Tea is woven into India's identity — from the gardens of Assam and Darjeeling to the Nilgiri hills — and India is the world's second-largest producer. Production rose modestly from about 1,200 million kg in 2014 to around 1,340 million kg by 2024. Most of India's tea is consumed at home, with premium Darjeeling and Assam varieties prized as exports.
Tea & Plantations
Tea & Plantations
India is the world's second-largest tea producer, and tea — from Assam and Darjeeling to the Nilgiris — is both a major employer and a cultural icon. Production rose modestly from about 1,200 million kg in 2014 to around 1,340 million kg by 2024. The sector supports millions of plantation workers, many of them women. The counter shows tea production.
1,200 → 1,340
Tea production (M kg)
2nd
Largest producer globally
Assam·Darjeeling
Iconic origins
Tea production (M kg)
| Year | Tea production |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 1,200 M kg |
| 2015 | 1,210 M kg |
| 2016 | 1,250 M kg |
| 2017 | 1,325 M kg |
| 2018 | 1,339 M kg |
| 2019 | 1,390 M kg |
| 2020 | 1,257 M kg |
| 2021 | 1,329 M kg |
| 2022 | 1,365 M kg |
| 2023 | 1,394 M kg |
| 2024 | 1,340 M kg |
2014
0M kg
Tea production
20142024
Since 2014
Added
+140 M kg
2014
1,200 M kg
2024
1,340 M kg
Why it matters Tea plantations sustain livelihoods for millions in hill and forest regions and remain an iconic Indian export, though workers' wages and welfare are long-standing concerns.
- Tea production: ~1,200 M kg (2014) → ~1,340 M kg (2024)
- World's 2nd-largest producer; Assam, Darjeeling, Nilgiris
- Source: Tea Board of India
History
Notable strengths
India's tea carries unique Geographical Indication (GI) tags — Darjeeling was India's first GI product — that protect and premium-price its heritage varieties. The sector sustains millions of plantation workers, especially women, and orthodox, green and specialty teas are a growing niche for health-conscious global buyers.
How it works
Tea grows on large estates concentrated in a few regions — Assam and the Dooars for volume, Darjeeling and the Nilgiris for premium leaf. Each estate is a self-contained world: workers (a large share of them women) pluck leaves that must be processed within hours in the estate's own factory. The Tea Board regulates the industry and protects prized names like Darjeeling through GI status; most tea is sold through auctions.
Outlook
India is the world's second-largest tea producer (around 1,300 million kg a year), a global name in Assam and Darjeeling, and a steady exporter. The deepest priority ahead is worker welfare — wages, housing and conditions on many estates remain poor, and ageing bushes and climate stress squeeze yields. The sector's future depends on fairer pay, replanting, premium branding (specialty and organic tea), and steadying export demand.
The road ahead
The deepest priority ahead is worker welfare — better wages and conditions on plantations — alongside renewing ageing bushes and adapting to climate pressure on yields.
By the numbers
~1,200 → ~1,340 M kg tea production (2014→2024). 2nd-largest producer. GI tags (Darjeeling, Assam). Millions of workers. Sources: Tea Board of India.
Source: Tea Board of India — tea production (million kg), 2014–2024.