That amount reflects an average -1.2% drop in value since 2015 when natural rubber shipments were worth $13.2 billion. Year over year, exported natural rubber fell by -0.5% from 2018 to 2019.
Among continents, Asian countries exported $10.8 billion or 82.3% of international natural rubber sales. African exporters supplied 11% worth of the global total followed by European suppliers at 5%.
Accounting for a much smaller percentage of exported natural rubber were shippers in Latin America (1.2%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, North America (0.5%) and Oceania (0.1%) led by Papua New Guinea and Australia.
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix for natural rubber is 4001.
Natural Rubber Exports by Country
Countries
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of natural rubber during 2019.
- Thailand: US$4.1 billion (31.5% of exported natural rubber)
- Indonesia: $3.9 billion (29.8%)
- Ivory Coast: $1.1 billion (8.4%)
- Vietnam: $998.1 million (7.6%)
- Malaysia: $910.9 million (6.9%)
- Myanmar (Burma): $276.3 million (2.1%)
- Laos: $259.7 million (2%)
- Belgium: $215.9 million (1.6%)
- Liberia: $146.1 million (1.1%)
- Guatemala: $144.8 million (1.1%)
- Singapore: $99.2 million (0.8%)
- Netherlands: $96.2 million (0.7%)
- France: $92.5 million (0.7%)
- Germany: $88 million (0.7%)
- Luxembourg: $79.4 million (0.6%)
The listed 15 countries shipped 95.7% of global natural rubber exported in 2019 by value.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing natural rubber exporters since 2015 were: Laos (up 327.9%), Myanmar also called Burma (up 136.8%), Ivory Coast (up 121.1%) and Belgium (up 62.4%).
Five countries posted declines in their exported natural rubber sales namely: Germany (down -63.6%), Thailand (down -16.9%), Singapore (down -12.6%), Malaysia (down -12.2%) and Vietnam (down -6.4%).
Advantages
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for natural rubber during 2019. 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 natural rubber exports and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- Thailand: US$4.1 billion (net export surplus down -16.8% since 2015)
- Indonesia: $3.9 billion (up 6.3%)
- Ivory Coast: $1.1 billion (up 121.1%)
- Vietnam: $937.6 million (up 3.3%)
- Myanmar (Burma): $275.1 million (up 138.6%)
- Laos: $255.7 million (up 330.4%)
- Liberia: $146.1 million (no 2015 data)
- Guatemala: $144.4 million (up 6.1%)
- Ghana: $64.1 million (no 2015 data)
- Philippines: $41 million (down -9.8%)
- Nigeria: $40.7 million (down -32.9%)
- Cameroon: $38.7 million (down -36.6%)
- Cambodia: $35.3 million (down -77.8%)
- Belgium: $28.3 million (reversing a -$35.1 million deficit)
- Guinea: $18.3 million (down -30.4%)
Thailand generated the highest surplus in the international trade of natural rubber. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms Thailand’s strong competitive advantage for this specific resource category.
Opportunities
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for natural rubber during 2019. 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 natural rubber import purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- China: -US$3.3 billion (net export deficit down -14.3% since 2015)
- United States: -$1.7 billion (up 8.1%)
- Japan: -$1.1 billion (up 3.4%)
- India: -$687 million (down -0.3%)
- South Korea: -$528.5 million (down -13.4%)
- Malaysia: -$408.6 million (up 50.1%)
- Brazil: -$330.3 million (down -1.3%)
- Germany: -$315 million (down -10.9%)
- Turkey: -$308.4 million (up 21%)
- Spain: -$290.3 million (up 6.5%)
- Canada: -$239.3 million (up 3.5%)
- Italy: -$212.3 million (up 6.6%)
- Russia: -$206.7 million (up 32.1%)
- Poland: -$185.8 million (up 16.1%)
- France: -$162.5 million (down -21.9%)
The People’s Republic of China ran up the highest deficit in the international trade of natural rubber. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights China’s strong competitive disadvantage for this specific resource category but also signals opportunities for natural rubber-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand of Chinese manufacturers.
Companies
Natural Rubber Exporting Companies
Below are rubber manufacturing companies that dominate the worldwide rubber trade, with a focus on rubber tire makers.
- Bridgestone Corp (Japan)
- Michelin (France)
- Goodyear (United States)
- Continental A.G. (Germany)
- Pirelli & C. S.p.A. (Italy)
- Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (Japan)
- Hankook Tire Co. Ltd. (South Korea)
- Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. (Japan)
- Maxxis International/Cheng Shin Rubber Industrial Co. Ltd. (Taiwan)
- Zhongce Rubber Group Co. Ltd. (China)
These 10 companies accounted for almost two-thirds of worldwide rubber tire sales based on data from 2015.
According to global trade intelligence firm Zepol, the following companies are also important players in the rubber industry.
- PT PP London Sumatra Indonesia TBK (Indonesia)
- Lee Rubber (Malaysia)
- Transityre (France)
Searchable List of Natural Rubber Exporting Countries in 2019
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the columns below. An entry of 0% in the right-most column means that no 2018 data was available.
| Rank | Exporter | Exported Natural Rubber (US$) | 2018-9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Thailand | $4,140,496,000 | -9.2% |
| 2. | Indonesia | $3,913,044,000 | -1% |
| 3. | Ivory Coast | $1,108,774,000 | +47.1% |
| 4. | Vietnam | $998,081,000 | +4.7% |
| 5. | Malaysia | $910,948,000 | -2.7% |
| 6. | Myanmar (Burma) | $276,337,000 | +50.4% |
| 7. | Laos | $259,739,000 | +54.5% |
| 8. | Belgium | $215,892,000 | +3.1% |
| 9. | Liberia | $146,123,000 | +14.5% |
| 10. | Guatemala | $144,829,000 | -2.5% |
| 11. | Singapore | $99,233,000 | +34.9% |
| 12. | Netherlands | $96,196,000 | +2.8% |
| 13. | France | $92,501,000 | -3.8% |
| 14. | Germany | $88,004,000 | -23.6% |
| 15. | Luxembourg | $79,422,000 | -17.3% |
| 16. | Philippines | $76,436,000 | +0.6% |
| 17. | Ghana | $64,075,000 | +9.4% |
| 18. | United States | $64,042,000 | -36.7% |
| 19. | Nigeria | $42,080,000 | +0.6% |
| 20. | Cameroon | $38,677,000 | -26.2% |
| 21. | Cambodia | $38,391,000 | -82.4% |
| 22. | Sri Lanka | $29,717,000 | -37.5% |
| 23. | Romania | $23,163,000 | +44.2% |
| 24. | China | $21,760,000 | +9.3% |
| 25. | Guinea | $18,336,000 | -29.5% |
| 26. | India | $16,883,000 | +63.1% |
| 27. | Gabon | $15,673,000 | -24.2% |
| 28. | Spain | $11,471,000 | +16.9% |
| 29. | United Kingdom | $9,386,000 | -25.4% |
| 30. | Poland | $9,171,000 | -27% |
| 31. | Bangladesh | $8,462,000 | +34.6% |
| 32. | Colombia | $7,253,000 | +42.5% |
| 33. | Italy | $6,964,000 | -32.3% |
| 34. | Papua New Guinea | $6,590,000 | -30.2% |
| 35. | Czech Republic | $4,887,000 | +53.7% |
| 36. | Canada | $4,154,000 | +6.1% |
| 37. | Malawi | $3,971,000 | +3.4% |
| 38. | Hong Kong | $3,882,000 | -37.8% |
| 39. | Slovakia | $3,132,000 | -11.7% |
| 40. | South Korea | $2,761,000 | +2.2% |
| 41. | South Africa | $2,655,000 | +20.7% |
| 42. | Mexico | $2,489,000 | -45.5% |
| 43. | Taiwan | $2,465,000 | -2.3% |
| 44. | Portugal | $1,977,000 | +20.3% |
| 45. | Sweden | $1,934,000 | -17% |
| 46. | Democr. Rep. Congo | $1,892,000 | +49% |
| 47. | Turkey | $1,688,000 | +60.5% |
| 48. | Brazil | $1,610,000 | -0.7% |
| 49. | Hungary | $1,268,000 | +64% |
| 50. | Congo | $1,200,000 | -45.7% |
| 51. | Serbia | $1,094,000 | +1.8% |
| 52. | Australia | $1,009,000 | +24.4% |
| 53. | Russia | $889,000 | +38.7% |
| 54. | Switzerland | $832,000 | -7.1% |
| 55. | Chile | $753,000 | -11.5% |
| 56. | Japan | $646,000 | -39.7% |
| 57. | Saudi Arabia | $645,000 | -76.6% |
| 58. | Greece | $519,000 | +5,667% |
| 59. | Egypt | $513,000 | +19% |
| 60. | Austria | $431,000 | +16.2% |
| 61. | Lebanon | $385,000 | 0% |
| 62. | United Arab Emirates | $375,000 | -64.9% |
| 63. | Slovenia | $374,000 | -42.9% |
| 64. | Ecuador | $320,000 | -48.3% |
| 65. | US Minor Outlying Is | $306,000 | 0% |
| 66. | Norway | $271,000 | +54% |
| 67. | Israel | $249,000 | +167.7% |
| 68. | Denmark | $245,000 | -97.6% |
| 69. | Croatia | $212,000 | +10,500% |
| 70. | Nicaragua | $165,000 | +4,025% |
| 71. | Argentina | $160,000 | 0% |
| 72. | Panama | $147,000 | +297.3% |
| 73. | Bulgaria | $142,000 | -69.5% |
| 74. | Costa Rica | $138,000 | -6.1% |
| 75. | Lithuania | $134,000 | +123.3% |
| 76. | New Zealand | $132,000 | +67.1% |
| 77. | Finland | $74,000 | -96.1% |
| 78. | Estonia | $69,000 | -36.1% |
| 79. | Belarus | $68,000 | -92% |
| 80. | Peru | $59,000 | -10.6% |
| 81. | Uganda | $53,000 | +5,200% |
| 82. | Ireland | $48,000 | -32.4% |
| 83. | Sierra Leone | $44,000 | 0% |
| 84. | Seychelles | $32,000 | 0% |
| 85. | Niger | $28,000 | 0% |
| 86. | Guinea-Bissau | $27,000 | 0% |
| 87. | Iceland | $20,000 | 0% |
| 88. | Latvia | $11,000 | 0% |
| 89. | Kenya | $10,000 | -90.9% |
| 90. | Namibia | $8,000 | -27.3% |
| 91. | Zambia | $7,000 | 0% |
| 92. | Tunisia | $4,000 | +33.3% |
| 93. | Senegal | $2,000 | -96.9% |
| 94. | Benin | $2,000 | 0% |
| 95. | Cyprus | $1,000 | 0% |
| 96. | Bahrain | $1,000 | -90.9% |
| 97. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $1,000 | 0% |
| 98. | Morocco | $1,000 | 0% |
| 99. | Malta | $1,000 | 0% |
| 100. | Ukraine | $1,000 | -98.5% |
See also Natural Rubber Imports by Country, Thailand’s Top 10 Exports and Thailand’s Top Trading Partners
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on May 9, 2020
Global Rubber Markets (GRM), Bridgestone ranks as world’s top tire producer again (September 8, 2015). Accessed on May 9, 2020
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on May 9, 2020
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on May 9, 2020
Wikipedia, Natural rubber. Accessed on May 9, 2020
Zepol’s company summary highlights by HTS code. Accessed on May 9, 2020