Coffee Shop Consumption Statistics UK 2024–2025: How Much Coffee Do We Really Drink?
Britain’s Growing Coffee Shop Habit
Move over tea, coffee now sits proudly at the top of Britain’s drinks menu. The UK consumes a staggering 98 million cups of coffee every single day, adding up to more than 35+ billion cups per year. To put that in perspective, that’s enough to fill Wembley Stadium with flat whites many times over.
But unlike coffee-mad Scandinavia, where people knock back four or five cups daily, Britain’s average intake is a little more modest, about 1.5 cups per person per day. What makes us stand out is not how much we drink at home, but how much we love getting our caffeine fix from coffee shops.
How Much Coffee Do We Drink?
Here’s how Britain’s coffee consumption stacks up against other countries:
| Country | Per Capita Coffee Consumption (kg/year) | Approx. Cups per Person per Day |
|---|---|---|
| Finland | ~12 kg | 4+ cups |
| Germany | ~7 kg | 2–3 cups |
| France | ~5.5 kg | 2 cups |
| USA | ~4.7 kg | ~2 cups |
| UK | ~2.9 kg | 1.5 cups |
So while Britain isn’t topping the global charts, our coffee shop sector punches well above its weight.
The UK’s Coffee Shop Culture
80% of Brits visit a coffee shop weekly.
16% go daily — that’s one in six of us stopping in for a latte or flat white every single day.
Coffee shops account for about 10% of our total coffee consumption, while most is still brewed at home.
The average coffee shop visitor isn’t just popping in once in a while either, 60% of people make multiple visits per week, and that number is climbing.
How Much Do We Spend on Coffee Shops?
Despite the cost-of-living squeeze, Britain’s appetite for café coffee is holding strong.
Average spend per visit: £6.23 (usually coffee plus a snack).
Average price of a latte: about £3.50–£3.64, up nearly 10% year-on-year.
Specialty drinks in London can hit £4–£5.
And while takeaway coffee and drive-thrus are booming, the traditional café experience is still king. 83% of consumers still buy in-store, preferring to sit down or pick up at the counter.
The Big Three: UK’s Largest Coffee Chains
When it comes to branded coffee shops, three names dominate the high street:
| Coffee Chain | UK Outlets (2024) | Latest Reported Revenue | Notable Trends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Costa Coffee | ~2,700 | £1bn+ (est.) | 26% market share, expanding drive-thrus |
| Starbucks UK | ~1,200 | £547.7m (2023) | Strong app growth, 330+ drive-thrus |
| Pret A Manger | ~480 | £1.1bn global sales (2023) | Coffee subscription boosts loyalty |
UK Coffee Shops in Global Context
Here’s the twist: although the UK doesn’t drink as much coffee per person as Finland or Germany, our coffee shop market is one of the largest in Europe.
Value of UK branded coffee shop sector (2023): ~£5.3 billion.
Number of branded outlets: over 10,000 (and ~14,000 including independents).
Coffee has now officially overtaken tea in popularity: 63% of UK adults drink coffee regularly vs 59% who drink tea.
So while we might not consume the most coffee at home, we’ve built one of the world’s strongest café cultures. Impressive, hey!
Conclusion
The latest UK coffee statistics show a nation hooked not just on caffeine, but on the ritual of visiting coffee shops. Prices may be climbing, but we’re still queuing at Costa, grabbing flat whites at Pret, and treating ourselves to Starbucks cold brews.
The bottom line? Britain isn’t the heaviest coffee-drinking nation, but it is one of the most café-obsessed. And as long as coffee shops continue to evolve, with drive-thrus, subscriptions, and plant-based options, our love affair with coffee isn’t going anywhere.
