t +2.3%
2023 15.40 million t +6.0%
2024 16.26 million t +5.6%

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Tea leaves — Production in China, mainland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1991 +336.0% 540,070 t 2.35 million t

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 98,733 t 74,000 t 122,000 t 9
1970s 208,070 t 136,000 t 277,100 t 10
1980s 434,065 t 304,000 t 545,416 t 10
1990s 2.41 million t 540,070 t 2.94 million t 10
2000s 4.12 million t 2.97 million t 5.91 million t 10
2010s 9.66 million t 6.60 million t 12.60 million t 10
2020s 14.72 million t 13.20 million t 16.26 million t 5

Countries ranked near China, mainland

  1. 1 China 16.30 million t compare
  2. 3 India 6.16 million t compare
  3. 3 Türkiye 1.41 million t compare
  4. 4 Kenya 2.69 million t compare
  5. 4 Viet Nam 1.15 million t compare
  6. 5 Sri Lanka 1.51 million t compare
  7. 5 United Republic of Tanzania 128,783 t compare

See the full ranking of 77 places →

More agriculture & rural data for China, mainland

All data for China, mainland →

Frequently asked questions

What is tea leaves — production in China, mainland?
Tea leaves — production in China, mainland was 16.26 million t in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest tea leaves — production recorded in China, mainland?
The highest recorded value was 16.26 million t in 2024.
What is the lowest tea leaves — production recorded in China, mainland?
The lowest recorded value was 74,000 t in 1962.
How does China, mainland rank for tea leaves — production?
China, mainland ranks 2nd out of 45 countries with data for 2024.
Is tea leaves — production rising or falling in China, mainland?
Over the last ten years it is up 71.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this China, mainland data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Tea leaves — Production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Tea leaves — Production in China, mainland. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 02 October 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/tea-leaves-production/china-mainland/

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About this data

Indicator
Tea leaves — Production
Unit
t
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
77 places, 4,584 data points, 1961–2024
Last refreshed

Crop and livestock statistics are recorded for 278 products, covering the following categories: 1) CROPS PRIMARY: Cereals, Citrus Fruit, Fibre Crops, Fruit, Oil Crops, Oil Crops and Cakes in Oil Equivalent, Pulses, Roots and Tubers, Sugar Crops, Treenuts and Vegetables. Data are expressed in terms of area harvested, production quantity and yield. Cereals: Area and production data on cereals relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed or silage or used for grazing are therefore excluded. 2) CROPS PROCESSED: Beer of barley; Cotton lint; Cottonseed; Margarine, short; Molasses; Oil, coconut (copra); Oil, cottonseed; Oil, groundnut; Oil, linseed; Oil, maize; Oil, olive, virgin; Oil, palm; Oil, palm kernel; Oil, rapeseed; Oil, safflower; Oil, sesame; Oil, soybean; Oil, sunflower; Palm kernels; Sugar Raw Centrifugal; Wine. 3) LIVE ANIMALS: Animals live n.e.s.; Asses; Beehives; Buffaloes; Camelids, other; Camels; Cattle; Chickens; Ducks; Geese and guinea fowls; Goats; Horses; Mules; Pigeons, other birds; Pigs; Rabbits and hares; Rodents, other; Sheep; Turkeys. 4) LIVESTOCK PRIMARY: Beeswax; Eggs (various types); Hides buffalo, fresh; Hides, cattle, fresh; Honey, natural; Meat (ass, bird nes, buffalo, camel, cattle, chicken, duck, game, goat, goose and guinea fowl, horse, mule, Meat nes, meat other camelids, Meat other rodents, pig, rabbit, sheep, turkey); Milk (buffalo, camel, cow, goat, sheep); Offals, nes; Silk-worm cocoons, reelable; Skins (goat, sheep); Snails, not sea; Wool, greasy. 5) LIVESTOCK PROCESSED: Butter (of milk from sheep, goat, buffalo, cow); Cheese (of milk from goat, buffalo, sheep, cow milk); Cheese of skimmed cow milk; Cream fresh; Ghee (cow and buffalo milk); Lard; Milk (dry buttermilk, skimmed condensed, skimmed cow, skimmed dried, skimmed evaporated, whole condensed, whole dried, whole evaporated); Silk raw; Tallow; Whey (condensed and dry); Yoghurt.