Overall, the value of exported ice cream rose by an average 14.6% for all exporting countries since 2014 when ice cream shipments were valued at $3.6 billion. Year over year, the value of globally exported ice cream appreciated by 9.2% from 2017 to 2018.
Among continents, European countries generated the highest dollar worth of exported ice cream during 2018 with shipments valued at $3.4 billion or over four-fifths (81.6%) of the global total. In second place were Asian exporters at 8.7% while 6.2% of worldwide ice cream shipments originated from North America.
Smaller percentages were provided by exporters in Oceania (mainly New Zealand and Australia) at 1.7%, Latin America (1%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, as well as Africa at 0.8%.
The 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix for ice cream is 2105, a classification technically describing “ice cream and other edible ice whether or not containing cocoa.”
Ice Cream Exporters by Country
Countries
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of ice cream during 2018.
- France: US$576.1 million (13.9% of total ice cream exports)
- Germany: $526.2 million (12.7%)
- Belgium: $419.6 million (10.1%)
- Netherlands: $325 million (7.8%)
- Italy: $292.4 million (7%)
- United States: $249.3 million (6%)
- Poland: $178.8 million (4.3%)
- Spain: $174.3 million (4.2%)
- United Kingdom: $162.4 million (3.9%)
- Hungary: $139.3 million (3.4%)
- Thailand: $85.2 million (2.1%)
- Sweden: $62.6 million (1.5%)
- Slovenia: $61.1 million (1.5%)
- China: $50 million (1.2%)
- Lithuania: $49.5 million (1.2%)
The listed 15 countries shipped roughly four-fifths (80.7%) of global ice cream exports in 2018 by value.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing ice cream exporters since 2014 were: China (up 264.4%), Slovenia (up 75%), Poland (up 72.7%) and Thailand (up 42.1%).
One leading trade partner posted a decline in its international ice cream sales, namely Italy thanks to a -1.3% dip over the 5-year period.
Advantages
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for ice cream during 2018. 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 exported ice cream and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- France: US$313.9 million (net export surplus up 41.8% since 2014)
- Belgium: $237 million (up 8%)
- Italy: $175.6 million (up 30.3%)
- United States: $163 million (up 16.4%)
- Poland: $107.9 million (up 73.4%)
- Hungary: $87.2 million (up 17.2%)
- Netherlands: $74.2 million (up 46.3%)
- Germany: $73.1 million (down -52.5%)
- Thailand: $63.7 million (up 23.1%)
- Slovenia: $43.6 million (up 121.5%)
- Serbia: $34.7 million (up 86.4%)
- Turkey: $32.2 million (up 4.8%)
- Lithuania: $26.3 million (up 35%)
- South Africa: $21.3 million (down -1.8%)
- Belarus: $14.1 million (up 21.1%)
Overtaking Belgium since 2015, France consistently earns the highest surplus in the international trade of ice cream. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms France’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Opportunities
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for ice cream during 2018. 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 imported ice cream purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- United Kingdom: -US$266.8 million (net export deficit up 64.4% since 2014)
- Austria: -$82.3 million (up 9.3%)
- Denmark: -$61.8 million (down -10.8%)
- Ireland: -$58.2 million (up 244%)
- Romania: -$55.7 million (up 83.1%)
- Mexico: -$52.6 million (up 10.2%)
- Portugal: -$50.3 million (up 1.1%)
- Saudi Arabia: -$44.1 million (down -43%)
- Switzerland: -$42.9 million (up 31.3%)
- Australia: -$42.9 million (up 5.9%)
- Finland: -$40.2 million (down -8.8%)
- Singapore: -$39.4 million (up 7.6%)
- China: -$39.1 million (down -25.2%)
- Malaysia: -$34.1 million (up 8%)
- Slovakia: -$33.4 million (up 24.7%)
The United Kingdom incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of ice cream. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights United Kingdom’s strong competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for ice cream-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful consumer demand.
Companies
Ice Cream Exporting Companies
According to global trading platform Alibaba, the following suppliers are examples of ice cream-trading exporters. The home-country location for each business is shown within parentheses:
- EUROBRANDS Lebensmittelgrosshandel (Germany)
- Exportame Consulting SLNE (Spain)
- Luxor Co Ltd (South Korea)
- Maggio Nicola (Italy)
- Mirawell General Trading LLC (United Arab Emirates)
- MN Ice cream (Thailand)
- NAS Gido Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi (Turkey)
- RLA Distribution Services Ltd (United States)
- SAS Khassani (France)
- UK Frozen Food Ltd (United Kingdom)
Searchable List of Ice Cream Exporting Countries in 2018
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of the columns.
| Rank | Exporter | Ice Cream Exports (US$) | %World Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | France | $576.1 million | 13.9% |
| 2. | Germany | $526.2 million | 12.7% |
| 3. | Belgium | $419.6 million | 10.1% |
| 4. | Netherlands | $325 million | 7.8% |
| 5. | Italy | $292.4 million | 7% |
| 6. | United States | $249.3 million | 6% |
| 7. | Poland | $178.8 million | 4.3% |
| 8. | Spain | $174.3 million | 4.2% |
| 9. | United Kingdom | $162.4 million | 3.9% |
| 10. | Hungary | $139.3 million | 3.4% |
| 11. | Thailand | $85.2 million | 2.1% |
| 12. | Sweden | $62.6 million | 1.5% |
| 13. | Slovenia | $61.1 million | 1.5% |
| 14. | China | $50 million | 1.2% |
| 15. | Lithuania | $49.5 million | 1.2% |
| 16. | Czech Republic | $49.2 million | 1.2% |
| 17. | Portugal | $48.1 million | 1.2% |
| 18. | South Korea | $47.3 million | 1.1% |
| 19. | Russia | $47.1 million | 1.1% |
| 20. | Serbia | $41.6 million | 1% |
| 21. | New Zealand | $40.9 million | 1% |
| 22. | Turkey | $34.5 million | 0.8% |
| 23. | Greece | $33.8 million | 0.8% |
| 24. | Indonesia | $32.9 million | 0.8% |
| 25. | Japan | $32.5 million | 0.8% |
| 26. | Switzerland | $30.2 million | 0.7% |
| 27. | Australia | $27.2 million | 0.7% |
| 28. | South Africa | $25.7 million | 0.6% |
| 29. | Ireland | $23.8 million | 0.6% |
| 30. | Croatia | $21.9 million | 0.5% |
| 31. | Malaysia | $19.1 million | 0.5% |
| 32. | Belarus | $17.1 million | 0.4% |
| 33. | Denmark | $16.5 million | 0.4% |
| 34. | Costa Rica | $13.5 million | 0.3% |
| 35. | Ukraine | $13.3 million | 0.3% |
| 36. | Finland | $11.2 million | 0.3% |
| 37. | Bulgaria | $10.6 million | 0.3% |
| 38. | Philippines | $10.1 million | 0.2% |
| 39. | Estonia | $9.8 million | 0.2% |
| 40. | Latvia | $9.8 million | 0.2% |
| 41. | Taiwan | $9.6 million | 0.2% |
| 42. | Austria | $8.8 million | 0.2% |
| 43. | Guatemala | $8.7 million | 0.2% |
| 44. | Canada | $8.2 million | 0.2% |
| 45. | Moldova | $8.1 million | 0.2% |
| 46. | North Macedonia | $7.9 million | 0.2% |
| 47. | India | $6.7 million | 0.2% |
| 48. | Hong Kong | $6 million | 0.1% |
| 49. | El Salvador | $5.8 million | 0.1% |
| 50. | United Arab Emirates | $5.5 million | 0.1% |
| 51. | Argentina | $5.2 million | 0.1% |
| 52. | Jordan | $4.9 million | 0.1% |
| 53. | Kazakhstan | $4.8 million | 0.1% |
| 54. | Israel | $4 million | 0.1% |
| 55. | Romania | $3.8 million | 0.1% |
| 56. | Singapore | $3.5 million | 0.1% |
| 57. | Kyrgyzstan | $2.8 million | 0.1% |
| 58. | Luxembourg | $2.7 million | 0.1% |
| 59. | Kenya | $2.2 million | 0.1% |
| 60. | Egypt | $2.1 million | 0.1% |
| 61. | Togo | $1.9 million | 0.05% |
| 62. | Norway | $1.6 million | 0.04% |
| 63. | Fiji | $1.6 million | 0.04% |
| 64. | Mexico | $1.5 million | 0.04% |
| 65. | Suriname | $1.5 million | 0.04% |
| 66. | Nicaragua | $1.4 million | 0.03% |
| 67. | Uruguay | $1 million | 0.02% |
| 68. | Colombia | $1 million | 0.02% |
| 69. | Guyana | $971,000 | 0.02% |
| 70. | Brazil | $943,000 | 0.02% |
| 71. | Peru | $908,000 | 0.02% |
| 72. | Trinidad/Tobago | $908,000 | 0.02% |
| 73. | Armenia | $675,000 | 0.02% |
| 74. | Syrian Arab Republic | $588,000 | 0.01% |
| 75. | Slovakia | $576,000 | 0.01% |
| 76. | Chile | $453,000 | 0.01% |
| 77. | Saudi Arabia | $325,000 | 0.01% |
| 78. | Iceland | $311,000 | 0.01% |
| 79. | Ghana | $296,000 | 0.01% |
| 80. | Vietnam | $278,000 | 0.01% |
| 81. | Pakistan | $251,000 | 0.01% |
| 82. | Palestine | $249,000 | 0.01% |
| 83. | Dominican Republic | $191,000 | 0.005% |
| 84. | Turkmenistan | $156,000 | 0.004% |
| 85. | Cyprus | $155,000 | 0.004% |
| 86. | Lebanon | $128,000 | 0.003% |
| 87. | Iran | $99,000 | 0.002% |
| 88. | Uzbekistan | $57,000 | 0.001% |
| 89. | Tanzania | $52,000 | 0.001% |
| 90. | Panama | $47,000 | 0.001% |
| 91. | Iraq | $45,000 | 0.001% |
| 92. | Bahamas | $45,000 | 0.001% |
| 93. | Belize | $33,000 | 0.001% |
| 94. | Ecuador | $26,000 | 0.001% |
| 95. | Kuwait | $22,000 | 0.001% |
| 96. | Zambia | $19,000 | 0.0005% |
| 97. | Morocco | $15,000 | 0.0004% |
| 98. | Mauritius | $13,000 | 0.0003% |
| 99. | Tunisia | $13,000 | 0.0003% |
| 100. | Bangladesh | $7,000 | 0.0002% |
| 101. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $5,000 | 0.0001% |
| 102. | Sierra Leone | $4,000 | 0.0001% |
| 103. | Malta | $3,000 | 0.0001% |
| 104. | Oman | $3,000 | 0.0001% |
| 105. | Mozambique | $2,000 | 0.00005% |
| 106. | Eswatini | $2,000 | 0.00005% |
| 107. | Ivory Coast | $2,000 | 0.00005% |
| 108. | Brunei Darussalam | $1,000 | 0.00002% |
See also Sugar Exports by Country, Top Cookies Exporters by Country and Supplier showroom for ice cream. Accessed on July 13, 2019
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on July 13, 2019
The World Factbook, Field Listing: Exports – Commodities, Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on July 13, 2019
Trade Map, International Trade Centre. Accessed on July 13, 2019
Wikipedia, Ice cream. Accessed on July 13, 2019