The overall value of exported onions rose by an average 21.2% for all exporting countries since 2017 when international sales of onions were valued at $3.26 billion.
Year over year, the value of internationally shipped onions declined by -2.7%.
The 5 biggest exporters of onions are the Netherlands, India, mainland China, Mexico, and the United States of America. Added together, that cohort of major exporters sold 59.3% of all onions exported during 2021. That percentage suggests a relatively concentrated subset of onions exporters.
Among continents, suppliers in Asia sold the highest dollar worth of exported onions during 2021 with shipments valued at $1.35 billion or more than a third (34.1%) of the global total. Close behind in second place were exporters in Europe at 33.5%, while 18.6% of worldwide shipments of onions originated from North America.
Smaller percentages came from Africa (6.5%), Latin America (3.8%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania (3.5%) comprised mostly of onions exported from New Zealand and Australia.
For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code is 070310 for onions and shallots. A shallot is a small bulb that resembles an onion. Shallots are used to make pickles or as an onion substitute.
Onions Exports by Country
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of onions during 2021.
- Netherlands: US$780.7 million (19.8% of total exported onions)
- India: $449.5 million (11.4%)
- China: $435.7 million (11%)
- Mexico: $413.3 million (10.5%)
- United States: $263.8 million (6.7%)
- Spain: $166.4 million (4.2%)
- Pakistan: $145.7 million (3.7%)
- Egypt: $141.6 million (3.6%)
- New Zealand: $111 million (2.8%)
- France: $104.2 million (2.6%)
- Peru: $99.2 million (2.5%)
- Poland: $77.8 million (2%)
- Iran: $56.5 million (1.4%)
- Canada: $55.3 million (1.4%)
- Italy: $51.6 million (1.3%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 84.9% of global onions exports in 2021.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing exporters of onions since 2020 were: India (up 29.7%), Canada (up 29.6%), Italy (up 19.4%) and Pakistan (up 17.5%).
Five major suppliers posted declines in their exported onions sales were Iran (down -59.1%), Egypt (down -19.1%), mainland China (down -12.1%), Poland (down -10.9%) and the Netherlands (down -4.3%).
Countries Earning Largest Trade Surpluses from Onions
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for onions 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 exported onions and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- Netherlands: US$623.3 million (net export surplus down -9.7% since 2020)
- India: $435.6 million (up 56.1%)
- China: $435.6 million (down -12.1%)
- Mexico: $372.9 million (up 11.2%)
- Egypt: $141.6 million (down -19.1%)
- Pakistan: $122.7 million (up 29%)
- New Zealand: $110.8 million (up 10.8%)
- Spain: $105 million (down -0.6%)
- Peru: $99.2 million (up 4.5%)
- Iran: $56.5 million (down -59.1%)
- Turkey: $44.7 million (down -12.7%)
- Poland: $39.9 million (down -9.8%)
- Myanmar: $35 million (down -40.1%)
- Afghanistan: $33.2 million (down -15.6%)
- Niger: $31.3 million (up 122.8%)
World leader the Netherlands earned the highest surplus in the international trade of onions. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms Netherlands’ strong competitive advantages for this specific product category.
Countries Causing Worst Trade Deficits from Onions
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for onions 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 imported onions purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- United States: -US$273.5 million (net export deficit up 23.9% since 2020)
- Malaysia: -$199.6 million (down -1.7%)
- United Kingdom: -$195.2 million (up 4.5%)
- Vietnam: -$193 million (up 665.5%)
- Germany: -$161.7 million (up 16.4%)
- Bangladesh: -$153.8 million (down -10.5%)
- Canada: -$133.6 million (up 13.3%)
- Japan: -$126.6 million (up 49%)
- Sri Lanka: -$118.6 million (up 8%)
- United Arab Emirates: -$93.5 million (up 44.9%)
- Saudi Arabia: -$89.1 million (down -7.6%)
- Belgium: -$60.3 million (up 20.1%)
- Indonesia: -$53.8 million (up 4.1%)
- Russia: -$48.6 million (down -38.1%)
- Singapore: -$46.1 million (down -1.8%)
The United States of America incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of onions. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights America’s strong competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for onions-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful US consumer demand.
Onions Exporting Companies
According to global trading platform Alibaba, the following companies are examples of onions-trading exporters. Home-country location is shown within parentheses.
- Aalia Gmbh (Germany)
- Agricola Dece SL (Spain)
- BHK Krakow Joint Venture Sp ZOO (Poland)
- Camill Alimentos S/A (United States)
- JDGC (France)
- Jinxiang Luteng Trading Co, Ltd (China)
- Naqshbandi Enterprise (Pakistan)
- Silas Export (Netherlands)
- SMA Trading (Egypt)
- Sri Parvathi Exports (India)
Searchable List of Onions Exporting Countries in 2021
The 100 biggest exporters of onions in the automated database below represent 99.98% of the overall value of globally exported onions during 2021.
| Rank | Exporter | Onion Exports | 2020-1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Netherlands | $780,667,000 | -4.3% |
| 2. | India | $449,457,000 | +29.7% |
| 3. | China | $435,692,000 | -12.1% |
| 4. | Mexico | $413,263,000 | +3.6% |
| 5. | United States | $263,826,000 | +5.3% |
| 6. | Spain | $166,397,000 | +8.1% |
| 7. | Pakistan | $145,743,000 | +17.5% |
| 8. | Egypt | $141,643,000 | -19.1% |
| 9. | New Zealand | $110,973,000 | +10.6% |
| 10. | France | $104,172,000 | +15% |
| 11. | Peru | $99,154,000 | +4.5% |
| 12. | Poland | $77,814,000 | -10.9% |
| 13. | Iran | $56,503,000 | -59.1% |
| 14. | Canada | $55,299,000 | +29.6% |
| 15. | Italy | $51,605,000 | +19.4% |
| 16. | Turkey | $44,780,000 | -12.9% |
| 17. | Germany | $41,046,000 | -14.2% |
| 18. | Myanmar | $34,991,000 | -40.1% |
| 19. | Afghanistan | $34,522,000 | -30.9% |
| 20. | Niger | $31,924,000 | +125.8% |
| 21. | Yemen | $31,300,000 | +12.8% |
| 22. | South Africa | $31,093,000 | +15.8% |
| 23. | Australia | $27,365,000 | +18.7% |
| 24. | Uzbekistan | $25,005,000 | -27.3% |
| 25. | Argentina | $23,228,000 | -18.6% |
| 26. | Austria | $23,170,000 | +20.1% |
| 27. | Belgium | $22,161,000 | -22.1% |
| 28. | Morocco | $20,198,000 | +29% |
| 29. | Thailand | $14,973,000 | -2.3% |
| 30. | Chile | $13,822,000 | -27.2% |
| 31. | Senegal | $13,603,000 | +40.5% |
| 32. | Hong Kong | $10,732,000 | +125.6% |
| 33. | Kazakhstan | $10,511,000 | +43.1% |
| 34. | Malaysia | $7,476,000 | -8.3% |
| 35. | Singapore | $7,222,000 | +13.3% |
| 36. | Slovakia | $7,173,000 | +2.6% |
| 37. | Indonesia | $7,028,000 | -49.1% |
| 38. | United Kingdom | $6,631,000 | -18.3% |
| 39. | Guatemala | $6,059,000 | -7.9% |
| 40. | South Korea | $5,563,000 | +102.1% |
| 41. | Russia | $5,440,000 | -28.2% |
| 42. | Tajikistan | $5,431,000 | -27.3% |
| 43. | Namibia | $4,089,000 | +62.4% |
| 44. | Ukraine | $4,052,000 | -12% |
| 45. | Vietnam | $3,993,000 | +20.7% |
| 46. | Czech Republic | $3,984,000 | +9% |
| 47. | Colombia | $3,832,000 | +59.6% |
| 48. | Serbia | $3,814,000 | +5.8% |
| 49. | Azerbaijan | $3,806,000 | -16.8% |
| 50. | Portugal | $3,642,000 | +45.9% |
| 51. | Japan | $3,621,000 | -75.3% |
| 52. | Tanzania | $3,512,000 | +32.2% |
| 53. | Denmark | $3,392,000 | +12.3% |
| 54. | Ethiopia | $3,326,000 | +14.5% |
| 55. | Ireland | $2,769,000 | +14.7% |
| 56. | Syria | $2,395,000 | +1352% |
| 57. | Lebanon | $2,302,000 | +33.8% |
| 58. | Brazil | $2,026,000 | -71.7% |
| 59. | Lithuania | $1,992,000 | -32.6% |
| 60. | Madagascar | $1,790,000 | +124.3% |
| 61. | Greece | $1,719,000 | +31.2% |
| 62. | Latvia | $1,682,000 | +3.6% |
| 63. | Nigeria | $1,620,000 | 0% |
| 64. | Sudan | $1,620,000 | -88.8% |
| 65. | United Arab Emirates | $1,432,000 | -96.1% |
| 66. | Kyrgyzstan | $1,321,000 | -23.3% |
| 67. | North Macedonia | $1,215,000 | -2.1% |
| 68. | Taiwan | $1,069,000 | +1844% |
| 69. | Tunisia | $982,000 | -7% |
| 70. | Croatia | $941,000 | +116.8% |
| 71. | Ecuador | $893,000 | +136.2% |
| 72. | Moldova | $845,000 | +550% |
| 73. | Sweden | $841,000 | +49.1% |
| 74. | Burkina Faso | $837,000 | +21.3% |
| 75. | Albania | $731,000 | +26.7% |
| 76. | Slovenia | $704,000 | -23.3% |
| 77. | Kenya | $633,000 | -62.7% |
| 78. | Hungary | $552,000 | -43.9% |
| 79. | Luxembourg | $524,000 | +26.3% |
| 80. | Cameroon | $373,000 | -68.3% |
| 81. | Trinidad/Tobago | $372,000 | -11.6% |
| 82. | Belarus | $346,000 | -37.7% |
| 83. | Jordan | $328,000 | -85.7% |
| 84. | Bulgaria | $290,000 | -35.3% |
| 85. | Ghana | $289,000 | -42.7% |
| 86. | Algeria | $285,000 | -84.8% |
| 87. | Jamaica | $274,000 | +48.1% |
| 88. | Romania | $213,000 | -56.4% |
| 89. | Nicaragua | $199,000 | +2.6% |
| 90. | Oman | $192,000 | -68.4% |
| 91. | Estonia | $180,000 | -16.3% |
| 92. | Philippines | $167,000 | -26.4% |
| 93. | Georgia | $111,000 | +192.1% |
| 94. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $104,000 | +92.6% |
| 95. | Uruguay | $104,000 | +1056% |
| 96. | Honduras | $98,000 | -52.7% |
| 97. | Switzerland | $87,000 | +22.5% |
| 98. | Norway | $79,000 | +21.5% |
| 99. | Costa Rica | $76,000 | +123.5% |
| 100. | Fiji | $73,000 | +231.8% |
Focusing on the top 100 shippers of onions by value, the fastest growers from 2020 to 2021 were Taiwan (up 1,844%), Syria (up 1,352%), Uruguay (up 1,056%), Moldova (up 550%) and Fiji (up 231.8%).
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of the columns. Note that a 0% entry in the right-most column means no 2020 data was available.
See also Top Cucumbers Exporting Countries, Soya Beans Exports by Country, Asparagus Exports by Country and Top Sweet Pepper and Chili Pepper Exports
Research Sources:
Alibaba, supplier information for onions. Accessed on July 25, 2022
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on July 25, 2022
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on July 25, 2022
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 25, 2022
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on July 25, 2022
Wikipedia, Onion. Accessed on July 25, 2022
