The overall value of chocolate exports rose by an average 18.1% for all exporting countries since 2017 when chocolate shipments were valued at $27.7 billion.
Year over year, the value of exported chocolates increased by 12% from $29.2 billion during 2020.
The 5 largest chocolate exporters were Germany, Belgium, Italy, Poland and the Netherlands in 2021. Collectively, that quintet of major chocolate suppliers exported almost half (48.7%) of globally exported chocolate products.
Among continents, European countries exported the highest dollar worth of chocolate during 2021 with shipments amounting to $24.8 billion or around three-quarters (75.8%) of overall international chocolate sales. This compares with 12.3% from North America and another 8.3% from Asia.
Tinier percentages came from 1.4% from Africa while 1.2% originated with Latin America excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean. Another 1% was furnished by exporters in Oceania led by Australia and New Zealand.
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 1806 for chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa.
Chocolate Exporters by Country
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of chocolate during 2021.
- Germany: US$5.4 billion (16.4% of total chocolate exports)
- Belgium: $3.6 billion (11%)
- Italy: $2.5 billion (7.6%)
- Poland: $2.3 billion (7.2%)
- Netherlands: $2.1 billion (6.5%)
- Canada: $1.8 billion (5.4%)
- United States: $1.7 billion (5.1%)
- France: $1.5 billion (4.7%)
- United Kingdom: $1 billion (3.1%)
- Russia: $863.7 million (2.6%)
- Switzerland: $854.4 million (2.6%)
- Turkey: $688.4 million (2.1%)
- Spain: $590.4 million (1.8%)
- Mexico: $582 million (1.8%)
- Austria: $551.3 million (1.7%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 79.8% of global chocolate exported in 2021.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing chocolate exporters from 2020 to 2021 were: Spain (up 25.5%), Turkey (up 24.1%), Austria (up 20.6%) and the United States of America (up 20.1%).
Mexico was the lone top supplier that posted a decline in its exported chocolate sales was Mexico thanks to its -7% reduction year over year.
Countries Earning Largest Surpluses from Global Chocolate Trade
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for chocolate during 2021. 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 chocolate exports and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- Germany: US$2.8 billion (net export surplus up 13.5% since 2020)
- Belgium: $2.5 billion (up 21.5%)
- Italy: $1.8 billion (up 20.7%)
- Poland: $1.3 billion (up 10.1%)
- Canada: $610.8 million (up 2.8%)
- Netherlands: $565 million (up 13.6%)
- Turkey: $562.6 million (up 25.8%)
- Switzerland: $548 million (up 13.6%)
- Mexico: $341.3 million (down -16.9%)
- Singapore: $324.9 million (up 21.6%)
- Russia: $219.5 million (up 20%)
- Ivory Coast: $142.8 million (down -15.3%)
- Malaysia: $122.7 million (up 0.4%)
- Egypt: $94.2 million (up 7.6%)
- India: $42.6 million (down -4%)
Exporters in Germany and Belgium generated the highest surplus in the international trade of chocolate. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms both competitors’ strong competitive advantages for this specific product category.
Countries Incurring Worst Deficits from Global Chocolate Trade
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for chocolate during 2021. 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 chocolate import purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- United States: -US$1.5 billion (net export deficit up 3.7% since 2020)
- United Kingdom: -$1.3 billion (up 7.5%)
- France: -$991.4 million (up 10%)
- Japan: -$565.3 million (up 13.6%)
- Saudi Arabia: -$455.3 million (up 18.7%)
- South Korea: -$294.2 million (up 9.4%)
- Romania: -$275.9 million (up 14.5%)
- United Arab Emirates: -$271.8 million (up 380%)
- Portugal: -$218.9 million (up 3.5%)
- China: -$218.7 million (up 9.9%)
- Norway: -$205.7 million (up 20%)
- Australia: -$195.8 million (down -1.8%)
- Denmark: -$192.1 million (up 9.6%)
- Kazakhstan: -$186.5 million (up 33%)
- Israel: -$176.4 million (up 8.8%)
International traders in the United States of America and the United Kingdom incurred the highest deficits for the international trade of chocolate. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights each’s strong competitive disadvantages for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for chocolate-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand from American and UK consumers.
Chocolate Exporting Companies
Based on the Candy Industry’s Top 100 Confectionery Companies, below are the world’s largest conglomerates that produce chocolate bars and other cocoa-containing food preparations. Show within parenthesis is the country where each colossus is headquartered.
- Arcor (Argentina)
- August Storck KG (Germany)
- Cemoi (France)
- Chocoladenfabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG (Switzerland)
- Crown Confectionery Co. Ltd (South Korea)
- Ezaki Glico Co Ltd (Japan)
- Ferrara Candy Co (United States)
- Ferrero Group (Italy)
- Hershey Foods Corp (United States)
- Lotte Confectionery Co. Ltd (South Korea)
- Mars Inc (United States)
- Meiji Co Ltd (Japan)
- Mondelez International (United States)
- Nestle SA (Switzerland)
- Orion Corp (South Korea)
- United Confectionary Manufacturers (Russia)
- Yildiz Holding (Turkey)
Searchable List of Chocolate Exporting Countries in 2021
The top 100 exporters sold 99.98% of exported chocolate sold worldwide during 2021.
| Rank | Exporter | Chocolate Exports (US$) | 2020-1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Germany | $5,373,710,000 | +9.6% |
| 2. | Belgium | $3,602,084,000 | +14.7% |
| 3. | Italy | $2,475,390,000 | +18.1% |
| 4. | Poland | $2,344,542,000 | +12.7% |
| 5. | Netherlands | $2,129,351,000 | +15.9% |
| 6. | Canada | $1,769,418,000 | +9.9% |
| 7. | United States | $1,675,332,000 | +20.1% |
| 8. | France | $1,546,544,000 | +18.2% |
| 9. | United Kingdom | $1,024,320,000 | +1.4% |
| 10. | Russia | $863,742,000 | +18.5% |
| 11. | Switzerland | $854,373,000 | +13.6% |
| 12. | Turkey | $688,415,000 | +24.1% |
| 13. | Spain | $590,389,000 | +25.5% |
| 14. | Mexico | $582,004,000 | -7% |
| 15. | Austria | $551,289,000 | +20.6% |
| 16. | Singapore | $509,510,000 | +15.2% |
| 17. | Sweden | $467,122,000 | +19.6% |
| 18. | Ireland | $363,114,000 | +4.3% |
| 19. | China | $350,568,000 | +27.6% |
| 20. | Czech Republic | $338,053,000 | +8.4% |
| 21. | Malaysia | $283,427,000 | +14.4% |
| 22. | Australia | $273,111,000 | +13.5% |
| 23. | Slovakia | $266,346,000 | +0.5% |
| 24. | Hungary | $256,538,000 | +15.8% |
| 25. | Bulgaria | $242,842,000 | +10.7% |
| 26. | Croatia | $218,278,000 | +22.6% |
| 27. | Denmark | $190,299,000 | +19.3% |
| 28. | Ukraine | $184,483,000 | +16.5% |
| 29. | Hong Kong | $172,175,000 | +5.2% |
| 30. | Lithuania | $166,241,000 | +7.8% |
| 31. | Ivory Coast | $154,621,000 | -11.5% |
| 32. | Egypt | $153,289,000 | +7.6% |
| 33. | Romania | $141,993,000 | +17.6% |
| 34. | Brazil | $126,242,000 | +30% |
| 35. | India | $122,339,000 | +22% |
| 36. | Belarus | $108,432,000 | +36.8% |
| 37. | Japan | $105,243,000 | +29.5% |
| 38. | Finland | $86,691,000 | +17.1% |
| 39. | United Arab Emirates | $82,933,000 | -81% |
| 40. | South Africa | $80,825,000 | +15.3% |
| 41. | Serbia | $80,469,000 | +30.8% |
| 42. | Argentina | $72,314,000 | +25.2% |
| 43. | Indonesia | $70,188,000 | +59.3% |
| 44. | Colombia | $66,376,000 | +36.4% |
| 45. | Slovenia | $63,700,000 | +42.2% |
| 46. | New Zealand | $63,247,000 | +18.3% |
| 47. | South Korea | $62,465,000 | +7.9% |
| 48. | Greece | $56,905,000 | +19% |
| 49. | Latvia | $43,072,000 | +12.1% |
| 50. | Portugal | $41,415,000 | +21.9% |
| 51. | Saudi Arabia | $41,407,000 | +4.2% |
| 52. | Thailand | $40,837,000 | +13.1% |
| 53. | Kazakhstan | $35,447,000 | +7.3% |
| 54. | Norway | $33,916,000 | +3.9% |
| 55. | Peru | $33,235,000 | +30.9% |
| 56. | Israel | $25,137,000 | +38.3% |
| 57. | Vietnam | $21,760,000 | +43.3% |
| 58. | Ecuador | $20,229,000 | +75.4% |
| 59. | Estonia | $19,702,000 | +23.3% |
| 60. | Tunisia | $17,672,000 | -11.4% |
| 61. | Lebanon | $17,563,000 | -43.8% |
| 62. | Chile | $17,414,000 | +24.8% |
| 63. | Armenia | $16,820,000 | +25.8% |
| 64. | Ghana | $15,414,000 | -18.3% |
| 65. | North Macedonia | $14,727,000 | +8.7% |
| 66. | Guatemala | $14,576,000 | +32.9% |
| 67. | Jordan | $13,528,000 | +42.1% |
| 68. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $13,133,000 | -5% |
| 69. | Taiwan | $9,395,000 | -10.1% |
| 70. | Moldova | $8,993,000 | +25.9% |
| 71. | Costa Rica | $8,570,000 | +5.5% |
| 72. | Luxembourg | $8,369,000 | +15% |
| 73. | Philippines | $8,132,000 | +42.6% |
| 74. | Trinidad/Tobago | $7,266,000 | -44.2% |
| 75. | Uzbekistan | $7,108,000 | +47.4% |
| 76. | Zambia | $6,267,000 | +82.7% |
| 77. | Dominican Republic | $6,167,000 | +7% |
| 78. | Azerbaijan | $5,730,000 | +46.9% |
| 79. | El Salvador | $5,641,000 | -17.5% |
| 80. | Senegal | $4,978,000 | -22.8% |
| 81. | Bangladesh | $4,887,000 | -0.7% |
| 82. | Sri Lanka | $4,686,000 | +0.3% |
| 83. | Morocco | $4,172,000 | +24.8% |
| 84. | Eswatini | $3,726,000 | +63.3% |
| 85. | Iceland | $3,333,000 | +11% |
| 86. | Madagascar | $3,230,000 | +24% |
| 87. | Venezuela | $3,194,000 | +107.9% |
| 88. | Iran | $2,473,000 | -95.4% |
| 89. | Nigeria | $2,424,000 | +156.8% |
| 90. | Montenegro | $2,257,000 | +10.4% |
| 91. | Pakistan | $1,973,000 | +187.6% |
| 92. | Kyrgyzstan | $1,943,000 | +77.1% |
| 93. | Cyprus | $1,630,000 | +8.3% |
| 94. | Kenya | $1,504,000 | -0.1% |
| 95. | Syria | $1,489,000 | -16.6% |
| 96. | Cameroon | $1,197,000 | -60.9% |
| 97. | Georgia | $1,052,000 | -15.8% |
| 98. | Panama | $736,000 | -79.9% |
| 99. | Albania | $727,000 | +340.6% |
| 100. | Togo | $677,000 | +43.4% |
Expanding our focus to encompass the 100 biggest chocolate exporters, the fastest growers from 2020 to 2021 were Albania (up 340.6%), Pakistan (up 187.6%), Nigeria (up 156.8%), Venezuela (up 107.9%) and Zambia (up 82.7%).
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the columns below. The right-most column highlights the percentage change in exported chocolate from 2020 to 2021. An entry of 0% in that column means that no 2020 data was available.
See also Chocolate Imports by Country, Hot Chocolate Exports by Country, Candy Sweets Exports by Country, Natural Honey Exports by Country and Sugar Exports by Country
Research Sources:
Candy Industry, 2017 Top 100 Confectionery Companies in the World. Accessed on June 27, 2022
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on June 27, 2022
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on June 27, 2022
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on June 27, 2022
Trade Map, International Trade Centre. Accessed on June 27, 2022
Wikipedia, Chocolate. Accessed on June 27, 2022
