International Tea Day 2025: Know the date, history, theme and significance

International Tea Day 2025: This year, it will be held on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, on the theme, Tea for Better Lives, highlighting tea's contribution to livelihoods, sustainability, and health.

International Tea Day 2025: As we mark the day on May 21 every year; here's all you need to know. (Source: Shutterstock)

Tea, produced from the Camellia sinensis plant, is the world’s most popular drink after water. While the precise location of the tea plant’s growth is uncertain, it is generally believed that tea originated in northeast India, north Myanmar, and southwest China, according to UN.

The General Assembly decided to designate May 21 as International Tea Day, reiterating the Intergovernmental Group on Tea’s call to focus more on increasing demand, particularly in tea-producing countries.

This year, it will be held on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, on the theme, Tea for Better Lives, highlighting tea’s contribution to livelihoods, sustainability, and health.

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READ: International Tea Day: Chai lovers who left their high-paying jobs to sell tea

Tea cultivation and processing enable the alleviation of extreme poverty (SDG 1), combat hunger (SDG 2), empower women (SDG 5), and ensure the long-term use of terrestrial ecosystems (SDG 15).

🍵 Tea is more than a drink. It’s a culture, a way of life.

In the tea sector, women play a vital role, which should be acknowledged.

On #InternationalTeaDay, let’s explore, inspire and inform so that new opportunities for women-owned businesses can be developed. pic.twitter.com/iwaoNe4Guu

— Food and Agriculture Organization (@FAO) May 19, 2025

International Tea Day aims to promote and strengthen collective measures to execute activities that support the sustainable production and consumption of tea.

This day provides an opportunity to honour tea’s cultural heritage, health advantages, and economic significance while striving to ensure its production is sustainable “from field to cup” to ensure it benefits people, cultures, and the environment for generations.

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