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UK tea market - statistics & facts

Tea, made by pouring hot water over the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, is one of the most popular beverages in the world. Thought to originate in China, tea has been consumed for thousands of years. Tea is also widely associated with the United Kingdom and traditions such as afternoon tea and high tea. The British have been drinking tea since the 1600's when it was first brought back by Dutch traders but it wasn't until the late 18th century, when tax on tea was reduced, that it became widely popular.

Market overview

Despite the love affair with tea, the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the UK tea market, with revenue declining by over 14 percent in 2020. In the same year, the sales value of tea manufactured within the UK declined by over five percent. The market is not expected to fully recover until 2022. Unsurprisingly, the import of tea also suffered. The value of UK tea imports dropped by nearly three percent to 271 million GBP in 2020 and continued to decrease in the year that followed to 223 million GBP.

Consumer landscape

When consumers in the UK reached for a tea, their preferred type of tea was English Breakfast, by an overwhelming margin. When it comes to tea brands, Tetley has a slight lead over PG Tips, with sales of 10.3 million and eight million GBP respectively. As far as supermarket brands, Tesco had the most loyal following. Expenditure on tea has fluctuated slightly over the years, reaching an average of 15 pence per person per week. High- income earners spent the most on tea, but not much above average.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by M. Ridder, Dec 19, 2023

Key insights

Tea market revenue in the UK
1.7b GBP
Volume of tea sold in the UK
71.4m kg
Number of tea processing enterprises in the UK
122
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Revenue of the tea market in the United Kingdom from 2018 to 2028 (in billion GBP)

Coffee & Tea

Revenue of the tea industry in the UK 2018-2028

Volume of the tea market in the United Kingdom from 2018 to 2028 (in million kilograms)

Coffee & Tea

Volume of tea in the UK 2018-2028

Brands of standard or decaffeinated tea products ranked by number of consumers in Great Britain in 2022 (in 1,000s)

Coffee & Tea

Brands of standard tea in Great Britain 2022, by number of consumers

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