Overall, the value of bananas imports for all importing countries rose by an average 6.2% since 2016 when international purchases of bananas were valued at $14.7 billion. From 2019 to 2020, imported bananas depreciated by -3%.
By value, the largest 5 exporters (United States, Belgium, Russia, Japan, Germany) bought 45% of imported bananas in 2020.
From a continental perspective, European nations consumed the highest dollar worth of imported bananas during 2020 with purchases valued at $8.7 billion or 55.4% of the global total. In second place were North American importers at 20.7% trailed by Asia also at 19.9%.
Smaller percentages of globally imported bananas arrived in Latin America (2.7%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, Africa (0.7%) then Oceania (0.5%) led by New Zealand.
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix for fresh or dried bananas and plantains is 0803.
Bananas Imports by Country
Top 15
Below are the 15 countries that imported the highest dollar value worth of bananas during 2020.
- United States: US$2.8 billion (17.9% of total imported bananas)
- Belgium: $1.2 billion (7.4%)
- Russia: $1.1 billion (7.1%)
- Japan: $988.4 million (6.3%)
- Germany: $968.3 million (6.2%)
- China: $933.3 million (6%)
- Netherlands: $922.3 million (5.9%)
- United Kingdom: $725.9 million (4.6%)
- France: $622.1 million (4%)
- Italy: $541.2 million (3.5%)
- Canada: $436.8 million (2.8%)
- Poland: $333.3 million (2.1%)
- South Korea: $275.9 million (1.8%)
- Spain: $243.7 million (1.6%)
- Argentina: $243.4 million (1.6%)
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing markets for bananas from 2019 to 2020 were: Argentina (up 24.1%), Poland (up 14.4%), France (up 10.9%) and Belgium (up 6.7%).
Those countries that posted declines in their imported bananas purchases were led by: China (down -14.7%), South Korea (down -8.5%), Germany (down -3.8%) and United Kingdom (down -2.6%).
The listed 15 countries purchased 78.8% of all bananas imported in 2020.
USA
Bananas Imports into the United States
Below are the top 15 suppliers from which America imported the highest dollar value worth of bananas during 2020. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2019 to 2020.
- Guatemala: US$1.1 billion (down -2.3% from 2019)
- Ecuador: $465.4 million (up 8.6%)
- Costa Rica: $462.9 million (up 5.1%)
- Honduras: $244.8 million (down -3.5%)
- Mexico: $238.2 million (down -5.5%)
- Colombia: $223.7 million (up 14.1%)
- Peru: $48.8 million (down -8%)
- Panama: $15.4 million (up 168.6%)
- Nicaragua: $8.5 million (down -8.2%)
- Thailand: $2.7 million (down -27.6%)
- Philippines: $2.4 million (up 4.7%)
- Dominican Republic: $2.2 million (up 195.7%)
- China: $1.6 million (up 41.9%)
- Brazil: $376,000 (up 147.4%)
- Chile: $331,000 (down -17%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 99.97% of bananas imported by United States in 2020.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of bananas to United States from 2019 to 2020 were: Dominican Republic (up 195.7%), Panama (up 168.6%), Brazil (up 147.4%) and China (up 41.9%).
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their bananas supplied to American importers included: Thailand (down -27.6%), Chile (down -17%), Nicaragua (down -8.2%) and Peru (down -8%).
Overall, the value of America’s imported bananas rose by an average 1.6% from all supplying countries since 2019 when bananas purchased cost $2.8 billion.
Belgium
Bananas Imports into Belgium
Below are the top 15 suppliers from which Belgium imported the highest dollar value worth of bananas during 2020. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country 2019 to 2020.
- Colombia: US$322.7 million (down -1.2% from 2019)
- Ecuador: $191.5 million (up 15.8%)
- Costa Rica: $154.5 million (up 13.8%)
- Cameroon: $154.2 million (up 6.9%)
- Ivory Coast: $86.6 million (up 33.4%)
- Netherlands: $69.8 million (down -1.2%)
- Dominican Republic: $52.9 million (up 25%)
- Peru: $38.9 million (down -4.7%)
- Ghana: $30.6 million (down -19.8%)
- Germany: $27.9 million (up 46.8%)
- Guatemala: $6.8 million (up 8.7%)
- Spain: $4.7 million (up 5.6%)
- Mexico: $4.4 million (up 18.4%)
- France: $3.9 million (up 24.8%)
- Belize: $2.6 million (down -10.7%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 99.5% of bananas imported by Belgium in 2020.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of bananas to Belgium from 2019 to 2020 were: Germany (up 46.8%), Ivory Coast (up 33.4%), Dominican Republic (up 25%) and France (up 24.8%).
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their bananas supplied to Belgian importers included: Ghana (down -19.8%), Belize (down -10.7%), Peru (down -4.7%) and Netherlands (down -1.2%).
Overall, the value of Belgium’s imported bananas increased by an average 6.7% from all supplying countries since 2019 when bananas purchased cost $1.1 billion.
Russia
Bananas Imports into Russia
Below are the top suppliers from which Russia imported the highest dollar value worth of bananas during 2020. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country 2019 to 2020.
- Ecuador: US$1.1 billion (down -0.9% from 2019)
- Guatemala: $14.7 million (up 676.8%)
- Costa Rica: $12.7 million (up 11%)
- Colombia: $11 million (down -36.1%)
- Vietnam: $4.5 million (up 23.1%)
- Mexico: $691,000 (down -64.5%)
- Honduras: $173,000 (down -78.7%)
- Thailand: $113,000 (down -5%)
- China: $84,000 (up 82.6%)
- Nicaragua: $53,000 (no 2019 data)
- India: $28,000 (no 2019 data)
- Philippines: $17,000 (down -95.9%)
- Nigeria: $13,000 (up 30%)
By value, the listed countries shipped 100% of bananas imported by Russia in 2020.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of bananas to Russia from 2019 to 2020 were: Guatemala (up 676.8%), China (up 82.6%), Nigeria (up 30%) and Vietnam (up 23.1%).
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their bananas supplied to Russian importers included: Philippines (down -95.9%), Honduras (down -78.7%) and Colombia (down -36.1%).
Overall, the value of Russia’s imported bananas slumped by an average -0.3% from all supplying countries since 2019 when bananas purchased cost $1.1 billion.
Japan
Bananas Imports into the Land of the Rising Sun
Below are the top 12 suppliers from which Japan imported the highest dollar value worth of bananas during 2020. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country 2019 to 2020.
- Philippines: US$760.8 million (down -1.9% from 2019)
- Ecuador: $111 million (up 11.9%)
- Mexico: $68.5 million (up 42.5%)
- Guatemala: $18.4 million (up 48.6%)
- Taiwan: $5.9 million (up 31%)
- Peru: $5.9 million (down -3%)
- Vietnam: $5.5 million (up 79.7%)
- Costa Rica: $4.5 million (up 63.8%)
- Colombia: $3.1 million (down -3.7%)
- Thailand: $2.6 million (up 7.3%)
- Indonesia: $1.6 million (down -16.2%)
- Cambodia: $528,000 (up 1408.6%)
- China: $38,000 (up 111.1%)
- Australia: $29,000 (down -70.4%)
- Sri Lanka: $7,000 (down -66.7%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 99.99% of bananas imported by Japan in 2020.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of bananas to Japan from 2019 to 2020 were: Cambodia (up 1,409%), China (up 111.1%), Vietnam (up 79.7%) and Costa Rica (up 63.8%).
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their bananas supplied to Japanese importers included: Australia (down -70.4%), Sri Lanka (down -66.7%), Indonesia (down -16.2%) and Colombia (down -3.7%).
Overall, the value of Japan’s imported bananas accelerated by an average 3% from all supplying countries since 2019 when bananas purchased cost $959.3 million.
Searchable List of Bananas Importing Countries in 2020
Shown below are 100 key countries that accounted for 99.9% of the value for globally imported bananas in 2020.
| Rank | Importer | Imported Bananas (US$) | 2019-20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | United States | $2,800,028,000 | +1.6% |
| 2. | Belgium | $1,158,244,000 | +6.7% |
| 3. | Russia | $1,116,769,000 | -0.3% |
| 4. | Japan | $988,411,000 | +3% |
| 5. | Germany | $968,286,000 | -3.8% |
| 6. | China | $933,264,000 | -14.7% |
| 7. | Netherlands | $922,279,000 | +3% |
| 8. | United Kingdom | $725,868,000 | -2.6% |
| 9. | France | $622,132,000 | +10.9% |
| 10. | Italy | $541,212,000 | +4.1% |
| 11. | Canada | $436,827,000 | +2.2% |
| 12. | Poland | $333,305,000 | +14.4% |
| 13. | South Korea | $275,864,000 | -8.5% |
| 14. | Spain | $243,689,000 | -0.5% |
| 15. | Argentina | $243,359,000 | +24.1% |
| 16. | Ukraine | $177,697,000 | +13.4% |
| 17. | Turkey | $169,984,000 | -6.2% |
| 18. | Romania | $164,587,000 | -5.3% |
| 19. | Portugal | $160,496,000 | +18.3% |
| 20. | Sweden | $149,472,000 | -6.1% |
| 21. | Greece | $139,647,000 | -8% |
| 22. | Czech Republic | $136,107,000 | -6.5% |
| 23. | Saudi Arabia | $128,564,000 | -17.2% |
| 24. | Austria | $127,310,000 | -1.2% |
| 25. | Iran | $124,230,000 | -15.9% |
| 26. | Switzerland | $110,361,000 | +5.2% |
| 27. | Chile | $97,385,000 | +10% |
| 28. | Finland | $87,357,000 | -5.1% |
| 29. | Denmark | $80,841,000 | -6.6% |
| 30. | Iraq | $74,934,000 | -40.8% |
| 31. | New Zealand | $70,674,000 | -1.4% |
| 32. | Slovakia | $69,337,000 | -14.9% |
| 33. | Hungary | $68,305,000 | +15.6% |
| 34. | Slovenia | $65,934,000 | +17% |
| 35. | Norway | $65,474,000 | -1.2% |
| 36. | Ireland | $63,142,000 | -1.8% |
| 37. | Serbia | $62,429,000 | +10.7% |
| 38. | Hong Kong | $54,234,000 | +1% |
| 39. | Croatia | $53,834,000 | -16.2% |
| 40. | Bulgaria | $46,742,000 | +4.2% |
| 41. | United Arab Emirates | $45,633,000 | -68.1% |
| 42. | South Africa | $41,833,000 | -4.9% |
| 43. | Azerbaijan | $38,785,000 | +35.3% |
| 44. | Lithuania | $37,653,000 | +6.2% |
| 45. | Kazakhstan | $32,947,000 | +2.6% |
| 46. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $32,648,000 | -6.5% |
| 47. | Singapore | $32,381,000 | +4.4% |
| 48. | Latvia | $29,943,000 | -5.3% |
| 49. | Uzbekistan | $25,896,000 | -19.4% |
| 50. | Afghanistan | $23,871,000 | +25.4% |
| 51. | Uruguay | $23,759,000 | -5% |
| 52. | Panama | $23,633,000 | -8% |
| 53. | El Salvador | $19,740,000 | -3.5% |
| 54. | Oman | $17,976,000 | -25.7% |
| 55. | Qatar | $17,708,000 | -54.4% |
| 56. | North Macedonia | $16,711,000 | -1.8% |
| 57. | Senegal | $16,517,000 | +9.2% |
| 58. | Estonia | $16,495,000 | +13.2% |
| 59. | Moldova | $16,195,000 | +14.9% |
| 60. | Georgia | $15,379,000 | -10.5% |
| 61. | Kuwait | $15,291,000 | -72.6% |
| 62. | Belarus | $15,228,000 | -73.3% |
| 63. | Malaysia | $14,799,000 | -0.2% |
| 64. | Armenia | $14,019,000 | -8.1% |
| 65. | Thailand | $12,730,000 | +179% |
| 66. | Morocco | $11,817,000 | +1.8% |
| 67. | Luxembourg | $10,160,000 | +5.5% |
| 68. | Kyrgyzstan | $8,780,000 | -16.2% |
| 69. | Tajikistan | $7,945,000 | -2.5% |
| 70. | Vietnam | $7,806,000 | -84.3% |
| 71. | Botswana | $7,235,000 | +5.2% |
| 72. | Montenegro | $7,149,000 | -1.5% |
| 73. | Malta | $7,052,000 | -5.4% |
| 74. | Egypt | $6,622,000 | +17.2% |
| 75. | Tunisia | $6,546,000 | -76.5% |
| 76. | Jordan | $5,886,000 | -72.6% |
| 77. | Iceland | $5,826,000 | +0.3% |
| 78. | Bahrain | $5,813,000 | -52.5% |
| 79. | Cyprus | $5,498,000 | -25.3% |
| 80. | Syrian Arab Republic | $5,405,000 | -84.2% |
| 81. | Brunei Darussalam | $4,795,000 | +59.9% |
| 82. | Namibia | $4,213,000 | -8.5% |
| 83. | Nepal | $4,093,000 | -74.9% |
| 84. | Libya | $3,974,000 | -48.1% |
| 85. | Macao | $3,861,000 | +6% |
| 86. | Aruba | $3,011,000 | -5.9% |
| 87. | Somalia | $2,910,000 | +31.4% |
| 88. | Algeria | $2,908,000 | -97% |
| 89. | Bahamas | $2,626,000 | -5.3% |
| 90. | Honduras | $2,497,000 | -66.4% |
| 91. | Curaçao | $2,380,000 | -43.3% |
| 92. | Costa Rica | $2,227,000 | -66% |
| 93. | Mongolia | $1,767,000 | -25.3% |
| 94. | Barbados | $1,744,000 | -2.8% |
| 95. | Colombia | $1,732,000 | -8.4% |
| 96. | Kenya | $1,652,000 | +54,967% |
| 97. | Guatemala | $1,543,000 | -27.7% |
| 98. | Albania | $1,279,000 | -92.8% |
| 99. | Lebanon | $1,261,000 | +509.2% |
| 100. | Turks/Caicos Islands | $1,149,000 | -18.8% |
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the columns below. An entry in the right-most column means that no 2019 data is available.
See also Bananas Exports by Country and Belgium’s Top Trading Partners
Research Sources:
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on June 16, 2021
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on June 16, 2021
The World Factbook, Field Listing: Imports – Commodities, Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on June 16, 2021
