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Lao Tzu famously called tea “the elixir of life.” If that’s true then, happily, it’s never been easier for foodies in the U.S. to get their daily dose of life-elixir, with countless types of tea flavors widely available on the market and the rise of tea-based drinks at coffee-giant Starbucks. In fact, tea is the most consumed beverage worldwide outside of water. Still, a look at the figures reveals that Americans are still downing far less compared to the rest of the world.
According to a study by World Population Review, the U.S. isn’t even in the top five countries for tea consumption per capita. As of 2025, the Big Five are Sri Lanka, Argentina, Turkey, Paraguay, and Vietnam. At the top of the global leaderboard, tea-lovers in Sri Lanka put away a whopping 48 kilograms of tea per person. Further down in the rankings, Chinese tea drinkers consumed an estimated 10.2 kilograms per person, and India drank 4.19 kilograms. Japan, which is home to countless pillar tea types, accounts for 2.82 kilograms of tea per person per year. Ireland, the U.K., and Russia also ranked highly for global tea consumption. The U.S. — much, much further down the rankings — contributed just 0.486 kilograms of tea per person. However, to get a better understanding of what these figures mean, it’s worth exploring how much exactly one kilogram of tea is.
Hydration ruling the nation, led by coffee domination (not tea)
For reference, 50 Harney & Sons tea bags account for just 3.57 ounces, and there are roughly 35 ounces in a kilogram. As World Population Review notes, in Turkey, every single member of the Turkish population drinks roughly 3.16 kilograms of tea every single year. That shakes out to 1,300 cups total, three to 10 daily depending on the weather and time of year. It’s a lot of tea, to be sure, but Americans are putting up comparable figures when it comes to a different sipper: coffee.
As of March 2025, Balance Coffee reported Americans down an estimated 400 million cups of coffee every single day, which breaks down to three daily cups per person on average. 36% of Americans swing by a cafe at least once a week, and 12% hit the coffee shop every day. All in all, it makes for a total annual U.S. coffee consumption of 146 billion cups per year.
Even in light of coffee domination, tea-drinking has grown in popularity in America in recent years alongside. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. imported $508 million worth of tea from other countries in 2022 alone, demonstrating a $350 million increase from 2002. Tea is staking in place in U.S. cabinets and keeping it. Looking to bridge the gap? You can steep loose leaf tea in your French press coffee maker, for the record.
