China Production By Province: Hubei

Hubei Province has been a leading tea-producing province in China for several consecutive years. It is known for its green teas, including rising matcha production. It also produces smaller volumes of black and dark teas.

WHAT IS HUBEI’S ROLE IN CHINA TEA PRODUCTION?

Hubei Province produced 474,100 metric tons of tea in 2024, 12.7% of China’s national total, and the third-largest volume of any Chinese province, behind only Yunnan and Fujian.

Data source: China National Bureau of Statistics, provincial and regional tea production data, compiled by Firsd Tea North America. Reporting year: 2024 (2025 data not yet released).

 

HOW DOES HUBEI COMPARE TO HUNAN AND SHAANXI, THE OTHER CENTRAL BELT PROVINCES?

Hubei dominates China’s Central Belt. It accounted for 54.1% of the belt’s 876,200 metric ton total in 2024, more than Hunan (32.7%, 286,800 MT) and Shaanxi (13.2%, 115,300 MT) combined. The Central Belt as a whole represents 23.4% of China’s national tea production, making Hubei’s share of that belt a significant piece of the national supply picture on its own. Hubei’s production has grown faster than both of those neighboring provinces over the past five years and jumped 36.3% year-over-year in 2024 alone. Note: 2025 production data has not yet been published by the China National Bureau of Statistics as of this writing.

 

WHAT TRENDS ARE SHAPING HUBEI’S TEA PRODUCTION?

 

Hubei’s production has grown faster than its Central Belt peers over the past five years, posting a 6.2% compound annual growth rate from 2020 to 2024, ahead of Hunan’s 3.6% and Shaanxi’s 4.4% over the same period. That growth hasn’t been a straight line: Hubei’s volume actually dipped in 2022 before rebounding in 2023 and then jumping 36.3% in 2024. The direction is clearly upward, but the year-to-year swings are sharper than in Hunan or Shaanxi.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 

What kind of tea is Hubei known for?
Primarily green tea, with meaningful volumes of black tea and some dark tea as well.

Is Hubei’s tea production growing or declining?
Growing, at a 6.2% five-year CAGR, including a sharp 36.3% increase in 2024 after a dip in 2022.

 

Firsd Tea North America compiles China provincial tea production data from the China National Bureau of Statistics as part of its ongoing China Province Series. For sourcing inquiries on Hubei green tea, black tea, or dark tea, contact your Firsd Tea representative or visit firsdtea.com.