From a continental perspective, over three-quarters (77.8%) of global rice exports originated from Asian countries with shipments amounting to $19.1 billion.
North American exporters supplied 7.2% of global rice exports, trailed by Europe at 7.6% then Latin America (5.9%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean. Smaller percentages came from Oceania (1%) led by Australia then Africa (0.5%).
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix for rice is 1006.
Rice Exports by Country
Countries
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of rice during 2018.
- India: US$7.4 billion (30.1% of total rice exports)
- Thailand: $5.6 billion (22.7%)
- Vietnam: $2.2 billion (9%)
- Pakistan: $2 billion (8.2%)
- United States: $1.7 billion (6.9%)
- China: $887.3 million (3.6%)
- Italy: $614.1 million (2.5%)
- Brazil: $467.9 million (1.9%)
- Uruguay: $400.2 million (1.6%)
- Cambodia: $375.2 million (1.5%)
- Myanmar (Burma): $333.3 million (1.4%)
- Netherlands: $279 million (1.1%)
- Belgium: $243.3 million (1%)
- Australia: $237.6 million (1%)
- Paraguay: $219.2 million (0.9%)
The listed 15 countries shipped 93.4% of global rice exports in 2018 by value.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing rice exporters since 2014 were: China (up 134.6%), Cambodia (up 62.1%), Netherlands (up 30.5%) then Paraguay (up 23.5%).
Those countries that posted declines in their exported rice sales were led by: Myanmar or Burma (down -46.4%), Australia (down -32.8%), Vietnam (down -24.9%), Uruguay (down -22%) then United States (down -15.3%).
Advantages
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for rice 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 rice exports and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- India: US$7.4 billion (net export surplus down -6.4% since 2014)
- Thailand: $5.6 billion (up 2.3%)
- Vietnam: $2.2 billion (down -25.5%)
- Pakistan: $2 billion (down -9.1%)
- United States: $728.4 million (down -37.1%)
- Italy: $458.7 million (down -16.2%)
- Uruguay: $399.3 million (down -21.8%)
- Cambodia: $370.4 million (up 65.9%)
- Myanmar (Burma): $327.7 million (down -47.2%)
- Brazil: $250.6 million (up 163.3%)
- Paraguay: $218.3 million (up 23.8%)
- Argentina: $159.4 million (down -41.3%)
- Guyana: $146.8 million (down -40.6%)
- Spain: $74.4 million (down -35.7%)
- Australia: $65.2 million (down -64.5%)
India has the highest surplus in the international trade of rice. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms India’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Opportunities
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for rice 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 rice import purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- Iran: -US$1.2 billion (net export deficit down -15.6% since 2014)
- Saudi Arabia: -$1.2 billion (down -31.9%)
- Indonesia: -$1 billion (up 167.3%)
- Benin: -$930.3 million (down -8%)
- Philippines: -$736.2 million (up 66%)
- China: -$712.3 million (down -16.3%)
- Ivory Coast: -$683.8 million (up 62.9%)
- Iraq: -$668.9 million (up 48.3%)
- United Arab Emirates: -$653.8 million (down -4.6%)
- France: -$472.6 million (up 3.5%)
- Ghana: -$451.9 million (no 2014 data)
- Japan: -$447.9 million (up 8.2%)
- South Africa: -$446.4 million (up 27.9%)
- Senegal: -$428.3 million (up 14.7%)
- United Kingdom: -$410.2 million (down -29.1%)
Iran incurred the greatest amount of red ink trading rice on global markets during 2018. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights Iran’s strong competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for rice-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand.
Companies
Rice Exporting Companies
Below are bulk rice-supplying conglomerates that dominate the worldwide grain trade (73% of the global market in 2003, according to OXFAM researchers). Shown within parenthesis is the country where the company is headquartered.
- Cargill (United States)
- Archer Daniels Midland (United States)
- Bunge (United States)
- Louis Dreyfus (France)
According to global trading platform Alibaba, the following companies are also examples of rice-trading companies located in the country shown within parentheses:
- AEDI’ S.R.L. (Italy)
- Nakornton Rice Co., Ltd. (Thailand)
- Navdurga Rice Mill (India)
- PAK Rice Village (Pakistan)
- Sichuan Deyi Green Foods Group Co., Ltd. (China)
- Sunrise Foodstuff Joint Stock Company (Vietnam)
- Trade BEVAR S.A. (Brazil)
Searchable List of Rice Exporting Countries in 2018
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the columns below.
| Rank | Exporter | 2018 Rice Exports | %World Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | India | $7.4 billion | 30.1% |
| 2. | Thailand | $5.6 billion | 22.7% |
| 3. | Vietnam | $2.2 billion | 9% |
| 4. | Pakistan | $2 billion | 8.2% |
| 5. | United States | $1.7 billion | 6.9% |
| 6. | China | $887.3 million | 3.6% |
| 7. | Italy | $614.1 million | 2.5% |
| 8. | Brazil | $467.9 million | 1.9% |
| 9. | Uruguay | $400.2 million | 1.6% |
| 10. | Cambodia | $375.2 million | 1.5% |
| 11. | Myanmar (Burma) | $333.3 million | 1.4% |
| 12. | Netherlands | $279 million | 1.1% |
| 13. | Belgium | $243.3 million | 1% |
| 14. | Australia | $237.6 million | 1% |
| 15. | Paraguay | $219.2 million | 0.9% |
| 16. | Spain | $194.6 million | 0.8% |
| 17. | Argentina | $162.1 million | 0.7% |
| 18. | Guyana | $147 million | 0.6% |
| 19. | Germany | $89 million | 0.4% |
| 20. | Mexico | $73.3 million | 0.3% |
| 21. | South Africa | $72.4 million | 0.3% |
| 22. | United Kingdom | $69.8 million | 0.3% |
| 23. | Russia | $68.7 million | 0.3% |
| 24. | Greece | $63.3 million | 0.3% |
| 25. | Portugal | $56.3 million | 0.2% |
| 26. | France | $49.9 million | 0.2% |
| 27. | Japan | $46.5 million | 0.2% |
| 28. | South Korea | $43.8 million | 0.2% |
| 29. | Laos | $43.8 million | 0.2% |
| 30. | Poland | $36.1 million | 0.1% |
| 31. | Taiwan | $32.2 million | 0.1% |
| 32. | Turkey | $31.7 million | 0.1% |
| 33. | United Arab Emirates | $28.6 million | 0.1% |
| 34. | Bulgaria | $28 million | 0.1% |
| 35. | Uganda | $26.9 million | 0.1% |
| 36. | Kazakhstan | $26 million | 0.1% |
| 37. | Singapore | $23.7 million | 0.1% |
| 38. | Ecuador | $18.5 million | 0.1% |
| 39. | Hong Kong | $17.9 million | 0.1% |
| 40. | Canada | $15.8 million | 0.1% |
| 41. | Romania | $15.2 million | 0.1% |
| 42. | Suriname | $12.1 million | 0.05% |
| 43. | Tanzania | $11.5 million | 0.05% |
| 44. | Denmark | $11.1 million | 0.05% |
| 45. | Slovenia | $9.2 million | 0.04% |
| 46. | Malaysia | $8.5 million | 0.03% |
| 47. | Switzerland | $6.4 million | 0.03% |
| 48. | Bangladesh | $6.4 million | 0.03% |
| 49. | Chile | $6.2 million | 0.03% |
| 50. | Austria | $5.8 million | 0.02% |
| 51. | Côte d'Ivoire | $5.1 million | 0.02% |
| 52. | Lithuania | $4.5 million | 0.02% |
| 53. | Hungary | $4.1 million | 0.02% |
| 54. | North Macedonia | $3.6 million | 0.01% |
| 55. | Sweden | $3.2 million | 0.01% |
| 56. | Sri Lanka | $3.2 million | 0.01% |
| 57. | Nicaragua | $3.1 million | 0.01% |
| 58. | Lebanon | $3.1 million | 0.01% |
| 59. | Mozambique | $3 million | 0.01% |
| 60. | Slovakia | $2.7 million | 0.01% |
| 61. | Czech Republic | $2.4 million | 0.01% |
| 62. | Costa Rica | $2.4 million | 0.01% |
| 63. | Jordan | $2.1 million | 0.01% |
| 64. | Latvia | $1.7 million | 0.01% |
| 65. | Honduras | $1.6 million | 0.01% |
| 66. | Sudan | $1.6 million | 0.01% |
| 67. | Colombia | $1.6 million | 0.01% |
| 68. | Indonesia | $1.5 million | 0.01% |
| 69. | Ukraine | $1.4 million | 0.01% |
| 70. | Burkina Faso | $1.3 million | 0.01% |
| 71. | Iran | $1.2 million | 0.005% |
| 72. | Zambia | $1.2 million | 0.005% |
| 73. | Ireland | $1.2 million | 0.005% |
| 74. | El Salvador | $1.1 million | 0.005% |
| 75. | Namibia | $1 million | 0.004% |
| 76. | Egypt | $587,000 | 0.002% |
| 77. | Norway | $517,000 | 0.002% |
| 78. | Fiji | $475,000 | 0.002% |
| 79. | Philippines | $470,000 | 0.002% |
| 80. | Guatemala | $469,000 | 0.002% |
| 81. | Botswana | $434,000 | 0.002% |
| 82. | Peru | $402,000 | 0.002% |
| 83. | Serbia | $379,000 | 0.002% |
| 84. | Estonia | $360,000 | 0.001% |
| 85. | Kyrgyzstan | $335,000 | 0.001% |
| 86. | Liberia | $323,000 | 0.001% |
| 87. | Georgia | $283,000 | 0.001% |
| 88. | Morocco | $272,000 | 0.001% |
| 89. | Saudi Arabia | $266,000 | 0.001% |
| 90. | New Zealand | $263,000 | 0.001% |
| 91. | Luxembourg | $212,000 | 0.001% |
| 92. | Croatia | $210,000 | 0.001% |
| 93. | Benin | $208,000 | 0.001% |
| 94. | Israel | $199,000 | 0.001% |
| 95. | Cyprus | $193,000 | 0.001% |
| 96. | Haiti | $154,000 | 0.001% |
| 97. | Macao | $152,000 | 0.001% |
| 98. | British Virgin Is | $150,000 | 0.001% |
| 99. | Finland | $134,000 | 0.001% |
| 100. | Comoros | $119,000 | 0.0005% |
| 101. | Timor-Leste | $113,000 | 0.0005% |
| 102. | Nepal | $113,000 | 0.0005% |
| 103. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $104,000 | 0.0004% |
| 104. | Malawi | $101,000 | 0.0004% |
| 105. | Uzbekistan | $91,000 | 0.0004% |
| 106. | Qatar | $80,000 | 0.0003% |
| 107. | Belize | $79,000 | 0.0003% |
| 108. | Cameroon | $72,000 | 0.0003% |
| 109. | Cocos (Keeling) Is | $66,000 | 0.0003% |
| 110. | Belarus | $56,000 | 0.0002% |
| 111. | Gabon | $51,000 | 0.0002% |
| 112. | Tajikistan | $42,000 | 0.0002% |
| 113. | Senegal | $39,000 | 0.0002% |
| 114. | Venezuela | $32,000 | 0.0001% |
| 115. | Tunisia | $22,000 | 0.0001% |
| 116. | Lesotho | $22,000 | 0.0001% |
| 117. | Gambia | $21,000 | 0.0001% |
| 118. | Albania | $18,000 | 0.0001% |
| 119. | Niger | $18,000 | 0.0001% |
| 120. | Brunei Darussalam | $17,000 | 0.0001% |
| 121. | Burundi | $16,000 | 0.0001% |
| 122. | Eswatini | $15,000 | 0.0001% |
| 123. | Trinidad/Tobago | $14,000 | 0.0001% |
| 124. | Bahrain | $13,000 | 0.0001% |
| 125. | Ghana | $12,000 | 0.00005% |
| 126. | Br. Indian Ocean Terr | $11,000 | 0.00004% |
| 127. | Iceland | $11,000 | 0.00004% |
| 128. | Mauritius | $9,000 | 0.00004% |
| 129. | Barbados | $9,000 | 0.00004% |
| 130. | Bhutan | $9,000 | 0.00004% |
| 131. | Togo | $9,000 | 0.00004% |
| 132. | Iraq | $8,000 | 0.00003% |
| 133. | Madagascar | $8,000 | 0.00003% |
| 134. | Ethiopia | $6,000 | 0.00002% |
| 135. | Kuwait | $5,000 | 0.00002% |
| 136. | Syrian Arab Republic | $5,000 | 0.00002% |
| 137. | US Minor Outlying Is | $4,000 | 0.00002% |
| 138. | St Vincent/Grenadines | $3,000 | 0.00001% |
| 139. | Dominican Republic | $3,000 | 0.00001% |
| 140. | Gibraltar | $2,000 | 0.00001% |
| 141. | Malta | $2,000 | 0.00001% |
| 142. | Kenya | $2,000 | 0.00001% |
| 143. | Oman | $1,000 | 0.000004% |
| 144. | Panama | $1,000 | 0.000004% |
| 145. | Democr. Rep. Congo | $1,000 | 0.000004% |
| 146. | Bermuda | $1,000 | 0.000004% |
| 147. | Sierra Leone | $1,000 | 0.000004% |
See also Rice Imports by Country, Candy Sweets Exports by Country, Philippines Rice Imports by Country, Corn Exports by Country, Onions Exports by Country and Barley Exports by Country
Research Sources:
Alibaba’s supplier information for rice. Accessed on April 15, 2019
Cereal Secrets, OXFAM Research Reports (August 2014), pp 9-10. Accessed on April 15, 2019
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on April 15, 2019
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on April 15, 2019
The World Factbook, Field Listing: Agriculture – Products, Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on April 15, 2019