Chocolate Exporters by Country

March 7, 2019 by

Chocolate Exporters by Country

Demand sweetens for chocolate

Global sales from chocolate exports by country amounted to US$27.6 billion in 2017.

Overall, the value of chocolate exports rose by an average 4.9% for all exporting countries since 2013 when chocolate shipments were valued at $26.3 billion. Year over year, the value of exported chocolate increased by 4.1% from 2013 to 2017.

Among continents, European countries accounted for the highest dollar in chocolate exports during 2017 with shipments amounting to $20.6 billion or 74.2% of overall international chocolate sales. This compares with 13.7% from North America, 8.5% from Asia, 1.3% from Latin America (excluding Mexico) plus the Caribbean, 1.2% from African chocolate exporters and 1.1% from suppliers in Oceania led by Australia.

The 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 1806 for chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa.

Chocolate Exporters by Country

Countries

Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of chocolate during 2017.

  1. Germany: US$4.8 billion (17.5% of total chocolate exports)
  2. Belgium: $3 billion (11%)
  3. Italy: $2 billion (7.2%)
  4. Netherlands: $2 billion (7.1%)
  5. United States: $1.7 billion (6%)
  6. Poland: $1.5 billion (5.5%)
  7. Canada: $1.5 billion (5.4%)
  8. France: $1.4 billion (5.2%)
  9. United Kingdom: $893.2 million (3.2%)
  10. Switzerland: $851.7 million (3.1%)
  11. Mexico: $645.1 million (2.3%)
  12. Russia: $547.7 million (2%)
  13. Turkey: $458.8 million (1.7%)
  14. Austria: $450.4 million (1.6%)
  15. Spain: $445.3 million (1.6%)

By value, the listed 15 countries shipped about four-fifths (80.3%) of all chocolate exports in 2017.

Among the above countries, the fastest-growing chocolate exporters since 2013 were: Canada (up 37.9%), Italy (up 22.8%), Netherlands (up 14.1%), Spain (up 11.2%) and Germany (up 8.2%).

Five top suppliers posted declines in their exported chocolate sales: Russia (down -17.9%), Turkey (down -15.5%), Austria (down -12.3%), France (down -7.3%) and the United Kingdom (down -0.1%).

Advantages

The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for chocolate during 2017. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s chocolate exports and its import purchases for that same commodity.

  1. Germany: US$2.4 billion (net export surplus up 8.2% since 2013)
  2. Belgium: $2.2 billion (up 2.8%)
  3. Italy: $1.4 billion (up 35.5%)
  4. Poland: $757.4 million (down -9.8%)
  5. Netherlands: $646.9 million (down -15.5%)
  6. Switzerland: $601.5 million (up 3.5%)
  7. Canada: $464.9 million (up 194.8%)
  8. Mexico: $365.1 million (up 151.7%)
  9. Turkey: $345.4 million (down -19.9%)
  10. Singapore: $143.2 million (down -22.8%)
  11. Côte d’Ivoire: $129.4 million (up 6,041%)
  12. Malaysia: $88.6 million (up 234.4%)
  13. Russia: $86.5 million (reversing a -$112.2 million deficit in 2013)
  14. Egypt: $67.1 million (up 158.6%)
  15. Ukraine: $59.8 million (down -81.5%)

German and Belgian exporters generate the highest surplus in the international trade of chocolate. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms both competitors’ strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.

Opportunities

The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for chocolate during 2017. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s chocolate import purchases and its exports for that same commodity.

  1. United States: -US$1.1 billion (net export deficit up 77.1% since 2013)
  2. United Kingdom: -$1.1 billion (up 7.7%)
  3. France: -$698 million (up 92.7%)
  4. Japan: -$519.7 million (down -6.9%)
  5. Saudi Arabia: -$465.2 million (down -11.5%)
  6. Australia: -$318.8 million (up 19%)
  7. South Korea: -$259.4 million (up 11.4%)
  8. Hong Kong: -$253.8 million (up 19.2%)
  9. Portugal: -$187.7 million (up 3.2%)
  10. Romania: -$187.2 million (up 34.7%)
  11. Spain: -$183.2 million (down -2.9%)
  12. Kuwait: -$162 million (up 14.1%)
  13. Norway: -$152.3 million (down -11%)
  14. Philippines: -$142.5 million (up 355.6%)
  15. Denmark: -$133.3 million (down -7.5%)

International traders in America and the United Kingdom incurred the highest deficits for the international trade of chocolate. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights America’s and the UK’s strong competitive disadvantages for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for chocolate-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand from American and UK consumers.

Companies

Chocolate Exporting Companies

Based on the Candy Industry’s 2015 Top 100 Confectionery Companies in the World, below are the world’s largest conglomerates that produce chocolate bars and other cocoa-containing food preparations. Show within parenthesis is the country where each colossus is headquartered.

  • Mars Inc (United States)
  • Mondelez International (United States)
  • Ferrero Group (Italy)
  • Nestle SA (Switzerland)
  • Meiji Co Ltd (Japan)
  • Hershey Foods Corp (United States)
  • Chocoladenfabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG (Switzerland)
  • Arcor (Argentina)
  • Ezaki Glico Co Ltd (Japan)
  • August Storck KG (Germany)
  • United Confectionary Manufacturers (Russia)
  • Orion Corp (South Korea)
  • Yildiz Holding (Turkey)
  • Lotte Confectionery Co. Ltd (South Korea)
  • Crown Confectionery Co. Ltd (South Korea)
  • Cemoi (France)
  • Ferrara Candy Co (United States)


 

Searchable List of Chocolate Exporting Countries

You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the columns below.

RankExporter2017 Chocolate Exports% World Total
1.GermanyUS$4.8 billion17.5%
2.Belgium$3 billion11%
3.Italy$2 billion7.2%
4.Netherlands$2 billion7.1%
5.United States$1.7 billion6%
6.Poland$1.5 billion5.5%
7.Canada$1.5 billion5.4%
8.France$1.4 billion5.2%
9.United Kingdom$893.2 million3.2%
10.Switzerland$851.7 million3.1%
11.Mexico$645.1 million2.3%
12.Russia$547.7 million2%
13.Turkey$458.8 million1.7%
14.Austria$450.4 million1.6%
15.Spain$445.3 million1.6%
16.Singapore$364.9 million1.3%
17.Sweden$343.5 million1.2%
18.China$315.6 million1.1%
19.Ireland$295.5 million1.1%
20.United Arab Emirates$293.7 million1.1%
21.Czech Republic$282.4 million1%
22.Slovakia$230.5 million0.8%
23.Malaysia$226 million0.8%
24.Denmark$186.1 million0.7%
25.Australia$185.6 million0.7%
26.Hungary$173 million0.6%
27.Ukraine$152.1 million0.6%
28.Hong Kong$147 million0.5%
29.Côte d'Ivoire$137.5 million0.5%
30.Bulgaria$135.7 million0.5%
31.Croatia$129.2 million0.5%
32.Lithuania$125.9 million0.5%
33.New Zealand$104.5 million0.4%
34.Egypt$101.2 million0.4%
35.Argentina$100.6 million0.4%
36.Brazil$97 million0.4%
37.Romania$91.6 million0.3%
38.India$89.2 million0.3%
39.Japan$78.6 million0.3%
40.Finland$77.1 million0.3%
41.South Africa$75 million0.3%
42.South Korea$64.7 million0.2%
43.Serbia$57.2 million0.2%
44.Colombia$57.1 million0.2%
45.Belarus$53.4 million0.2%
46.Saudi Arabia$43.8 million0.2%
47.Indonesia$41.4 million0.1%
48.Kazakhstan$40.3 million0.1%
49.Greece$37.5 million0.1%
50.Latvia$36.5 million0.1%
51.Lebanon$34.9 million0.1%
52.Thailand$33.1 million0.1%
53.Norway$32.8 million0.1%
54.Portugal$28.6 million0.1%
55.Ecuador$23.2 million0.1%
56.Israel$22 million0.1%
57.Slovenia$21.9 million0.1%
58.Chile$21.7 million0.1%
59.Peru$18.2 million0.1%
60.Oman$14 million0.1%
61.Jordan$13.9 million0.1%
62.Vietnam$13.4 million0.05%
63.Guatemala$13.2 million0.05%
64.Bosnia/Herzegovina$12.7 million0.05%
65.Sri Lanka$12.4 million0.04%
66.Macedonia$11.8 million0.04%
67.Estonia$11.6 million0.04%
68.Armenia$10.7 million0.04%
69.Taiwan$10.2 million0.04%
70.Costa Rica$9.1 million0.03%
71.Moldova$8.2 million0.03%
72.Trinidad/Tobago$7.3 million0.03%
73.Luxembourg$7.1 million0.03%
74.El Salvador$5.6 million0.02%
75.Kuwait$5.3 million0.02%
76.Ghana$5.2 million0.02%
77.Uzbekistan$5 million0.02%
78.Dominican Republic$4.7 million0.02%
79.Azerbaijan$4.1 million0.01%
80.Philippines$3.7 million0.01%
81.Morocco$3.3 million0.01%
82.Tunisia$2.9 million0.01%
83.Swaziland$2.8 million0.01%
84.Barbados$2.8 million0.01%
85.Guinea$2.6 million0.01%
86.Kenya$2.6 million0.01%
87.Georgia$2.5 million0.01%
88.Iceland$2.3 million0.01%
89.Uruguay$1.8 million0.01%
90.Syria$1.6 million0.01%
91.Bangladesh$1.5 million0.01%
92.Bahrain$1.2 million0.005%
93.Cameroon$1.2 million0.004%
94.Venezuela$1.2 million0.004%
95.Malta$1 million0.004%
96.Iran$1 million0.004%
97.Zambia$1 million0.004%
98.Montenegro$960,0000.003%
99.Madagascar$868,0000.003%
100.Jamaica$757,0000.003%
101.Algeria$686,0000.002%
102.Kyrgyzstan$617,0000.002%
103.Uganda$539,0000.002%
104.Cyprus$530,0000.002%
105.Panama$427,0000.002%
106.Bolivia$413,0000.001%
107.Macao$389,0000.001%
108.Suriname$306,0000.001%
109.Zimbabwe$215,0000.001%
110.Senegal$209,0000.001%
111.Sao Tome/Principe$184,0000.001%
112.Pakistan$183,0000.001%
113.Fiji$181,0000.001%
114.Honduras$153,0000.001%
115.Palestine$139,0000.001%
116.New Caledonia$127,0000.0005%
117.Albania$114,0000.0004%
118.Turkmenistan$94,0000.0003%
119.Liberia$84,0000.0003%
120.Nicaragua$82,0000.0003%
121.Antigua/Barbuda$82,0000.0003%
122.Turks/Caicos Is$74,0000.0003%
123.Brunei Darussalam$69,0000.0003%
124.Grenada$68,0000.0002%
125.Nigeria$57,0000.0002%
126.US Minor Outlying Is$55,0000.0002%
127.Dominica$45,0000.0002%
128.Mongolia$35,0000.0001%
129.Benin$33,0000.0001%
130.Namibia$23,0000.0001%
131.Cuba$20,0000.0001%
132.Paraguay$19,0000.0001%
133.Tokelau$18,0000.0001%
134.Samoa$17,0000.0001%
135.Gabon$14,0000.0001%
136.British Virgin Islands$13,0000.00005%
137.Democ. Rep. Congo$12,0000.00004%
138.Togo$12,0000.00004%
139.Tanzania$9,0000.00003%
140.Cabo Verde$9,0000.00003%
141.Sierra Leone$7,0000.00003%
142.Mozambique$6,0000.00002%
143.Mauritius$6,0000.00002%
144.Curaçao$5,0000.00002%
145.Aruba$4,0000.00001%
146.Andorra$3,0000.00001%
147.Haiti$3,0000.00001%
148.St Vincent/Grenadines$3,0000.00001%
149.French Polynesia$2,0000.00001%
150.Vanuatu$2,0000.00001%
151.Niger$2,0000.00001%
152.Mali$2,0000.00001%
153.Malawi$1,0000.000004%
154.Lesotho$1,0000.000004%
155.Iraq$1,0000.000004%
156.Qatar$1,0000.000004%
157.Anguilla$1,0000.000004%
158.Saint Lucia$1,0000.000004%
159.Guyana$1,0000.000004%
160.Faroe Islands$1,0000.000004%
161.Chad$1,0000.000004%
162.Cambodia$1,0000.000004%
163.Botswana$1,0000.000004%
164.Belize$1,0000.000004%

See also Chocolate Imports by Country, Germany’s Top 10 Exports and Germany’s Top Trading Partners

Research Sources:
The World Factbook, Field Listing: Exports – Commodities, Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on May 23, 2018

Trade Map, International Trade Centre. Accessed on May 23, 2018

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on May 23, 2018

Candy Industry, 2015 Top 100 Confectionery Companies in the World. Accessed on May 23, 2018



Filed Under: Food, Processed