Tea or Coffee?

May 21 marks International Tea Day. With a global market valued at nearly $50 billion in 2023, tea is said to be the second most consumed beverage in the world. As the United Nations notes, the tea industry provides "a major source of income and export earnings for some of the poorest countries and, thanks to its high labor requirements, generates numerous jobs, particularly in remote and economically disadvantaged areas."

Statista Consumer Insights surveyed 23 countries around the world to find out more about global tea drinking habits. It found that while tea was a popular choice for many respondents, coffee proved to be consumed by a higher share of adults in almost every country surveyed, save for Turkey, Morocco and India. In the United States a comparatively lower share of people said they drank tea (46 percent) or coffee (53 percent) regularly, while soft drinks were more popular (56 percent).