Global Matcha Production Map: Interactive 2026 Guide

Where in the world is matcha produced?

Matcha-style powdered green tea is produced across at least eight countries in 2026. The two leading producers are Japan and China, with very different positioning: Japan dominates the ceremonial tier while China leads the broader culinary and ready-to-drink volume. Use the toggle below to switch between matcha-style production volume and ceremonial-grade share, and use the tier filter to focus on a single category.

Heads-up on the data: Japan's number is matcha exports in CY2024 (Firsd Tea, Japanese customs). China's is a matcha-style production estimate for 2025 sourced from CCTV via Firsd Tea. They are different metrics in the same ballpark, used here together to show the near-parity reality. Country-level matcha tonnage outside Japan and China is mostly unpublished; smaller producers are shown as placeholder markers.
Interactive world map of global matcha production, 2026 Geographically accurate world map with nine producer markers. Toggle between "Matcha-style volume" (default) showing Japan at approximately 9,188 tonnes of matcha-led powdered tea exports in FY2025 (derived 70% of 13,125 tonnes total green tea via Nation Thailand and Kyodo) and China at approximately 5,000 tonnes of matcha-style production in 2025 (CCTV via Firsd Tea), Japan ahead in matcha exports while China dominates broader tea volume, and "Ceremonial-grade share" showing Japan dominant at approximately 99 percent of global ceremonial-grade matcha output. Smaller markers across South Korea, Taiwan, India, Hawaii, US Southeast, Australia, and New Zealand. Latitude band 25 to 40 degrees north shaded. Sources: Firsd Tea, Nation Thailand and Kyodo via Japan Ministry of Finance, Tea Board of India, Green Japan Tea Association, FAO. Geometry from Wikipedia low-resolution world map. 40°N 25°N Japan: ~9,188 tonnes matcha-led powdered tea exports in FY2025 (derived 70% × 13,125 t total green tea; Nation Thailand / Kyodo / MOF). ~99% of global ceremonial-grade matcha output. Six matcha-producing prefectures. China: ~5,000 tonnes matcha-style production 2025 estimate (CCTV via Firsd Tea). World's largest tea producer overall at ~3.4M tonnes. Culinary and RTD tier. India: 1,284,780 tonnes total tea 2024 (Tea Board of India). Primarily black tea. Matcha-style production experimental in Assam. South Korea: ~3,200 tonnes total tea (Korea Rural Development). Small-scale matcha experimental. Sencha and gyokuro style dominant. Taiwan: ~14,000 tonnes total tea 2022 (TRES). Primarily oolong. Matcha-style small and rising. Hawaii: <50 tonnes total tea (single-farm scale). Several commercial farms, some experimenting with matcha-style production. US Southeast: <50 tonnes total tea (single-farm). Micro-batch tea farms with matcha experiments. Australia: <100 tonnes total tea (small industry). Experimental matcha. New Zealand: <50 tonnes total tea (Waikato single-estate). Experimental matcha using Taiwan cultivars. Japan China India Australia NZ Hawaii US SE
Click any marker to highlight the matching country in the table below. Click a column header to sort.
Ceremonial tier
Culinary / RTD volume
Small-scale / experimental

Production data by country

Country Total tea (tonnes) Matcha-style (tonnes) Ceremonial share Tier
Japan
Kyoto (Uji, Wazuka), Shizuoka, Kagoshima, Fukuoka (Yame), Aichi (Nishio), Mie 		~78,100 5,092 ~99% Ceremonial
China
Anhui (Tongcheng, Tianhu), Zhejiang (Shaoxing), Jiangsu 		~3,400,000 ~5,000 <1% Culinary / RTD volume
India
Assam, Darjeeling, Nilgiris 		1,284,780 — — Small-scale / experimental
South Korea
Jeju, Boseong, Hadong 		~3,200 — — Small-scale / experimental
Taiwan
Nantou, Pinglin 		~14,000 — — Small-scale / experimental
Hawaii (US)
Kauai, Big Island 		<50 — — Small-scale / experimental
US Southeast
Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina 		<50 — — Small-scale / experimental
Australia
New South Wales, northern Queensland 		<100 — — Small-scale / experimental
New Zealand
Waikato 		<50 — — Small-scale / experimental

How to read the map

The two views

Matcha-style volume (default): marker size reflects matcha-style powdered tea production or exports in tonnes. Japan exported approximately 9,188 tonnes of matcha-led powdered tea in FY2025 (derived as 70% of 13,125 tonnes total green tea exports per Nation Thailand / Kyodo citing Japan's Ministry of Finance). China produced an estimated 5,000 tonnes of matcha-style powdered green tea in 2025 (CCTV via Firsd Tea). Different metrics in the same ballpark: Japan's matcha-specific exports alone exceed China's total matcha production estimate.

Ceremonial-grade share: marker size reflects each country's estimated share of global ceremonial-grade matcha output. Japan accounts for approximately 99 percent based on our 2026 sourcing observations, since ceremonial-grade requires the full four-step Japanese production stack (shaded tencha, steam-fixed, deveined, stone-milled). China's matcha is mostly culinary and RTD tier. Other countries are at small or experimental scale.

The tier filter

  • Ceremonial: shaded tencha, steam-fixed, deveined, stone-mill ground. Japan only at scale.
  • Culinary / RTD volume: powdered green tea using general cultivars, minimal or no shading, pan-firing, ball-mill ground. Dominantly Chinese.
  • Small-scale / experimental: under 100 tonnes annual matcha-style output. South Korea, Taiwan, India, US, Australia, New Zealand.

The latitude band

The faint horizontal band from 25°N to 40°N marks the temperate tea-growing belt where most of the world's matcha-grade tea is produced. Within that band, only Japan has built the full four-step production stack that defines ceremonial-grade matcha.

Why the geography matters

For buyers, the global map is a check against vague origin labels. "Product of Japan" can mean tencha from any of six prefectures with measurably different taste signatures. "Matcha" with no country listed often means Chinese-sourced powdered green tea repackaged as a "ceremonial" tier product at a price point well below the structural cost of genuine Japanese tencha. The strongest origin signal stack is prefecture + cultivar + harvest year + named producer.

For the deeper story behind why ceremonial-grade production has stayed concentrated in Japan, see our Japan vs China matcha production deep dive and the broader global matcha production article. For the trade-data context behind the 2026 export surge, see Japan green tea exports FY2025 and the contrarian newsjack on whether the boom is plateauing in is the matcha boom slowing down.

Sources and methodology

Data caveats: (0) Japan's 9,188-tonne matcha figure is derived as 70% of the 13,125-tonne FY2025 green tea export total (where powdered tea is roughly 70% of volume per the Nation Thailand / Kyodo report). The 5,092-tonne CY2024 figure from Firsd Tea is a corroborating sidecar (older window, matcha-specific). (1) China matcha export data does not exist as a standalone HS code; the 5,000-tonne figure is a production estimate (CCTV via Firsd Tea, MEDIUM confidence). (2) South Korea and Taiwan do not publish national matcha-specific tonnage; figures shown are total tea production. (3) US, Australia, and New Zealand operations are single-farm scale; figures are best-effort estimates from trade press. (4) Ceremonial-grade share figures are based on One With Tea 2026 sourcing observations across Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese, US, and Australian supply chains. Map geometry derived from a Wikipedia low-resolution world map (Creative Commons) and re-styled for One With Tea using brand color tokens with dark-mode-compatible currentColor for all annotations.