19 UK Coffee Statistics in 2024: Fascinating Facts (With Infographics)

Note: This article’s statistics come from third-party sources and do not represent the opinions of this website.

While Brits have a reputation for being a nation of tea lovers, research suggests that an equal number of people in the country drink coffee as those who drink tea. British coffee drinkers prefer their brew instant, and this was further magnified during the Coronavirus pandemic when more than half of British people said that they drank more coffee.

Although Brits do prefer to drink their coffee at home and drink more instant coffee, the coffee shop market is worth $15 billion a year, with the preferred drinks being lattes, cappuccinos, and flat whites.

Below are 19 figures related to the UK coffee industry, coffee shops, and at-home coffee drinking habits.

Click below to jump ahead:

• UK Coffee Industry Statistics
• Coffee Shop Coffee
• At-Home Coffee
• Coffee vs. Tea

The 19 UK Coffee Industry Statistics

1. Despite its love of the beverage, the UK is not in the top 25 countries for consumption per capita.
2. The UK coffee shop market is worth £15 billion a year.
3. More than 50% of Brits drank more coffee while working from home during the pandemic.
4. Latte, cappuccino, and flat white are the three favourite coffee drinks.
5. The average time for a first cup of coffee is 9:01 am.
6. Costa is the most popular coffee shop chain in the UK.
7. There are more than 8,000 branded coffee shop chains.
8. 80% of people that visit coffee shops visit at least once a week.
9. 16% of coffee shop visitors visit daily.
10. Millennials are the most likely generation to visit coffee shops.
11. Lavazza is the most popular brand of fresh ground coffee.
12. Brits pay £2.75 for a coffee shop cappuccino.
13. 73% of coffee prepared at home is instant coffee.
14. Coffee pod machines are more popular than any other type of coffee machine.
15. On average, Brits spend £16 per month on coffee to drink at home.
16. 39% of Brits have a coffee machine at home.
17. The most popular instant coffee in the UK is Nescafe.
18. The same number of people consume coffee every day as those that drink tea.
19. Five times as many cups of takeaway coffee are sold compared to takeaway tea.

UK Coffee Industry Statistics

1. Despite its love of the beverage, the UK is not in the top 25 countries for consumption per capita.

(Roast And Poast)

The Brits are a nation of coffee lovers, but they do not even come close to some of the heaviest hitters in the world. The Finns consume an average of 12 kilograms per capita, while second place Norway goes through 9.9 kilograms per person per annum. The UK’s per capita consumption of just 2.8 kilograms puts them 44^th on the list of top coffee-consuming countries in the world.

2. The UK coffee shop market is worth £15 billion a year.

(Trung Nguyen)

There are more than 30,000 cafes, coffee shops, and other venues that serve coffee in the UK, and the coffee shop market is estimated to be worth £15 billion a year.

3. More than 50% of Brits drank more coffee while working from home during the pandemic.

(New Food Magazine)

The global pandemic affected every aspect of our daily lives in 2020 and 2021. Coffee drinking habits were also greatly affected, and while people were unable to get out and get their favourite coffee shop brews, this didn’t deter Brits from consuming more of the liquid stimulant. More than half of Brits surveyed said that they consumed more coffee while working from home. Reasons given included taking more breaks and drinking coffee as a means to help them get more work done and stay alert.

4. Latte, cappuccino, and flat white are the three favourite coffee drinks.

(Iceni Magazine)

Although the country is a nation of instant coffee drinkers, Brits preferred coffee drinks are lattes, cappuccinos, and flat whites. Other drinks, including mocha and brewed coffee, are also featured in the list of the 10 most popularly consumed beverages.

5. The average time for a first cup of coffee is 9:01 am.

(Iceni Magazine)

To a lot of people, a cup of coffee is part of their morning ritual. Its stimulant effects can help clear the fog of sleep that still exists, and a lot of drinkers insist they can’t function until they’ve had at least one cup of coffee. In the UK, the average time for a coffee drinker’s first cup of coffee is at 9:01 am, which, for most people, is just as the working day starts.

Coffee Shop Coffee

6. Costa is the most popular coffee shop chain in the UK.

(Statista 1)

While Starbucks is the world’s leading coffee shop chain, it only just makes the top three in the UK. Costa is the clear leader in terms of the number of coffee shops they have. There are more than 2,400 Costa coffee shops compared to just over 1,000 Starbucks. Even Greggs, with limited in-store facilities, comes out ahead of the Seattle-headquartered chain.

7. There are more than 8,000 branded coffee shop chains.

(Statista 1)

While the coffee shop market does have a number of large chains, including Costa, Greggs, Starbucks, McCafe, and Nero, there are many, many others. In fact, there are approximately 8,000 branded coffee shop chains in the country.

8. 80% of people that visit coffee shops visit at least once a week.

(British Coffee Association)

Reasons for visiting coffee shops include greater availability of specialist coffee drinks, the ease compared to brewing coffee at home, and the convenience of being able to pick up a quality cup of coffee on a daily commute. These reasons mean that 80% of people that do visit coffee shops do so at least once a week.

9. 16% of coffee shop visitors visit daily.

(British Coffee Association)

While many people visit coffee shops occasionally or on set days of the week, 16% of coffee shop visitors visit their favourite barista at least once a day.

10. Millennials are the most likely generation to visit coffee shops.

(YouGov)

Of all the generations, it is the millennials, born in the last couple of decades of the 20^th Century, that are the most likely to visit coffee shops. In fact, this group came out on top as being the most likely to visit weekly, multiple times a week, daily, and multiple times per day. They were also the least likely to say that they never visited coffee shops.

11. Lavazza is the most popular brand of fresh ground coffee.

(Statista 2)

Taking into account all brands of ground coffee, Lavazza is the most popular brand in the UK. About 2.28 million people claim to use this brand, with 1.98 million using Taylors of Harrogate, the second most popular ground coffee brand.

12. Brits pay £2.75 for a coffee shop cappuccino.

(XTB)

Although prices vary according to location, coffee shop brand, and, of course, the size of the drink, Brits pay an average of £2.75 for a cappuccino, which is the nation’s favourite coffee drink. This makes it the most expensive of the popular drinks, although a latte only costs pennies less. Americanos and flat whites cost an average of £2.51 each.

At-Home Coffee

13. 73% of coffee prepared at home is instant coffee.

(Appinio)

The Brits love instant coffee over ground coffee. In fact, nearly three-quarters of all coffee prepared at home is of the instant variety. Instant coffee is preferred because it is easy and quick to prepare, and also because it produces virtually the same flavour and strength every time it is prepared.

14. Coffee pod machines are more popular than any other type of coffee machine.

(Appinio)

While instant coffee is the most commonly consumed coffee at home, coffee machines are becoming more popular. Of these, it is pod machines that are the preferred choice of brewing. Again, this points to a preference for convenience, ease, and uniformity of drinks. Just behind coffee pod machines are coffee capsule machines. The two are very similar, although most pods contain 7 grams of coffee compared to the 5 grams of coffee in capsules.

Also, capsules tend to be specifically designed for one machine, or a limited range of machines, so capsule machine owners have less variety of coffee available to them.

15. On average, Brits spend £16 per month on coffee to drink at home.

(Appinio)

Looking at the UK population as a whole, the average that a person spends on coffee at home is £16 per person per month. For those that consider themselves coffee lovers, the average expenditure is £25 per person per month.

16. 39% of Brits have a coffee machine at home.

(Iceni Magazine)

More than a third of the UK population has a coffee machine at home. This includes modern pod and sachet machines, as well as drip coffee makers and devices like French presses. However, the kettle remains the most popular coffee maker in the nation.

17. The most popular instant coffee in the UK is Nescafe.

(Statista 3)

There are a number of companies that benefit from the UK’s love of instant coffee, but it is Nescafe that leads the market. And, 13.7 million people use Nescafe coffee products. About 5 million of those opt for the “original” variety. This is actually down from the 7 million Nescafe Original users reported in 2014.

Coffee vs. Tea

18. The same number of people consume coffee every day as those that drink tea.

(Statista 1)

The UK is known as a nation of tea lovers, and it may come as a surprise to learn that the same proportion of Brits actually consumes coffee every day as those that consume tea. However, this doesn’t mean that more coffee is consumed.

19. Five times as many cups of takeaway coffee are sold compared to takeaway tea.

(The Argus)

When it comes to take-away drinks ordered outside the home, Brits greatly prefer their coffee to tea, but that may be because they don’t trust anybody else to make a good cuppa. 360 million cups of takeaway coffee have been sold over a five-year period, compared to just 65 million cups of takeaway tea. This means that a cup of coffee for take-out is sold every 11 seconds.

Frequently Asked Questions About UK Coffee

Is the Coffee Market Growing in the UK?

The years 2020 and 2021 were extraordinary years for the coffee industry, with a further shift towards home coffee and away from coffee shops, as the nation was placed under several lockdowns. However, even in 2021, coffee chains saw a 43% growth compared to 2020 when individual movements were more restricted. The industry is now estimated to be at 87% of its pre-pandemic level. (World Coffee Portal)

Do People in the UK Like Starbucks?

Costa Coffee is the nation’s most popular coffee shop, and some metrics place Greggs above Starbucks. However, Starbucks does rank third in the list of most popular coffee chains, and it is the most popular non-UK brand. (Statista 4)

Is Costa Owned by Coca-Cola?

As well as being the largest coffee shop chain in the UK, Costa has become the second-largest chain in the world, behind only Starbucks. As a result of its growing popularity, Coca-Cola purchased Costa in 2019. (Beverage Daily)

What Country Drinks the Most Coffee?

Finland is the world’s biggest consumer of coffee per capita. They consume 12 kilograms of coffee per capita, which is significantly higher than even the second-placed nation, Norway, where they consume 9.9 kilograms of coffee per person per annum.

Conclusion

Coffee is the world’s third most popular beverage after water and tea, and while the UK is known for its love of tea, it also has a burgeoning love affair with coffee. In fact, the same number of people confess to drinking coffee every day as those that say the same about tea. Instant coffee is preferred over home-brewed ground coffee, with the favourite coffee drinks of the nation being lattes, cappuccinos, and flat whites.

• Related Read: When Was Coffee Introduced to the UK? Facts & FAQ

Featured Image Credit: S Migaj, Unsplash