Overall, the value of lemons and limes exports increased by an average 7.7% for all exporting countries from 5 years earlier in 2020 when shipments were valued at $3.87 billion.
Year over year, the value for these specific exported citrus fruits grew by 6.3% compared to $3.92 billion during 2023.
The 5 biggest exporters of lemons and limes are Mexico, Spain, Netherlands, Türkiye and South Africa. Collectively, that cohort of major fruits shippers generated close to two-thirds (66.1%) of globally exported lemons and limes. That percentage belies a relatively concentrated group of exporting countries providing lemons and limes on international markets.
Switching to a continental view, suppliers in Europe sold the highest dollar worth of exported lemons and limes during 2024 with shipments valued at $1.48 billion or 35.5% of the global total. In second place were exporters located in North America at 24.7%. Another 14.4% of worldwide lemons and limes shipments originated from sellers based in Asia, compared to 14.3% from providers in Asia and 10.7% for suppliers in Africa.
A tiny 0.3% comes from distant Oceania’s Australia and New Zealand.
For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 080550 for fresh or dried lemons and limes. Specifically excluded are plastic containers of concentrated lemon or lime juice shaped to resemble the citrus fruit.
Lemons and Limes Exporters by Country
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of lemons and limes during 2024.
- Mexico: US$844.2 million (20.2% of exported lemons/limes)
- Spain: $842 million (20.2%)
- Netherlands: $375.9 million (9%)
- Türkiye: $361.3 million (8.7%)
- South Africa: $333.3 million (8%)
- Brazil: $196.2 million (4.7%)
- United States: $187.6 million (4.5%)
- mainland China: $147.7 million (3.5%)
- Colombia: $138.7 million (3.3%)
- Egypt: $98 million (2.4%)
- Chile: $96.6 million (2.3%)
- Argentina: $95.7 million (2.3%)
- Italy: $85.8 million (2.1%)
- Vietnam: $53.1 million (1.3%)
- Peru: $46.6 million (1.1%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 93.6% of globally exported lemons and limes in 2024.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing exporters of lemons/limes since 2023 were: mainland China (up 135.7%), Chile (up 53.2%), Colombia (up 45.9%) and Egypt (up 37.1%).
Those countries that posted declines in their exported lemons/limes sales were: Argentina (down -20.7% from 2023), South Africa (down -7.9%) and Spain (down -1.8%).
Searchable List of Countries Exporting Lemons and Limes in 2024
The 100 key exporters showcased in the automated database below collected 99.99% of the overall revenues from globally exported lemons and limes during 2024.
| Rank | Exporter | Lemons/Limes Exports | 2023-4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mexico | $844,150,000 | +16.8% |
| 2. | Spain | $842,048,000 | -1.8% |
| 3. | Netherlands | $375,949,000 | +10.9% |
| 4. | Türkiye | $361,267,000 | +0.7% |
| 5. | South Africa | $333,301,000 | -7.9% |
| 6. | Brazil | $196,158,000 | +12.7% |
| 7. | United States | $187,568,000 | +0.3% |
| 8. | mainland China | $147,722,000 | +135.7% |
| 9. | Colombia | $138,733,000 | +45.9% |
| 10. | Egypt | $98,041,000 | +37.1% |
| 11. | Chile | $96,606,000 | +53.2% |
| 12. | Argentina | $95,746,000 | -20.7% |
| 13. | Italy | $85,833,000 | +2.4% |
| 14. | Vietnam | $53,091,000 | +2.5% |
| 15. | Peru | $46,628,000 | +25.5% |
| 16. | France | $31,627,000 | +9.5% |
| 17. | Germany | $27,339,000 | -6.5% |
| 18. | Portugal | $26,997,000 | -34.4% |
| 19. | Bulgaria | $20,520,000 | +19.2% |
| 20. | Greece | $14,627,000 | -5.4% |
| 21. | Australia | $10,145,000 | +54% |
| 22. | Belgium | $9,141,000 | +17% |
| 23. | Saudi Arabia | $8,132,000 | -13.9% |
| 24. | Uzbekistan | $7,162,000 | +51.8% |
| 25. | Somalia | $6,897,000 | -41.1% |
| 26. | Austria | $6,849,000 | +30% |
| 27. | Czech Republic | $6,691,000 | +9.4% |
| 28. | Croatia | $6,306,000 | +17.6% |
| 29. | Guatemala | $6,275,000 | +47.5% |
| 30. | Uruguay | $6,177,000 | +13.8% |
| 31. | Honduras | $5,584,000 | +120.7% |
| 32. | Poland | $5,121,000 | +7.3% |
| 33. | Thailand | $4,552,000 | -12.1% |
| 34. | Denmark | $3,868,000 | -26.4% |
| 35. | India | $3,263,000 | -35% |
| 36. | Morocco | $3,107,000 | -18.3% |
| 37. | New Zealand | $2,851,000 | -30.1% |
| 38. | Latvia | $2,790,000 | +5.3% |
| 39. | Lithuania | $2,613,000 | -42.9% |
| 40. | Pakistan | $2,467,000 | +407.6% |
| 41. | Hungary | $2,396,000 | -1.8% |
| 42. | Slovakia | $2,381,000 | +4.8% |
| 43. | Romania | $2,178,000 | +101.3% |
| 44. | Malaysia | $2,097,000 | +44.8% |
| 45. | United Kingdom | $1,929,000 | +140.8% |
| 46. | Laos | $1,632,000 | +8060% |
| 47. | Kuwait | $1,593,000 | +399.4% |
| 48. | Aruba | $1,573,000 | +31360% |
| 49. | Dominican Republic | $1,436,000 | -33% |
| 50. | Ecuador | $1,205,000 | +16.9% |
| 51. | Slovenia | $1,115,000 | -69.7% |
| 52. | Tajikistan | $1,015,000 | +26.7% |
| 53. | Uganda | $925,000 | +20.3% |
| 54. | Ireland | $919,000 | +158.1% |
| 55. | Hong Kong | $869,000 | -64.8% |
| 56. | Iran | $838,000 | -76.2% |
| 57. | Singapore | $836,000 | -45.4% |
| 58. | United Arab Emirates | $804,000 | -98.6% |
| 59. | Cyprus | $802,000 | -25.5% |
| 60. | El Salvador | $754,000 | +7% |
| 61. | Bangladesh | $715,000 | +21.8% |
| 62. | Yemen | $638,000 | +0.3% |
| 63. | Eswatini | $610,000 | -40.3% |
| 64. | Sweden | $583,000 | -16.4% |
| 65. | Syria | $547,000 | -74.1% |
| 66. | Luxembourg | $532,000 | -1.3% |
| 67. | Zimbabwe | $504,000 | +10% |
| 68. | Georgia | $480,000 | -2.4% |
| 69. | Indonesia | $347,000 | +20.5% |
| 70. | Serbia | $323,000 | +97% |
| 71. | Jordan | $322,000 | -61.6% |
| 72. | Russia | $243,000 | -57.3% |
| 73. | Lebanon | $241,000 | -5.9% |
| 74. | Panama | $235,000 | 0% |
| 75. | Ivory Coast | $224,000 | +72.3% |
| 76. | Armenia | $155,000 | 0% |
| 77. | North Macedonia | $153,000 | +30.8% |
| 78. | Kazakhstan | $147,000 | -51.2% |
| 79. | Afghanistan | $146,000 | -52.8% |
| 80. | Kenya | $111,000 | -9.8% |
| 81. | Switzerland | $108,000 | +6.9% |
| 82. | South Korea | $97,000 | -50.3% |
| 83. | Bolivia | $89,000 | -26.4% |
| 84. | Botswana | $89,000 | +8800% |
| 85. | Cameroon | $53,000 | 0% |
| 86. | Burkina Faso | $53,000 | +5200% |
| 87. | Finland | $52,000 | -1.9% |
| 88. | Ghana | $51,000 | +5000% |
| 89. | Albania | $47,000 | +67.9% |
| 90. | Zambia | $47,000 | 0% |
| 91. | Canada | $43,000 | -52.7% |
| 92. | Taiwan | $35,000 | -42.6% |
| 93. | Estonia | $33,000 | +13.8% |
| 94. | Venezuela | $31,000 | -87.6% |
| 95. | Turks/Caicos Islands | $30,000 | +900% |
| 96. | Israel | $29,000 | -50% |
| 97. | Bahrain | $28,000 | -87.6% |
| 98. | Costa Rica | $25,000 | +257.1% |
| 99. | Sudan | $24,000 | -4% |
| 100. | Senegal | $24,000 | -52.9% |
Focusing on the top 100 exporters of lemons and limes, the fastest growing international suppliers were Aruba (up 31,360% from 2023), Botswana (up 8,800%), Laos (up 8,060%), Burkina Faso (up 5,200%) and Ghana (up 5,000%).
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of the above table’s columns. An entry of 0% in the right-most column means that 2023 data was unavailable.
Countries Earning Largest Trade Surpluses from Lemons and Limes
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for lemons and limes during 2024. 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 exported lemons and limes versus its import purchases for that same commodity.
- Mexico: US$837.9 million (net export surplus up 16.7% since 2023)
- Spain: $790.6 million (up 1.1%)
- Türkiye: $359.3 million (up 1.1%)
- South Africa: $332.9 million (down -8%)
- Brazil: $192.5 million (up 11.6%)
- mainland China: $143.2 million (up 204.8%)
- Colombia: $138.1 million (up 46.3%)
- Netherlands: $101.5 million (up 128.7%)
- Egypt: $98 million (up 37.1%)
- Argentina: $85.2 million (down -28.7%)
- Chile: $83.8 million (up 58.4%)
- Vietnam: $51.4 million (up 1.9%)
- Peru: $46.6 million (up 25.4%)
- Australia: $7.9 million (up 43.6%)
- Somalia: $6.9 million (down -41%)
World leader Mexico and Spain generated the highest surpluses in the international trade of lemons and limes. In turn, these positive cashflows confirm both countries’ strong competitive advantages for this specific product category.
Countries Causing Worst Trade Deficits from Lemons and Limes
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for lemons and limes during 2024. 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 import purchases of lemons and limes versus its exports for that same commodity.
- United States: -US$965.9 million (net export deficit up 7.3% since 2023)
- Germany: -$404.7 million (up 5.9%)
- France: -$213 million (up 2.4%)
- United Kingdom: -$186 million (up 3.9%)
- Poland: -$172.3 million (up 6.1%)
- Russia: -$155.9 million (down -0.3%)
- Canada: -$155.5 million (down -1.3%)
- Iraq: -$133.2 million (up 13.2%)
- Japan: -$88.4 million (down -2.3%)
- Romania: -$74.1 million (up 7.2%)
- Saudi Arabia: -$71.9 million (down -5.9%)
- United Arab Emirates: -$64.4 million (up 115.3%)
- Ukraine: -$63.4 million (up 13.1%)
- Austria: -$63.1 million (up 8.2%)
- South Korea: -$62.9 million (up 37.1%)
The United States of America incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of lemons and limes. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights America’s strong competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for suppliers of lemons and limes that help satisfy the powerful American consumer demand for these citrus fruits.
Lemons/Limes Export Companies
According to global trading platform Alibaba, the following suppliers sell lemons and limes internationally. The home-country location for each business is shown within parentheses.
- Alfafood GmbH (Germany)
- Italian Food Traders (Italy)
- Jining Eagle International Trade Co, Ltd (China)
- Mexican Star Co (Mexico)
- Molobela ML Trading (South Africa)
- Novagen Genetica LtdA-EPP (Brazil)
- Salix Fruits LLC (United States)
- Serinmose SL (Spain)
- Turkish Citron Lemon Interdonato Lamas (Turkey)
- Valexotique (France)
See also Sweet Cherries Exports by Country, Grapes Exports by Country, Apples Exports by Country, Oranges Exports by Country and Kiwifruits Exports by Country
Research Sources:
Alibaba, Supplier showroom for lemons. Accessed on August 27, 2025
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on August 27, 2025
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on August 27, 2025
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on August 27, 2025
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on August 27, 2025
Wikipedia, Citrus production. Accessed on August 27, 2025