Which Country Produces the Most Coffee? When Vietnam Became No. 2, and Where Japan Buys Its Beans

Here are the questions people ask most, answered in order. Numbers are calculated from statistics of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The 1975 frost, Vietnam’s history and Japan’s imports are kept apart from the data and carry sources.

• Who is first? Brazil. In 1961–2024, the one year it was not first was 1976.
• Who is second? Vietnam, every year since 1999. In 1990 it was 17th (92 thousand tonnes).
• And Japan? It does not grow any in these data. It imported 360,287 tonnes of green coffee in 2024, most from Brazil, then Vietnam.
• What about prices? The price Japan paid for imported green coffee rose from ¥283 per kg in 2010 to ¥677 in 2024, 2.4 times as much.
• Arabica or robusta? These data do not separate the two.

Which countries produce the most coffee? Top 10 (2024)

Top 10 coffee-producing countries, 2024

Rank	Country	Production (thousand tonnes)	Share of world	Rank in 1961
1	Brazil	3,388	30.4%	1
2	Vietnam	2,015	18.1%	37
3	Colombia	840	7.5%	2
4	Indonesia	808	7.3%	7
5	Ethiopia	576	5.2%	–
6	Uganda	402	3.6%	9
7	India	363	3.3%	17
8	Peru	359	3.2%	18
9	Central African Republic	325	2.9%	30
10	Honduras	324	2.9%	25

Shares are of the 2024 total across the 73 countries with data (11.13 million tonnes). The 1961 rank is among countries with data that year; “–” means no data.

The top five make up 69% of the world. In 60 kg bags, world production is about 186 million bags (the coffee trade usually counts in bags, and its year and totals differ from FAO’s).

Has Brazil always been first?

In 1961 Brazil grew 51% of the world’s coffee. Only in 1976 did Colombia (483 thousand tonnes) edge past Brazil (376 thousand tonnes). Brazil’s output fell 70% from 1.27 million tonnes in 1975 to 376 thousand tonnes in 1976.

Brazil’s production peaked at 3.71 million tonnes in 2020. In 2024 it is 3.39 million tonnes (30% of the world), down from 51% in 1961 but still about 1.7 times Vietnam’s output.

How did Vietnam become No. 2?

In 1961 Vietnam produced 4 thousand tonnes, 37th in the world. It reached 92 thousand tonnes in 1990 (17th) and 218 thousand tonnes in 1995 (6th), then passed Colombia in 1999 to take second place. In 2024 it grew 2.02 million tonnes, about 22 times the 1990 level and 18% of the world.

For background, Wikipedia notes that coffee is believed to have been brought to Vietnam by French missionaries in 1857, that the Đổi Mới reforms of 1986 allowed private enterprise again and set off rapid growth, that about 97% of Vietnam’s coffee is robusta, and that coffee is second only to rice among its agricultural exports (Wikipedia).

Colombia was second in 1961 with 450 thousand tonnes (10% of the world). In 2024 it is 3rd with 840 thousand tonnes (8%). Its output is about 1.9 times the 1961 level, but world production grew faster.

Where does Japan buy its coffee?

Almost no coffee is grown in Japan, so Japan has no value in the production data. It imports a great deal instead. According to Japan’s Ministry of Finance trade statistics, published by the All Japan Coffee Association, imports of green coffee in 2024 were 360,287 tonnes from 50 countries, with Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia making up 73.1% (All Japan Coffee Association, in Japanese).

Japan’s imports of green coffee (tonnes, Ministry of Finance trade statistics)

Country	2010	2024	Change
Brazil	123,073	130,210	+7,137
Vietnam	54,737	97,331	+42,594
Colombia	79,060	35,858	−43,202
Ethiopia	10,245	21,036	+10,791
Guatemala	34,180	19,068	−15,112
Indonesia	59,068	16,396	−42,672

The total was 410,530 tonnes in 2010 and 360,287 tonnes in 2024.

Imports from Vietnam rose from 54,737 tonnes in 2010 to 97,331 in 2024. Imports from Colombia (79,060 to 35,858) and Indonesia (59,068 to 16,396) fell. The average import price per kg was ¥283 in 2010 and ¥289 in 2020, against ¥677 in 2024.

How to read these numbers

• The series is FAO’s FAOSTAT crop production figure for green (unroasted) coffee, per calendar year, in tonnes. Countries are ranked among the 73 with a value for 2024.
• The coffee trade usually counts in 60 kg bags and by “coffee year” (for example October to September), so its numbers differ from FAO’s in both timing and totals.
• These data do not separate arabica from robusta.
• The data were retrieved on November 4, 2026; FAO update 2025-12-31. Recent years can be revised.

Summary

• In 2024 Brazil produced the most coffee (3.39 million tonnes, 30% of the world), then Vietnam (2.02 million tonnes) and Colombia.
• In 1961–2024, Brazil was first every year except 1976 (Colombia), a year after the 1975 frost.
• Vietnam rose from 17th in 1990 to second in 1999. About 97% of its coffee is robusta.
• Japan grows none and imported 360,287 tonnes in 2024. The import price rose from ¥283/kg in 2010 to ¥677/kg.