How Much Coffee Does the World Drink Each Day?

You will often see a neat number quoted: the world drinks about 2.25 billion cups of coffee a day. It is a good headline, but where does it come from, and is it still right? We went back to the official supply data and did the math. The short answer to how much coffee does the world drink each day: roughly 30,000 metric tonnes of green coffee, which works out to somewhere between 2 and 3 billion cups, depending on how strong you assume a cup is.

Here is the calculation, the assumptions behind it and how the total breaks down by region.

Key takeaways

• The USDA forecasts record world coffee consumption of 179.7 million 60-kg bags for 2026/27, up from an estimated 173.5 million in 2025/26.
• 179.7 million bags is about 10.8 billion kg a year, or roughly 29,500 tonnes a day.
• At 10 to 12 g of roasted coffee per cup, that equals about 2.1 to 2.5 billion cups a day.
• The European Union, the United States and Brazil together account for about half of world consumption.
• The popular 2.25 billion cups figure sits comfortably inside our estimated range.

In this article

1. What the official data says
2. How much coffee does the world drink each day? The math
3. Why the cup count is a range
4. Where the coffee goes
5. Putting the numbers in perspective
6. FAQ

What the official data says

Nobody counts cups. What governments and trade bodies track is the amount of coffee used, measured in the industry’s standard unit: the 60-kilogram bag of green (unroasted) coffee. Roasted, ground, instant and capsule coffee are all converted back into this green-bean equivalent so they can be added up.

The US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service publishes a twice-yearly report, Coffee: World Markets and Trade. Its July 2026 edition forecasts:

Production running ahead of consumption is one reason prices have been under pressure; our explainer on the coffee C price covers how the market reacts.

How much coffee does the world drink each day? The math

Let’s turn bags into cups, using the 2026/27 forecast.

Step 1: bags to kilograms

179,700,000 bags × 60 kg = 10.78 billion kg of green coffee a year.

Step 2: per year to per day

10.78 billion kg ÷ 365 days = about 29.5 million kg a day, or roughly 29,500 metric tonnes (about 32,500 US tons).

Step 3: green to roasted

Coffee loses water and some mass during roasting, typically around 15 to 20 percent of its weight. Using a 16 percent loss, 1 g of roasted coffee needs about 1.19 g of green coffee.

Step 4: kilograms to cups

A typical cup of brewed coffee uses roughly 10 to 12 g of roasted coffee; an espresso shot uses 7 to 9 g for a single or 14 to 18 g for a double. Our guide to coffee-to-water ratios explains the common recipes. Here is what different assumptions give:

So a reasonable central estimate is 2 to 2.5 billion cups a day, with 3 billion possible if you count many small cups and instant coffee. That is roughly 25,000 to 29,000 cups every second, around the clock.

Why the cup count is a range

Several things make an exact number impossible:

• Cup size varies hugely. An Italian espresso, a Scandinavian mug and a 20 oz iced latte use very different amounts of coffee.
• Instant coffee is efficient. It extracts more from each gram of green coffee, so a spoonful of instant represents less green coffee than a brewed mug. Countries that drink a lot of instant push the real cup count upward.
• Waste. Some coffee is brewed and never drunk, and some beans go stale in cupboards. Consumption data measures coffee used, not coffee swallowed.
• Stocks and timing. Coffee years run across calendar years, and inventories rise and fall, so one year’s use does not map perfectly onto that year’s cups.
• Coffee in food. A small share goes into flavorings, desserts and drinks that are not cups of coffee at all.

None of this changes the scale, though. Whichever reasonable assumptions you choose, the world drinks a couple of billion cups a day.

Where the coffee goes

The USDA’s 2026/27 forecast names the largest consuming markets:

Together, the EU, the US and Brazil account for roughly half of all the coffee consumed on the planet. Brazil stands out as both the world’s largest producer and one of its largest consumers; our guide to Brazilian coffee explains its role. China is the market to watch: its consumption has grown quickly as café culture spreads in its cities.

These are totals, not per-person figures. A country with a huge population can drink a lot of coffee overall while each person drinks relatively little.

Putting the numbers in perspective

• Trucks: at about 20 tonnes per truckload, the world’s daily coffee would fill roughly 1,500 trucks.
• Bags: about 490,000 60-kg bags are used every day.
• Your share: a 12 oz (340 g) bag of roasted coffee makes about 28 to 34 cups at 10 to 12 g each; see how many cups are in a 12 oz bag.

Want to taste a little of that global flow at home? The Best Sellers Sample Pack puts six of our most popular coffees side by side, from Peru and Mexico to Bali Blue. For the taste of the world’s largest producer, try Brazil Santos, a smooth, nutty, low-acidity medium roast. Every bag is roasted 1 to 5 days before delivery.

World coffee consumption FAQ

How many cups of coffee are drunk in the world each day?

About 2 to 2.5 billion, based on USDA consumption data for 2026/27 and typical cup strengths. Estimates up to about 3 billion are possible with smaller cups.

Is the 2.25 billion cups figure accurate?

It is widely quoted without a clear original source, but it falls within the range our calculation produces from current official data.

Is world coffee consumption growing?

Yes. The USDA forecasts a record 179.7 million bags for 2026/27, up from an estimated 173.5 million bags the year before.

Which region drinks the most coffee in total?

The European Union, at about 42.5 million bags a year, followed by the United States and Brazil.

Sources

1. Coffee: World Markets and Trade, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, July 2026.

Facts checked in October 2026.

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