China’s Rice Imports by Country

The world’s most valuable importer of rice back in 2022, the People’s Republic of China placed ninth in 2024 behind rice-demand leaders Indonesia, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the United States of America.

Total rice imports by country cost China a total US$920.7 million via international purchases from its 10 rice-supplying trade partners during 2024.

That dollar amount results from a -36.9% drop from $1.46 billion five years earlier during 2020.

Year over year, the overall cost of rice imported into China plunged -34.6% compared to $1.41 billion in 2023.

Most of China’s rice imports originate from fellow Asian countries. The only exception among the leading suppliers in 2024 was Italy, albeit for a relatively tiny percentage.

Top Providers of Chinese Imported Rice

Below are the countries that supplied 100% of the rice imported by China as a buyer entity during 2024.

1. Thailand: US$294.6 million (32% of China’s total rice imports)
2. Myanmar: $267.4 million (29%)
3. Vietnam: $165.1 million (17.9%)
4. Pakistan: $73.6 million (8%)
5. Cambodia: $64.1 million (7%)
6. India: $30 million (3.3%)
7. Laos: $24.7 million (2.7%)
8. Japan: $560,000 (0.06%)
9. South Korea: $329,000 (0.04%)
10. Italy: $173,000 (0.02%)

Three of mainland China’s leading rice suppliers (Thailand, Myanmar sometimes called Burma, and Vietnam), collected roughly three-quarters (79%) of overall Chinese spending on imported rice for 2024.

The top 5 rice providers supplied 93.9% of Chinese imports of the staple food grain.

Those percentages also illustrate the high concentration for China’s Asian cohort of rice suppliers.

Fastest-Growing Suppliers of China’s Rice Imports Versus Decliners

Chinese purchases of rice from a trio of suppliers-Italy, Laos and Myanmar-were the gainers compared to 2023 unsurprising given the overall average -34.6% drop which encompasses statistics for all of China’s rice suppliers.

1. Italy: Up 96.6% since 2023)
2. Laos: Up 23.6%
3. Myanmar: Up 18.9%
4. South Korea: 2023 data unavailable
5. Thailand: Down -1.3%
6. Pakistan: Down -8.6%
7. Japan: Down -50.7%
8. Cambodia: Down -55.9%
9. India: Down -68%
10. Vietnam: Down -69.6%

 
The severest year-over-year reductions were recorded by rice suppliers in densely populated Vietnam, India, Cambodia and Japan.

See also Rice Exports by Country, Rice Imports by Country, China’s Top 10 Exports and China’s Top Trading Partners

Research Sources
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on January 20, 2026

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on January 20, 2026

Wikipedia, Rice. Accessed on January 20, 2026