Food · Data story · By ChartGlow · Published
The two countries behind half the world’s coffee
A cup can begin in dozens of countries. Yet two now account for more than half the world’s estimated coffee crop.
In the US Department of Agriculture’s 2025/26 estimate, Brazil and Vietnam together produced 94.7 million 60-kilogram bags of green coffee—about 53% of the world total of 178.83 million bags.
That partnership of scale was not always so lopsided. In 1990/91, Brazil produced 31 million bags, while Vietnam produced 1.2 million. Colombia was the clear second among the ten countries shown.
A new number two
By 1999/2000, Vietnam had moved ahead of Colombia in these estimates. Colombia briefly recovered second place in 2002/03 before Vietnam passed it again the following season. Brazil remained the leader throughout this selected group.
By 2025/26, Brazil’s 63 million bags were almost twice Vietnam’s 31.7 million and more than five times Colombia’s 12.5 million. Indonesia and Ethiopia followed close behind Colombia, at 12.37 million and 11.56 million bags respectively. There is a race below the leader, but the chart’s dominant fact is Brazil’s scale—and the distance Vietnam has travelled to join it.
Different beans, shared scale
The distinction between varieties adds another layer. USDA estimates that 38 million of Brazil’s bags were arabica and 25 million were robusta; Vietnam’s crop was mostly robusta, at 30.5 million bags. These figures describe green coffee production, not the origin of any particular cup, a price forecast or the share of café sales. Coffee can be blended and traded across borders before it reaches a grinder.
The 2025/26 figures are estimates and may be revised. USDA marketing years start in different months across producing countries, so a season labelled 2025/26 does not cover exactly the same dates everywhere. The animation shows a fixed group: the ten largest producers in 2025/26, traced back through the USDA’s earlier estimates. Transitions between annual observations are illustrative, not extra measurements.
The next time a coffee bag lists several origins, the story behind it may be more diverse than this ranking suggests. But the balance of the world’s crop tells a striking story of its own: one long-standing giant, and a second producer that changed the map.
Sources, seasons and image credits
Data: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service coffee production statistics and the Production, Supply and Distribution database. One bulk edition was downloaded on 27 October 2026, last modified 9 October. It contains 360 annual observations for the fixed final-year top ten. Volumes combine arabica and robusta as green coffee equivalent, in 60 kg bags.
The global denominator is USDA’s 178.83 million bags, including countries outside the displayed cohort. Historical observations can be revised. The latest 2025/26 values are estimates; the following 2026/27 forecasts are not included. A labelled year is the starting year of the local marketing season, not an identical calendar period across countries. Animated movement between observations does not date a pass to an exact day.
Background: Petr Kratochvil, cup of coffee with beans, CC0 1.0, cropped and faded. Country flags are from Flagcdn. Full supporting notes and credits.
