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Is your goal to try single-origin coffee from every possible country? Well, it’s one of my goals, so I put together this comprehensive list of coffee production by country, as well as information about the types of coffee beans, their quality, and anything else that I found interesting.
Are you ready for the definitive rankings of the top coffee producing countries? Join me on my quest for the world’s best coffee beans.
Where is Coffee Grown?
There are about eighty countries in South and Central America, Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean that are capable of growing coffee beans.
One of the most beautiful things about coffee is that each country — and often each growing region within a country — produces coffee that has its own unique flavor, aroma, body, and other characteristics. Each coffee’s market might be slightly different, so even the tiniest coffee producers can find a niche to sell their product.
The coffee belt

The coffee belt is a band around the equator where the climate is ideal for coffee production. All of the major coffee producers are in this zone, although there have been attempts to grow coffee in small quantities outside the belt.
Coffee Production by Country
Country | Coffee production (metric tons) |
---|---|
Brazil | 2,680,515 |
Vietnam | 1,542,398 |
Colombia | 754,376 |
Indonesia | 668,677 |
Honduras | 475,042 |
Ethiopia | 471,247 |
Peru | 346,466 |
India | 312,000 |
Guatemala | 245,441 |
Uganda | 209,325 |
Mexico | 153,794 |
Laos | 150,795 |
Nicaragua | 128,111 |
China | 115,150 |
Ivory Coast | 103,514 |
Costa Rica | 90,390 |
Philippines | 62,078 |
Papua New Guinea | 58,840 |
Tanzania | 55,789 |
Madagascar | 47,387 |
Venezuela | 46,650 |
Kenya | 40,800 |
Haiti | 39,537 |
El Salvador | 39,460 |
Sierra Leone | 35,720 |
Thailand | 34,312 |
Cameroon | 30,984 |
Democratic Republic of the Congo | 29,912 |
Bolivia | 21,181 |
Yemen | 19,514 |
Togo | 18,476 |
Rwanda | 17,824 |
Guinea | 17,813 |
Angola | 15,436 |
Dominican Republic | 15,241 |
Burundi | 14,000 |
Timor-Leste | 10,827 |
Central African Republic | 9,355 |
Myanmar | 8,546 |
Malawi | 8,420 |
Malaysia | 8,109 |
Ecuador | 7,564 |
Zambia | 6,880 |
Cuba | 6,306 |
Jamaica | 6,222 |
Panama | 5,730 |
Sri Lanka | 5,437 |
Equatorial Guinea | 4,272 |
Puerto Rico | 3,868 |
Republic of the Congo | 3,197 |
United States | 2,200 |
Nigeria | 1,556 |
Mozambique | 793 |
Ghana | 727 |
Zimbabwe | 608 |
Liberia | 594 |
Nepal | 466 |
Paraguay | 442 |
Guyana | 401 |
Cambodia | 365 |
Dominica | 287 |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 184 |
Comoros | 140 |
Gabon | 94 |
Belize | 80 |
Benin | 50 |
Cape Verde | 47 |
Trinidad and Tobago | 39 |
Guadeloupe | 31 |
Martinique | 28 |
Vanuatu | 26 |
French Polynesia | 22 |
Tonga | 16 |
Samoa | 12 |
Sao Tome and Principe | 12 |
Fiji | 9 |
Suriname | 6 |
New Caledonia | 5 |
1. Brazil (2,680,515 metric tons)
Brazilian has been the world’s largest coffee producer since early 19th century, ever since the Haitian revolution left a gap in the market. This led to the country’s first coffee boom, which peaked in the 1840s with Brazilian coffee beans supplying 40% of worldwide demand.
Brazil didn’t stop at one coffee boom, though. The late 19th century started their second boom, a period of time that came to be known as café com leite (“coffee with milk”), during which they supplied as much as 80% of the world’s coffee production.
Even today, Brazil produces 1/3 of the world’s coffee (mostly Arabica), and they export 4.6 billion USD worth of coffee each year — a full 15% of worldwide coffee exports! The US buys 1/4 of Brazil’s coffee, and Germany, Italy, and Japan purchase much of the remainder.
Brazilian coffee is known for its low acidity, chocolate and caramel notes, and creamy body.
2. Vietnam (1,542,398 metric tons)
Coffee is Vietnam’s second-largest export, although it falls a distant second to their total rice production. The prominence of Vietnamese coffee farmers are partially due to the 1986 reforms that allowed for the existence of private coffee enterprise.

Brazil may dominate the total coffee market, but Vietnam is the largest source of Robusta, a type of coffee bean commonly used for instant coffee or espresso blends. Over 95% of the coffee produced in Vietnam is Robusta. Vietnam produces 40% of the world’s Robusta and 17% of all the world’s coffee beans.
3. Colombia (754,376 metric tons)
Colombia produces 8% of the world’s coffee, and it’s all Arabica, making them the 2nd-largest producer of Arabica worldwide. Colombia has recently risen to become the largest supplier of US coffee imports.
The Colombian coffee economy is heavily influenced by Café de Colombia, a non-profit organization that represents the coffee trade and re-invests the profits to benefit the coffee-growing regions and communities.
Colombian coffee is loved for its nutty aromas, hints of fruity flavours, citrus acidity, subtle sweetness, and medium body.
4. Indonesia (668,677 metric tons)
Just behind Colombia, Indonesia produces 7% of the world’s coffee. 91% of their production is Robusta, and the remaining 9% is Arabica.
Of particular note, the Sumatra region of Indonesia produces beans that are adored in dark roasts. Even in dark roasts, Sumatran coffee beans maintain a lot of complexity while producing hints of smokey and toasty flavors. The earthy profile of these beans makes them one of the most polarizing in the world, and a variety well worth trying.
5. Honduras (475,042 metric tons)
Honduras is another 100% Arabica producer, and they produce 5% of the world’s total coffee supply.
Honduras was a minor player in the coffee industry until just recently. The country’s infrastructure made coffee exports difficult for several years, resulting in 90% of their coffee being used domestically.
Fortunately for the world, Honduras has become a much larger exporter of coffee in recent years, and their coffee has become highly prized for the wide range of of flavors produced by the country’s many micro-climates. You’ll find hints of fruit, vanilla, and hazelnut in their coffees — as well as many other flavors and aromas.
6. Ethiopia (471,247 metric tons)
Ethiopia, the birthplace of Arabica coffee, now only produces about 5% of the planet’s coffee. Even still, Ethiopian coffee beans make up 10% of the country’s GDP. Arabica is still the only coffee species produced in this African country.
7. Peru (346,466 metric tons)
Peru has jumped a few places in the coffee production rankings in recent years, and they now sit at #7 while producing 4% of the world’s coffee beans.
Peru has only recently started exporting much of their coffee. Just as with Peru, this is largely due to their infrastructure not being prepared for large-scale coffee exports.
Peruvian coffee’s are typically medium-bodied with fruity, nutty, and floral notes.
8. India (312,000 metric tons)
Don’t tell the chai lovers that I said this, but India’s coffee industry predates their tea industry by roughly 200 years. In fact, they were poised to become one of the world’s top coffee producers until a coffee rust infestation in the 1870s led to many coffee farms being replaced with tea plantations.
After all that, India still produces 3% of the world’s coffee. Prior to the invasion of coffee rust, much of the production was Arabica, but Robusta now accounts for 60% of the nation’s coffee production. Indian coffee primarily gets exported to Europe for use in blends.
9. Guatemala (245,441 metric tons)
The coffee industry in Guatemala rose to prominence in the 1850s. You can thank Europe’s introduction of chemical dyes, which resulted in the collapse of Guatemala’s dye industry.

Guatemala may only produce 3% of the world’s coffee, but that still makes it their largest export. At one point, it even accounted for 90% of their national exports!
They almost exclusively produce Arabica beans, including several varities prized for their premium quality, hazelnut and dark fruit notes, and dark chocolate flavor.
10. Uganda (209,325 metric tons)
Uganda is another heavy Robusta producer, with less than 20% of their production coming from Arabica. Uganda’s Robusta is considered higher-quality than many other Robusta varieties due to its acidity and rich chocolate notes.
Their Arabica production has started to focus on specialty varities recently as well, which may change their production balance in the coming years. Overall, they produce about 2% of international coffee.
11. Mexico (153,794 metric tons)
Mexico is by far the largest producer of coffee in North America. Over the past few years, though, their production and exports have been severely reduced by the Mexican coffee rust infestation.
Even still, they produce about 2% of the world’s coffee production, most of which is Arabica. Mexico was the largest source of US coffee imports until recent years, but they lost that position in the late 2010’s.
12. Laos (150,795 metric tons)
Laos has jumped several positions in the rankings recently. Less than a decade ago, they were outside of the top 20 and now they produce about 2% of the world’s coffee.
The best data available indicates that they produce primarily Robusta, but that they have started introducing some Arabica as well.
13. Nicaragua (128,111 metric tons)
Nicaraguan coffee is almost entirely Arabica, and they account for about 1% of worldwide coffee production.
14. China (115,150 metric tons)
Like India, China is more well known for their tea. However, they do produce about 1% of the world’s Arabica coffee. There isn’t as much information about their Robusta, but they do produce some amount.
15. Ivory Coast (103,514 metric tons)
Ivory coast produces primarily Robusta, but they have also started to grow Arabusta — a hybrid species between Arabica and Robusta.
16. Costa Rica (90,390 metric tons)
Costa Rica produces only Arabica coffee. In fact, it’s illegal to produce other coffee varieties in the country.
Costa Rican coffee beans are prized for their high quality, and they were a primary part of the Costa Rican economy for many years. Recently though, tech, software, and medical device manufacturing have started to displace coffee jobs in the country.
17. Philippines (62,078 metric tons)
The Philippines have been jumping up the rankings recently. They bust into the top 25 just a few years ago and now they’ve made it all the way to #17.
The Philippines produce mostly Robusta, although their Liberica beans are their true claim to fame. Their Liberica became a major source of coffee for several years following the 1890 worldwide leaf rust outbreak.
18. Papua New Guinea (58,840 metric tons)
Papua New Guinea produces primarily Arabica, but they do have a small amount of Robusta as well.
19. Tanzania (55,789 metric tons)
Tanzania’s coffee beans come from both Arabica and Robusta plants, with each making up about 50% of the nation’s production.
20. Madagascar (47,387 metric tons)
Madagascar produces mostly Robusta, with small amounts of Arabica. More interestingly, they have about 50 wild coffee varieties — some with diminished caffeine content — that haven’t yet hit the export market.
21. Venezuela (46,650 metric tons)
Venezuela only produecs Arabica coffee.
22. Kenya (40,800 metric tons)
Although their production is small, Kenyan coffee has become very popular in some circles. It’s all Arabica, and it’s considered very high quality.
23. Haiti (39,537 metric tons)
Haiti was the largest producer of coffee in the world until the Haitain revolution led to the burning of most of the country’s coffee plantations. Since then, their attempts at comebacks have been complicated by natural disasters, embargoes, and other problems.
Haitain coffee producers have showed incredible resiliency, brining the country up to third in the rankings in 1949 before the market pushed them back down again. In recent years, agriculture in the country has dropped significantly, in no small part due to climate conditions like soil erosion and deforestation.
Even after all that, Haiti may rise to prominence once more. Their fair trade policies and focus on specialty coffee has put them in the sights of socailly-conscious consumers in recent years.
The moral is simple: never count Haiti out of the coffee game.
24. El Salvador (39,460 metric tons)
El Salvador is another 100% Arabica country. Their overall production has been falling since the 1970s, when they produced six times as much coffee as they do now.
25. Sierra Leone (35,720 metric tons)
Sierra Leone’s coffee production fell drastically during their civil war in the 90s. They’ve largely recovered, but labor shortages, poverty, and technology limitations have prevented them from rising higher in the ranks.
26. Thailand (34,312 metric tons)
Thailand is trying to make it big with their 100% Robusta production. They climbed to #19 in the ranks just a few years ago, although they have fallen a few positions since then. Expect big things from Thailand coffee in the years to come.
27. Cameroon (30,984 metric tons)
Cameroon produces about 85% Robusta and 15% Arabica. They’ve been jumping around in the rankings over the past several years.
28. Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) (29,912 metric tons)
The DRC produces both Robusta and Arabica. Their total production has dropped from its high of over 120,000 metric tons due to their 1990s civil war as well as coffee wilt disease outbreaks.
29. Bolivia (21,181 metric tons)
Bolivia is poised to be a major coffee contender from a climate and soil standpoint, but their lack of infrastructure and technology — coupled with their rough terrain — have made it difficult for them to rise much higher in the ranks.
30. Yemen (19,514 metric tons)
The name Mocha originates from the port city of Mokha in Yemen, a key location in the early days of coffee’s spread beyond Africa.

As possibly the first major cultivator of Arabica and a major producer through much of the 19th century, Yemen was another contender for the coffee crown. However, their subsequent humanitarian crises have severely hurt the Yemen coffee industry.
31. Togo (18,476 metric tons)
Togo coffee production has fluctuated a lot in recent years, dropping as low as 4,000 metric tons in the mid 1980s.
32. Rwanda (17,824 metric tons)
Rwanda produces almost entirely Arabica coffee, 95% of which is of the popular Bourbon varities. Although the neighboring countries tend to have large coffee estates, Rwanda’s coffee is mostly grown on very small family-owned farms.
33. Guinea (17,813 metric tons)
Guinea is another 100% Robusta producing nation.
34. Angola (15,436 metric tons)
Angola was producing over 200,000 metric tons of coffee in the 1970s. For a time, they rose to number 3 in these rankings.
However, the civil war that ended Portugeause rule devastated the coffee plantation, and many of the coffee agonomists left Angola for Brazil. Their coffee production doesn’t look like its coming back anytime soon as the plants are in desperate need of replacement, a task that would require 230 million USD to complete.
35. Dominican Republic (15,241 metric tons)
The Dominican Rebublic produces mostly Arabica coffee, with small amounts of Robusta.
36. Burundi (14,000 metric tons)
Burundi is investing a lot in improving the productivity of their coffee sector, which primarily grows Arabica.
37. Timor-Leste (10,827 metric tons)
Coffee is the largest non-oil export in Timor Leste (East Timor). Even with their tiny size, they have become the largest single-source organic coffee producer in the world, and their coffee is prized for both its quality and its uniqueness.
38. Central African Republic (9,355 metric tons)
Cofee production in the Central African Republic has following by about 2/3 since it peaked in 1992.
39. Myanmar (8,546 metric tons)
Mynamar’s coffee industry is still in its infancy, but the climate and soil conditions as well as the country’s investment in the sector bode well for the future of Myanmar coffee beans.
40. Malawi (8,420 metric tons)
Malawi’s coffee production has fallen by about 1/3 since 2019, but the country is still on an overall upward trend. It’s a recent contender in the coffee world, so expect to hear more in the coming decades.
41. Malaysia (8,109 metric tons)
Malaysian coffee production has been declining by about 18% year-over-year, at least in part due to competition with other crops as well as high production costs.
42. Ecuador (7,564 metric tons)
Ecuador is another declining coffee power, even though it was one of their top exports through the 1970s.
43. Zambia (6,880 metric tons)
Zambia’s coffee sector is growing rapidly. Since the 2017/2018 growing season, they have already increased by about 200%! Their local specialty Arabica varities are well-suited for a country that is looking to become a major player in coffee exports.
44. Cuba (6,306 metric tons)

Cuban coffee brands produce both Arabica and Robusta beans. Cuba was exporting over 20,000 metric tons of coffee per year in the mid-20th century, but the Cuban revolution and US embargo severely hurt the industry. They are coming back slowly, but they are a long way from their former glory.
45. Jamaica (6,222 metric tons)
Jamaica’s Blue Mountain coffee is a prized export, known for its unique scent and sweet taste. Roughly 80% of the country’s Blue Mountain production is exported to Japan.
46. Panama (5,730 metric tons)
Panama produces mostly Arabica, but about 18% of their is Robusta. The Geisha varietal that arrived in Panama in the 1960s has become their claim to fame, winning multiple awards over the past two decades. In one case, a pound of these beans sold at auction for $1029!
47. Sri Lanka (5,437 metric tons)
Sri Lanka no longer considered coffee to be one of their main economic sectors.
48. Equatorial Guinea (4,272 metric tons)
Coffee production in Equatorial Guinea has been falling for several decades now.
49. Puerto Rico (3,868 metric tons)
Puerto Rico is America’s largest coffee producer — although Hawaii is really its only contender. They have been particularly interested in producing specialty coffees in recent years, especially since the total land available for coffee production has shrunk by over 80% in the past 50 years.
50. Republic of the Congo (3,197 metric tons)
The Republic of the Congo’s coffee industry has been growing steadily, but they have a long way to go.
51. United States (2,200 metric tons)
These numbers only include Hawaiian coffee beans and not those from the US territory of Puerto Rico. There have been attempts to introduce coffee farming to California and Georgia as well, but they are tiny operations at this point.

Kona coffee is a premium product, consistently holding the title of one of the world’s most expensive coffee beans. Several sugarcane and pineapple plantations have been converted to produce coffee in recent years, offering some growth opportunity in the sector.
52. Nigeria (1,556 metric tons)
Nigeria coffee production has been increasing recently and their have been several investments in rehabilitating the industry.
53. Mozambique (793 metric tons)
Mozambique’s coffee production hit a high of about 1,000 metric tons in the 70s and 80s and has been steadily below that since then.
54. Ghana (727 metric tons)
Ghana primarily produces Robusta coffee, and cultivating Arabica isn’t practical due to the country’s altitude.
55. Zimbabwe (608 metric tons)
Zimbabwe’s coffee sector is experiencing a comeback. For decades, the industry had fallen to economic turmoil and droughts, but the country has experienced a 50% boost in coffee production since 2018.
56. Liberia (594 metric tons)
Liberia produces Robusta as well as the rarer Liberica coffee beans. Liberica production in the country went as high as 10,000 metric tons at one point, but decreased demand and civil wars in the country have decimated the industry.
57. Nepal (466 metric tons)
Nepal has a huge amount of land that could be used for coffee production, but most of it remains to be cultivated. We’ll see what happens with that as the country currently has more demand than production in the coffee sector.
58. Paraguay (442 metric tons)
Paraguay’s climate and soil are very similar to those of Brazil, which bodes well for its coffee producing abilities. The sector is still growing, and has increased by over 100% since 2006.
59. Guyana (401 metric tons)
Guyana’s coffee production was up to 1,5000 metric tons in the late 1970s before dropping to near 0 in the late 1990s. Now, it seems to be holding stead at 400-500 metric tons.
60. Cambodia (365 metric tons)
Cambodian coffee production plummeted in the early 1970s, hitting a low of 50 metric tons. It’s been steadily growing since then, and has nearly reached the country’s former high.
61. Dominica (287 metric tons)
Dominica, a tiny island in the Carribean, has been trying to revive their coffee industry since 2017. Once at full capacity, they’ll be able to produce about 2,000 metric tons per year.
62. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (184 metric tons)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has been investing in developing and modernizing their coffee industry for the past few years, with the goal of becoming a major coffee hub.
63. Comoros (140 metric tons)
Comoros coffee production has been on the rise since the early 1970s, almost hitting their former max of 180 metric tons.
64. Gabon (94 metric tons)
Gabon mainly produces Robusta beans that it largely sells to France.
65. Belize (80 metric tons)
Belize is not a large producer, but the cool shade of the Mayan rainforest offers a very high quality environment where they can produce very high quality coffee beans.
66. Benin (50 metric tons)
Benin’s coffee production has been on the decline for over two decades. They once produced almost 3,000 metric tons, and now they produce a fraction of that.
67. Cape Verde (47 metric tons)
Although the volcanic ground of Cape Verde is ideally suited for coffee, the semi-arid climate will likely never allow for much yield.
68. Trinidad and Tobago (39 metric tons)
Coffee diseases and pests have severely hampered the coffee industry in Trinidad and Tobago in recent years. In 1985, they were producing over 2,300 metric tons, but they are now producing less than 40.
69. Guadeloupe (31 metric tons)
Historically, Arabica and Liberica coffee beans have been an important part of Guadeloupe’s economy. Tropical storms in the early 20th century, amongst other factors, have caused the industry to decrease dramatically for several decades. Now, it’s mainly a source of ecotourism for the country.
70. Martinique (28 metric tons)
Martinque was, for a while, able to produce enough coffee for the entire nation of France. Now the island produces less than 30 metric tons per year.
71. Vanuatu (26 metric tons)
Vanuatu’s coffee production is down 90% over the past five decades.
72. French Polynesia (22 metric tons)
Rimatara, an island in the southern part of French Polynesia, is home to the world’s most secluded coffee plantation. The island produces exotic coffees that are known for their expert handling and high quality.
73. Tonga (16 metric tons)
Tonga’s coffee production is steadily between 10 and 20 metric tons for the past few decades.
74. Samoa (12 metric tons)
Samoa was producing about 150 metric tons of coffee in the 1960s, but they have been under 25 metric tons of production since the mid 1970s.
75. Sao Tome and Principe (12 metric tons)
Coffee production in Sao Tome and Principe has fallen from 300 metric tons to just over 10 metric tons over the past 50 years.
76. Fiji (9 metric tons)
Except for a short blip in the early 1990s (and I’m not sure what happened there), Fiji’s coffee production has always been low.
77. Suriname (6 metric tons)
Suriname’s coffee production was as high as 430 metric tons in the 1960s, but it’s now steadily under 10.
78. New Caledonia (5 metric tons)
Last on the list isn’t exactly where you want to be, but New Caledonia wears that badge with style. Their Leroy coffee varietal may not be plentiful, but it wins awards and is beloved by the few people that get to try it.
Which Country Produces the Most Coffee?
Brazil is by far the largest producer of coffee in the world, and they have been for well over 150 years now. They produce 70% more coffee than the next-largest producer, Vietnam.
Is There Coffee Grown in the US?
The entire continental US is north of the coffee belt, so it is not hospitable for coffee growth. Hawaii, however, can grow its own coffee. In fact, Hawaii’s Kona coffee is a hugely popular premium variety of coffee.
There are also US territories that can and do produce coffee. Most notably, Puerto Rico actually produces more coffee than Hawaii — making it the largest coffee-producing state or territory in the US.
The Last Sip
There you have it, all the coffee-producing countries I could find. I dare you to find a more complete list of coffees around the world!
Now that you’ve seen all the possibilities, are you ready to find the world’s best coffee beans? I’m putting together more details looks into African coffees, Central American coffees, South American coffees, Caribbean coffees, Asian coffees, and all the rest.
Stay tuned and stay caffeinated!