Tea intake among adults in 185 countries between 1990 and 2018: population based study

Xunliang Li; Jingjing Zhang; Zhuqing Jin; Guangyan Nie; Lu Xu; Yamei Cheng; Haifeng Pan; Deguang Wang

doi:10.1038/s41538-026-00817-4

Tea intake among adults in 185 countries between 1990 and 2018: population based study

NPJ Sci Food. 2026 Apr 10. doi: 10.1038/s41538-026-00817-4. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Xunliang Li¹, Jingjing Zhang¹, Zhuqing Jin¹, Guangyan Nie¹, Lu Xu¹, Yamei Cheng¹, Haifeng Pan², Deguang Wang³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nephrology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
² Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
³ Department of Nephrology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China. wangdeguang@ahmu.edu.cn.

PMID: 41963368
DOI: 10.1038/s41538-026-00817-4

Abstract

Tea is the world's second most consumed beverage, yet comprehensive global data on intake patterns remain limited. Using individual-level dietary data from the Global Dietary Database 2018, encompassing 1224 surveys across 185 countries, we assessed tea intake among adults aged ≥20 years from 1990 to 2018, stratified by age, sex, education, and urbanicity. In 2018, estimated global mean intake was 6.18 cups/week (95% uncertainty interval: 5.66-6.82), with threefold regional variation ranging from 3.85 cups/week in Latin America and the Caribbean to 8.95 in the Middle East and North Africa. The highest national intakes were in Iran (17.46 cups/week), Japan (14.95), and Afghanistan (13.74). Intake increased modestly with age but showed minimal differences by sex, education, or urbanicity. Globally, estimated intake rose from 1990 to 2018 (estimated annual percentage change [EAPC]: 0.94%), with the largest regional increase in Southeast and East Asia (EAPC: 1.68%), driven primarily by China (EAPC: 3.04%), while traditionally high-consuming countries such as Georgia showed declining trends (EAPC: -5.91%). These findings highlight substantial global heterogeneity in tea consumption and provide a foundation for nutritional surveillance worldwide.