Tea leaves — Production in China
China: Tea leaves — Production was 16.30 million t in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Tea leaves — Production in China, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in t.
Analysis
China recorded 16.30 million t for tea leaves — production in 2024. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.6% on the previous year and up 70.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, tea leaves — production in China peaked at 16.30 million t in 2024 and was at its lowest, 93,753 t, in 1962.
That places China 1st out of 45 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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, year by year
| Year | t | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 97,064 t | — |
| 1962 | 93,753 t | -3.4% |
| 1963 | 105,104 t | +12.1% |
| 1964 | 110,306 t | +4.9% |
| 1965 | 121,330 t | +10.0% |
| 1966 | 127,510 t | +5.1% |
| 1967 | 137,403 t | +7.8% |
| 1968 | 142,418 t | +3.6% |
| 1969 | 148,248 t | +4.1% |
| 1970 | 163,468 t | +10.3% |
| 1971 | 179,984 t | +10.1% |
| 1972 | 196,229 t | +9.0% |
| 1973 | 210,639 t | +7.3% |
| 1974 | 222,173 t | +5.5% |
| 1975 | 237,092 t | +6.7% |
| 1976 | 258,258 t | +8.9% |
| 1977 | 278,403 t | +7.8% |
| 1978 | 293,854 t | +5.5% |
| 1979 | 304,155 t | +3.5% |
| 1980 | 328,479 t | +8.0% |
| 1981 | 368,223 t | +12.1% |
| 1982 | 421,051 t | +14.3% |
| 1983 | 424,858 t | +0.9% |
| 1984 | 438,365 t | +3.2% |
| 1985 | 455,540 t | +3.9% |
| 1986 | 484,358 t | +6.3% |
| 1987 | 534,578 t | +10.4% |
| 1988 | 568,973 t | +6.4% |
| 1989 | 557,006 t | -2.1% |
| 1990 | 562,369 t | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 2.45 million t | +335.2% |
| 1992 | 2.52 million t | +3.0% |
| 1993 | 2.69 million t | +6.9% |
| 1994 | 2.66 million t | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 2.65 million t | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 2.68 million t | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 2.76 million t | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 2.98 million t | +7.9% |
| 1999 | 3.02 million t | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 3.05 million t | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 3.12 million t | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 3.31 million t | +6.1% |
| 2003 | 3.41 million t | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 3.70 million t | +8.4% |
| 2005 | 4.13 million t | +11.5% |
| 2006 | 4.53 million t | +9.8% |
| 2007 | 5.12 million t | +13.0% |
| 2008 | 5.54 million t | +8.2% |
| 2009 | 5.96 million t | +7.5% |
| 2010 | 6.65 million t | +11.6% |
| 2011 | 7.45 million t | +12.1% |
| 2012 | 8.14 million t | +9.3% |
| 2013 | 8.74 million t | +7.4% |
| 2014 | 9.54 million t | +9.2% |
| 2015 | 10.36 million t | +8.6% |
| 2016 | 10.52 million t | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 11.14 million t | +5.9% |
| 2018 | 11.84 million t | +6.3% |
| 2019 | 12.64 million t | +6.8% |
| 2020 | 13.24 million t | +4.7% |
| 2021 | 14.23 million t | +7.5% |
| 2022 | 14.57 million t | +2.4% |
| 2023 | 15.43 million t | +5.9% |
| 2024 | 16.30 million t | +5.6% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 16.30 million t is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2,600 t, 6268.8× the median. (17 countries reporting)
- China's 16.30 million t is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 121,765 t, 133.9× the median. (7 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Tea leaves — Production in China 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +335.2% | 562,369 t | 2.45 million t |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 120,348 t | 93,753 t | 148,248 t | 9 |
| 1970s | 234,426 t | 163,468 t | 304,155 t | 10 |
| 1980s | 458,143 t | 328,479 t | 568,973 t | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.50 million t | 562,369 t | 3.02 million t | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.19 million t | 3.05 million t | 5.96 million t | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.70 million t | 6.65 million t | 12.64 million t | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.75 million t | 13.24 million t | 16.30 million t | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
More agriculture & rural data for China
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 1.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0666 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 923.03 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3366 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is tea leaves — production in China?
- Tea leaves — production in China was 16.30 million t in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest tea leaves — production recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 16.30 million t in 2024.
- What is the lowest tea leaves — production recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 93,753 t in 1962.
- How does China rank for tea leaves — production?
- China ranks 1st out of 45 countries with data for 2024.
- Is tea leaves — production rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 70.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
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.