Global tea supply growth outpaced demand growth in 2016 and 2017 at rates of 4.4 per cent and 4.3 per cent, respectively, resulting in a surplus of approximately 200,000 tonnes for both years. The global supply– demand balance of tea closed in 2018 with a small surplus and this trend is projected to continue until 2020. As tea-producing countries are also the largest consumers of tea, production and consumption are strongly correlated. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reports a balanced production and consumption growth of about 4.4 per cent between 2007 and 2016.