The overall cost of globally imported cement decreased by -1% for all importing countries from five years earlier in 2020 when international purchases of cement amounted to $13.5 billion.
Year over year, the value for cement imports shrank by an average -18.2% compared to $16.4 billion starting from 2023.
An ingredient of concrete, cement is a binder substance often used in construction because it sets, hardens, adheres and binds other materials together.
The 5 biggest importers of cement by value in 2024 were the United States of America, United Kingdom, France, Philippines then the Netherlands. Collectively, those major buyers generated just over one-third (33.8%) of cement bought on international markets.
From a continental perspective, buyers in European countries spent the most on imported cement during 2024 with purchases costing $4.6 billion or 34.2% of the global total. In second place were importers located in Asia at 24.5% while another 19.7% of the world’s imported cement was delivered to North America. The latter outpaces the 12.7% worth sent to customers in Africa.
Smaller percentages went to clients in Latin America (7%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania (1.9%) led by Australia, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code prefix for cement is 2523.
Cement Imports by Country
Below are the 15 countries that bought the highest dollar value worth of cement during 2024.
- United States: US$2.4 billion (18.2% of total cement imports)
- United Kingdom: $563.3 million (4.2%)
- France: $527.9 million (3.9%)
- Philippines: $519.1 million (3.9%)
- Netherlands: $485.3 million (3.6%)
- Italy: $446.5 million (3.3%)
- Bangladesh: $364.7 million (2.7%)
- Israel: $345.1 million (2.6%)
- Hungary: $342.2 million (2.6%)
- Ivory Coast: $239.6 million (1.8%)
- Singapore: $238.5 million (1.8%)
- Australia: $212 million (1.6%)
- Poland: $201.1 million (1.5%)
- Hong Kong: $199.7 million (1.5%)
- Taiwan: $197.4 million (1.5%)
By value, the listed 15 countries purchased 54.6% of all cement imported in 2024.
Among the above countries, the growth markets for cement from 2023 to 2024 were: Poland (up 47.9%), Hungary (up 45.8%), Italy (up 22.9%) and Taiwan (up 3.3%).
Those countries that posted declines in their imported cement purchases were led by: Bangladesh (down -47.7% from 2023), Australia (down -20.4%), France (down -15.9%) and Singapore (down -14.5%).
Searchable List of Cement Importer Countries in 2024
By value, the top 100 importers of cement in the searchable database below bought 96% of all cement imported worldwide.
| Rank | Importer | Cement Imports | 2023-4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | United States | $2,429,986,000 | -10.1% |
| 2. | United Kingdom | $563,273,000 | -7.7% |
| 3. | France | $527,854,000 | -15.9% |
| 4. | Philippines | $519,071,000 | -5.9% |
| 5. | Netherlands | $485,342,000 | -3.3% |
| 6. | Italy | $446,509,000 | +22.9% |
| 7. | Bangladesh | $364,688,000 | -47.7% |
| 8. | Israel | $345,129,000 | -13.4% |
| 9. | Hungary | $342,238,000 | +45.8% |
| 10. | Ivory Coast | $239,623,000 | -12.2% |
| 11. | Singapore | $238,544,000 | -14.5% |
| 12. | Australia | $211,978,000 | -20.4% |
| 13. | Poland | $201,120,000 | +47.9% |
| 14. | Hong Kong | $199,745,000 | -7.7% |
| 15. | Taiwan | $197,382,000 | +3.3% |
| 16. | Belgium | $167,309,000 | -22.3% |
| 17. | Burkina Faso | $167,240,000 | -18.4% |
| 18. | Canada | $162,699,000 | -4.4% |
| 19. | Germany | $159,340,000 | -8.1% |
| 20. | Sri Lanka | $158,793,000 | +23.5% |
| 21. | India | $152,716,000 | +13.9% |
| 22. | Austria | $152,709,000 | -0.5% |
| 23. | Malaysia | $129,742,000 | -6.1% |
| 24. | Romania | $129,137,000 | +18.6% |
| 25. | Uganda | $106,512,000 | -24.1% |
| 26. | Spain | $105,351,000 | +8.7% |
| 27. | Guatemala | $101,613,000 | -10.6% |
| 28. | Mali | $98,416,000 | -67.5% |
| 29. | Georgia | $98,143,000 | +33.9% |
| 30. | Chile | $96,518,000 | -25.6% |
| 31. | Guyana | $94,352,000 | +38.8% |
| 32. | Czech Republic | $90,635,000 | +9.9% |
| 33. | Peru | $88,603,000 | +34.6% |
| 34. | Zimbabwe | $87,645,000 | +48.4% |
| 35. | Afghanistan | $86,884,000 | -17.6% |
| 36. | Switzerland | $84,639,000 | +9% |
| 37. | Madagascar | $83,040,000 | +5.3% |
| 38. | Syria | $82,239,000 | +21.1% |
| 39. | Croatia | $81,077,000 | +35.5% |
| 40. | South Africa | $79,974,000 | +16.7% |
| 41. | Haiti | $78,350,000 | -28.6% |
| 42. | Serbia | $76,067,000 | +16.1% |
| 43. | Sweden | $74,807,000 | -12.2% |
| 44. | Botswana | $71,671,000 | +27.8% |
| 45. | Honduras | $69,687,000 | +26.3% |
| 46. | Democratic Republic Congo | $68,877,000 | +64% |
| 47. | Norway | $68,101,000 | -12.8% |
| 48. | Slovenia | $67,650,000 | +11.8% |
| 49. | Brazil | $64,668,000 | -0.6% |
| 50. | Mauritania | $64,240,000 | +1.4% |
| 51. | Colombia | $62,870,000 | +13.1% |
| 52. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $62,423,000 | +29.5% |
| 53. | Thailand | $62,077,000 | -22.4% |
| 54. | Montenegro | $61,083,000 | +13.5% |
| 55. | Ghana | $60,848,000 | -82.2% |
| 56. | Portugal | $60,218,000 | -11.4% |
| 57. | Kazakhstan | $60,076,000 | +28.8% |
| 58. | Bulgaria | $59,857,000 | +5% |
| 59. | Mozambique | $59,200,000 | -9.2% |
| 60. | Dominican Republic | $57,671,000 | -37.4% |
| 61. | South Korea | $57,421,000 | +8.1% |
| 62. | Mauritius | $56,928,000 | +10% |
| 63. | Jordan | $56,806,000 | -31% |
| 64. | Denmark | $53,040,000 | -22.1% |
| 65. | Gambia | $48,946,000 | +112.4% |
| 66. | Greece | $48,627,000 | +21.3% |
| 67. | Yemen | $46,410,000 | -48% |
| 68. | Mexico | $46,100,000 | +102.6% |
| 69. | El Salvador | $44,288,000 | -28.2% |
| 70. | Togo | $43,822,000 | +12% |
| 71. | Uzbekistan | $42,561,000 | -41.5% |
| 72. | Estonia | $42,496,000 | -9.4% |
| 73. | Malta | $40,290,000 | +0.6% |
| 74. | Slovakia | $39,342,000 | -22.6% |
| 75. | Lithuania | $38,464,000 | +33.3% |
| 76. | Albania | $38,322,000 | -10.9% |
| 77. | Ireland | $37,350,000 | -1.2% |
| 78. | Benin | $36,500,000 | +20.5% |
| 79. | Russia | $36,126,000 | -41.1% |
| 80. | Guinea | $35,116,000 | -52.2% |
| 81. | Laos | $33,948,000 | -6.5% |
| 82. | Burundi | $31,166,000 | -1.1% |
| 83. | Japan | $31,085,000 | +5.2% |
| 84. | Kyrgyzstan | $30,606,000 | +61.5% |
| 85. | Iceland | $26,976,000 | -13% |
| 86. | Cabo Verde | $25,959,000 | +7.5% |
| 87. | Lesotho | $24,884,000 | +12.4% |
| 88. | Cameroon | $24,879,000 | -70.5% |
| 89. | Timor-Leste | $24,480,000 | -3.8% |
| 90. | Armenia | $23,249,000 | +40.9% |
| 91. | Jamaica | $22,806,000 | -3.1% |
| 92. | Eswatini | $22,559,000 | -11.2% |
| 93. | Bahrain | $22,349,000 | -57.2% |
| 94. | Macao | $22,023,000 | -23% |
| 95. | North Macedonia | $21,288,000 | +6.4% |
| 96. | Iraq | $21,226,000 | -82.4% |
| 97. | Nicaragua | $21,189,000 | -79.4% |
| 98. | Latvia | $20,178,000 | -10.7% |
| 99. | South Sudan | $18,895,000 | -70.2% |
| 100. | Belize | $18,043,000 | +4.6% |
Expanding the scope to encompass the 100 most valuable importers of cement, the fastest-growing markets were Gambia (up 112.4% from 2023), Mexico (up 102.6%), Democratic Republic of the Congo (up 64%), Kyrgyzstan (up 61.5%) then Zimbabwe (up 48.4%).
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the columns in the above table.
An entry of 0% in the right-most column means that no 2023 data was available.
Top Cement Suppliers to Importers in America
America’s global purchases of imported cement totaled US$2.43 billion in 2024. Below are the top 15 suppliers from which the U.S. imported the highest dollar value worth of cement during 2024. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2023 to 2024.
- Türkiye: US$595.9 million (down -18.4% from 2023)
- Canada: $577 million (up 1.3%)
- Vietnam: $336.7 million (down -5.7%)
- Mexico: $190.4 million (down -25.1%)
- Greece: $139.8 million (down -25.6%)
- Algeria: $86.4 million (up 13.2%)
- Colombia: $81.1 million (down -7.7%)
- United Arab Emirates: $80.3 million (down -26.1%)
- Egypt: $75.6 million (up 70.5%)
- Spain: $47.6 million (up 115.7%)
- South Korea: $47.5 million (down -29.1%)
- France: $38.4 million (down -7.4%)
- Saudi Arabia: $33.5 million (up 34.4%)
- Thailand: $31.3 million (up 542.3%)
- Poland: $14.2 million (down -1.1%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 97.8% of cement imported by the United States of America in 2024.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of cement to United States from 2023 to 2024 were: Thailand (up 542.3%), Spain (up 115.7%), Egypt (up 70.5%) and Saudi Arabia (up 34.4%).
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their cement supplied to American importers included: South Korea (down -29.1% from 2023), United Arab Emirates (down -26.1%), Greece (down -25.6%) and Mexico (down -25.1%).
Overall, the value of America’s imported cement went down by an average -10.1% from all supplying countries since 2023 when cement purchased cost $2.7 billion.
Cement Imports into the United Kingdom
The UK’s global purchases of imported cement totaled US$563.3 million in 2024. Below are the top 15 suppliers from which Britain imported the highest dollar value worth of cement during 2024. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2023 to 2024.
- France: US$25.5 million (down -14.5% from 2023)
- Ireland: $18.8 million (up 24.3%)
- Spain: $5.7 million (down -44.7%)
- Germany: $5.2 million (up 224%)
- Portugal: $5.1 million (down -19.1%)
- Türkiye: $5 million (up 240.6%)
- Italy: $3.9 million (down -10.2%)
- Croatia: $2.8 million (down -30.1%)
- mainland China: $1.1 million (up 390.4%)
- Netherlands: $414,000 (down -33.1%)
- United States: $266,000 (up 220.5%)
- Japan: $225,000 (up 6.6%)
- Egypt: $170,000 (up 900%)
- Poland: $23,000 (up 64.3%)
- Costa Rica: $15,000 (2023 data unavailable)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 99.95% of cement imported by the UK in 2024.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of cement to the United Kingdom from 2023 to 2024 were: Egypt (up 900%), mainland China (up 390.4%), Türkiye (up 240.6%) and Germany (up 224%).
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their cement supplied to UK importers included: Spain (down -44.7% from 2023), Netherlands (down -33.1%), Croatia (down -30.1%) and Portugal (down -19.1%).
Overall, the value of the United Kingdom’s imported cement fell by an average -7.7% from all supplying countries since 2023 when cement purchased cost $610 million.
Top Cement Suppliers to Importers in France
France’s global purchases of imported cement totaled US$519.1 million in 2024. Below are the top 15 suppliers from which France imported the highest dollar value worth of cement during 2024. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2023 to 2024.
- Belgium: US$111.3 million (down -11.6% from 2023)
- Spain: $86.7 million (down -23.4%)
- Algeria: $59.5 million (down -12.7%)
- Luxembourg: $39 million (down -8.4%)
- Germany: $35.2 million (down -3.1%)
- Italy: $29.5 million (down -14.5%)
- Türkiye: $23.3 million (up 35.8%)
- Ireland: $21.9 million (down -37.2%)
- Colombia: $15.1 million (up 34.4%)
- Greece: $15 million (down -19.1%)
- Netherlands: $13.6 million (down -17.8%)
- Vietnam: $9.8 million (down -36.2%)
- United Kingdom: $9.7 million (down -11.6%)
- Portugal: $8.5 million (down -19.9%)
- Malaysia: $8.4 million (down -35.9%)
By value, the listed countries shipped 92.2% of cement imported by France in 2024.
Among the above countries, a pair of major suppliers grew their cement sales to France, namely Türkiye (up 35.8% from 2023) and Colombia (up 34.4%).
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their cement supplied to French importers included: Ireland (down -37.2% from 2023), Vietnam (down -36.2%), Malaysia (down -35.9%) and Spain (down -23.4%).
Overall, the value of France’s imported cement dropped by an average -15.9% from all supplying countries since 2023 when cement purchased cost $627.9 million.
Top Cement Suppliers to Importers in the Philippines
Philippines’ global purchases of imported cement totaled US$519.1 million in 2024. Below are the top 15 suppliers from which the Philippines imported the highest dollar value worth of cement during 2024. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2023 to 2024.
- Vietnam: US$407.5 million (down -10.7% from 2023)
- Japan: $43 million (up 31.8%)
- Indonesia: $31.1 million (down -11.7%)
- South Korea: $16.3 million (up 28.7%)
- Malaysia: $9.1 million (up 34.3%)
- mainland China: $4.8 million (up 145.4%)
- Thailand: $3.6 million (up 9.6%)
- United Arab Emirates: $3.4 million (up 15.6%)
- France: $207,000 (up 45.8%)
- Netherlands: $71,000 (up 195.8%)
- Croatia: $53,000 (down -1.9%)
- Egypt: $53,000 (down -63.4%)
- Canada: $7,000 (2023 data unavailable)
- Spain: $4,000 (2023 data unavailable)
- United States: $1,000 (2023 data unavailable)
By value, the listed countries shipped 100% of cement imported by the Philippines in 2024.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of cement to the Philippines from 2023 to 2024 were: Netherlands (up 195.8%), mainland China (up 145.4%), France (up 45.8%) and Malaysia (up 34.3%).
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their cement supplied to Filipino importers were: Egypt (down -63.4%), Indonesia (down -11.7%), Vietnam (down -10.7%) and Croatia (down -1.9%).
Overall, the value of Philippines’s imported cement slowed by an average -5.9% from all supplying countries since 2023 when cement purchased cost $551.9 million.
See also Cement Exports by Country, America’s Top Trading Partners, China’s Top Trading Partners and Philippines Top Trading Partners
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Imports – Commodities. Accessed on June 9, 2025
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on June 9, 2025
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on June 9, 2025
Wikipedia, Cement. Accessed on June 9, 2025