The world’s top exporters of wheat as measured by weight are Russia, United States, Canada, France, Ukraine, and Argentina. Collectively, those 6 leading suppliers of wheat sold 37.3 million tons of wheat during 2020 or 71.2% of worldwide wheat shipments by weight.
In the case of wheat, higher volumes of exports seem to correspond with lower average unit for wheat when you factor in economies of scale. For instance, all 10 biggest exporters of wheat sold wheat on international markets in 2020 at average unit prices lower than the global average price of US$445 per ton calculated for all wheat-shipping countries.
Top Wheat Export Countries by Shipment Weight
The top 50 exporters of wheat as measured by tonnage are listed below. Based on weight statistics, these key suppliers of wheat on international markets accounted for 99.996% of the world’s wheat exported in 2020.
| Wheat Exporter | Tons | 2019-20 | 2016-20 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russia | 37,267,013 | +17% | +47.1% |
| 2 | United States | 26,131,617 | -3.5% | +8.8% |
| 3 | Canada | 26,110,777 | +14.3% | +32.7% |
| 4 | France | 19,766,981 | -1% | +7.6% |
| 5 | Ukraine | 18,059,777 | -9.8% | +0.8% |
| 6 | Argentina | 10,642,145 | -5.8% | +3.7% |
| 7 | Australia | 10,483,736 | +8.3% | -35.2% |
| 8 | Germany | 9,225,562 | +65.8% | -9.2% |
| 9 | Kazakhstan | 5,198,944 | -3.3% | +16.9% |
| 10 | Poland | 4,689,131 | +125.5% | +8.1% |
| 11 | Romania | 4,343,629 | -29.8% | -37.9% |
| 12 | Lithuania | 4,010,338 | +28.8% | +23.1% |
| 13 | Bulgaria | 3,223,233 | -33.7% | -29.2% |
| 14 | Latvia | 2,959,026 | +26.8% | +32.2% |
| 15 | Czech Republic | 2,605,951 | +41.7% | -13% |
| 16 | Slovakia | 1,266,270 | +52.2% | -14.3% |
| 17 | Sweden | 1,057,925 | +68.7% | +9.4% |
| 18 | India | 928,684 | +388.6% | +366.8% |
| 19 | Estonia | 709,971 | +22.1% | +103.4% |
| 20 | Austria | 619,175 | -7.6% | -16.5% |
| 21 | Croatia | 562,510 | +55.3% | +31.3% |
| 22 | Brazil | 560,878 | -3.1% | -21.4% |
| 23 | Belgium | 495,041 | -11.6% | -33.1% |
| 24 | Serbia | 436,581 | +73.8% | -48% |
| 25 | Uruguay | 428,345 | +47.5% | -26.6% |
| 26 | Greece | 287,393 | +0.2% | -55.4% |
| 27 | Paraguay | 282,901 | -28.1% | -64.9% |
| 28 | Netherlands | 270,670 | -19.6% | -46.3% |
| 29 | Mexico | 255,638 | 0% | -83.1% |
| 30 | South Africa | 182,597 | +36.4% | +247% |
| 31 | Moldova | 135,870 | 0% | -79.5% |
| 32 | Turkey | 124,643 | -7.8% | +370.3% |
| 33 | Syria | 122,987 | 0% | +6149250% |
| 34 | Slovenia | 85,364 | +43.7% | +37.3% |
| 35 | Italy | 61,044 | -10% | -86.7% |
| 36 | Vietnam | 54,213 | +18.5% | +83.9% |
| 37 | Uzbekistan | 46,102 | -55.8% | 0% |
| 38 | UAE | 38,027 | -51.6% | +152.3% |
| 39 | Bosnia/Herzegovina | 36,508 | +60.4% | -56.1% |
| 40 | Luxembourg | 30,090 | -12.2% | -21.8% |
| 41 | Ireland | 29,065 | +10.3% | +149.7% |
| 42 | Belarus | 18,476 | +7631% | -79.8% |
| 43 | Portugal | 11,080 | -57.3% | -68.6% |
| 44 | Mozambique | 10,020 | -4.6% | -85.8% |
| 45 | North Macedonia | 5,172 | -12.6% | +3.8% |
| 46 | Senegal | 4,520 | +0.4% | 0% |
| 47 | Sri Lanka | 2,860 | +71.6% | -26.1% |
| 48 | Zimbabwe | 2,083 | +594.3% | 0% |
| 49 | El Salvador | 1,642 | +21% | 0% |
| 50 | Jordan | 1,391 | +236.8% | +122.2% |
The fastest-growing major exporters of wheat from 2019 to 2020 are Belarus (up 7,631%), Zimbabwe (up 594.3%), India (up 388.6%), Jordan (up 236.8%), Poland (up 125.5%), Serbia (up 73.8%) and Sri Lanka (up 71.6%).
Posting the greatest percentage declines in tons of exported wheat from year to year were Portugal (down -57.3%), Uzbekistan (down -55.8%), United Arab Emirates (down -51.6%), Bulgaria (down -33.7%), Romania (down -29.8%), Paraguay (down -28.1%), Netherlands (down -19.6%) and North Macedonia (down -12.6%).
Searchable List of Average Unit Price for Exported Wheat
The world’s average unit price per ton of exported wheat was US$445 for 2020, down -58.3% since 2016 and down -66.8% from 2019 to 2020.
The automated table below enables you to compare the average unit price for exported wheat for 50 of the world’s biggest exporters of wheat by weight. Amounts shown are in US dollars.
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the columns in the data table. The right-most columns highlight the change in unit price for each supplier’s globally exported wheat in 2020 compared to 2019 or 5 years earlier in 2016. (A value of 0% in one of those columns means data for that year was unavailable.)
| Wheat Exporter | Avg Price | 2019-20 | 2016-20 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russia | $212 | +5.5% | +27.7% |
| 2 | United States | $242 | +4.8% | +8% |
| 3 | Canada | $241 | +2.1% | +5.2% |
| 4 | France | $229 | +5% | +24.5% |
| 5 | Ukraine | $199 | +8.7% | +30.9% |
| 6 | Australia | $259 | -0.4% | +15.6% |
| 7 | Argentina | $199 | -8.3% | +9.3% |
| 8 | Germany | $226 | +0.4% | +18.9% |
| 9 | Kazakhstan | $219 | +17.1% | +42.2% |
| 10 | Poland | $223 | +7.7% | +19.9% |
| 11 | Romania | $218 | +5.8% | +20.4% |
| 12 | Lithuania | $229 | +5.5% | +25.1% |
| 13 | Bulgaria | $217 | +11.3% | +24.7% |
| 14 | Latvia | $218 | +5.8% | +24.6% |
| 15 | Czech Republic | $201 | -3.4% | +21.8% |
| 16 | Slovakia | $225 | -3% | +27.1% |
| 17 | India | $262 | -7.7% | +4.4% |
| 18 | Sweden | $227 | +13.5% | +25.4% |
| 19 | Austria | $309 | +4.7% | +19.3% |
| 20 | Spain | $288 | +0.9% | +2% |
| 21 | Denmark | $186 | 0% | +11.6% |
| 22 | Estonia | $219 | +7.9% | +29.6% |
| 23 | Belgium | $285 | +10.9% | +33.8% |
| 24 | Croatia | $202 | +6.9% | +18.8% |
| 25 | Brazil | $199 | -3.9% | +22.8% |
| 26 | United Kingdom | $205 | 0% | +16.7% |
| 27 | Uruguay | $219 | +13.3% | +17.7% |
| 28 | Greece | $310 | +16.1% | +31.9% |
| 29 | Serbia | $204 | 0% | +28.3% |
| 30 | Netherlands | $257 | -3% | +14.7% |
| 31 | Mexico | $272 | +0.7% | +1.5% |
| 32 | Paraguay | $215 | +2.4% | +18.1% |
| 33 | South Africa | $292 | -13.1% | -17% |
| 34 | Turkey | $317 | -11.2% | -26.6% |
| 35 | Finland | $178 | 0% | +7.4% |
| 36 | Moldova | $202 | +22.2% | +38.4% |
| 37 | Syria | $222 | -77.2% | -88.9% |
| 38 | Italy | $419 | -14.3% | +41.1% |
| 39 | Slovenia | $221 | -7.9% | +4.2% |
| 40 | UAE | $324 | -12.2% | +2.2% |
| 41 | Vietnam | $219 | +9% | -14.5% |
| 42 | Uzbekistan | $201 | -2% | 0% |
| 43 | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $228 | +11.8% | +3.6% |
| 44 | Luxembourg | $272 | +11.9% | +47% |
| 45 | Ireland | $244 | +5.2% | +13.5% |
| 46 | Belarus | $191 | -70.2% | +45.8% |
| 47 | Portugal | $276 | +12.2% | +27.2% |
| 48 | Mozambique | $305 | +21% | +4494% |
| 49 | Zimbabwe | $1,184 | +39.3% | 0% |
| 50 | Senegal | $362 | +33.6% | +18.9% |
The average unit price specific to the above 50 leading exporters of wheat was $261 per ton. That metric is well below the world overall average price of $445 encompassing all wheat-shipping countries.
The lowest average unit price per ton for exported wheat belong to Finland, Denmark, Belarus and Ukraine. Other low-cost wheat suppliers to global markets include Argentina, Brazil, Czech Republic and Uzbekistan.
The fastest growers in average unit price from 2019 to 2020 are Zimbabwe (up 39.3%), Senegal (up 33.6%), Moldova (up 22.2%), Mozambique (up 21%) and Kazakhstan (up 17.1%).
Year over year, the greatest reductions in average unit price collected for exported wheat by ton were posted by international suppliers in Syria (down -77.2%), Belarus (down -70.2%), Italy (down -14.3%), South Africa (down -13.1%), United Arab Emirates (down -12.2%) then Turkey (down -11.2%).
Average Unit Price for Top 10 Wheat Exporters by Sales
The list below is sorted in descending order by the 10 major exporters of wheat by dollar sales, showcasing each country’s corresponding average unit price per ton of globally exported wheat in US dollars.
These key suppliers sold over four-fifths (81.9%) of overall wheat exports by sales in 2020 and are listed in descending rank. The list starts with the best-selling exporters of wheat in terms of total dollar sales.
- Russia: US$212 per ton (up 5.5% from 2019)
- United States: $242 (up 4.8%)
- Canada: $241 (up 2.1%)
- France: $229 (up 5%)
- Ukraine: $199 (up 8.7%)
- Australia: $259 (down -0.4%)
- Argentina: $199 (down -8.3%)
- Germany: $226 (up 0.4%)
- Kazakhstan: $219 (up 17.1%)
- Poland: $223 (up 7.7%)
Not one among the top 10 wheat suppliers by weight charged a comparatively higher average unit price exceeding the average unit price of $261 per ton specific to the top 50 wheat exporters by value.
That data finding suggests that economies of scale for the world’s 10 biggest exporters of wheat may apply. That is because for top 10 supplier countries, their average unit price is lower than the global benchmark price for the 50 leading wheat exporter countries.
Major Wheat Importing Countries by Quantity
Turning our attention to countries that buy wheat on international markets, the top 10 wheat importers by weight bought approaching half (44.9%) of globally imported wheat during 2020.
- Indonesia: 10.3 million tons (6.3% of globally imported wheat)
- Turkey: 9.7 million tons (5.9%)
- Egypt: 9.6 million tons (5.8%)
- China: 8.2 million tons (4.9%)
- Algeria: 7 million tons (4.3%)
- Brazil: 6.16 million tons (3.7%)
- Philippines: 6.14 million tons (3.7%)
- Bangladesh: 6 million tons (3.6%)
- Morocco: 5.5 million tons (3.4%)
- Japan: 5.4 million tons (3.3%)
Among the above leading wheat importers, four increased their purchases of wheat on international markets from 2019 to 2020. The corresponding percentage gains were 154.4% for China, 43.6% for Morocco, 3.1% for Algeria and 0.8% for Japan.
See also Wheat Exports by Country (dollar value), Wheat Imports by Country (dollar value), Average Frozen Beef Prices Compared by Top Exporters, Average Rice Prices Compared for Major Rice Export Countries and Average Banana Prices Compared for Major Bananas Export Countries
Research Sources:
Alibaba, Supplier showroom for wheat. Accessed on October 12, 2021
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on October 12, 2021
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on October 12, 2021
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on October 12, 2021
Wikipedia, Wheat. Accessed on October 12, 2021
