That dollar amount results from a 58.9% average increase for all sugar shippers worldwide over the five-year period starting in 2020 when overall sugar shipments were valued at $23.9 billion.
Year over year, the value of globally exported sugar flatlined via a -0.1% drop compared to $37.91 billion for 2023.
By dollar value, the 5 biggest exporters of sugar are Brazil, Thailand, India, France and Germany were responsible for over two-thirds (68.7%) of globally exported sugar during 2024. Such a high percentage suggests a concentrated set of sugar exporters.
Shifting to a continents-based perspective, shippers in Latin America excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean sold the highest dollar value worth of sugar exports during 2024 with shipments amounting to $21.1 billion or 55.7% of worldwide sugar shipments. Countries in Europe were responsible for another 20% trailed by suppliers located in Asia at 18%.
Smaller percentages are sourced from sugar exporters in Africa (3.6%), North America (2.4%), and Oceania (0.2%) led by Fiji, New Zealand and Australia.
Technically, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 1701 for cane or beet sugar and chemically pure sucrose in solid form.
Sugar Exports by Country
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of sugar during 2024.
- Brazil: US$18.6 billion (49.1% of total sugar exports)
- Thailand: $2.4 billion (6.2%)
- India: $2.3 billion (6%)
- France: $1.6 billion (4.2%)
- Germany: $1.2 billion (3.2%)
- Guatemala: $729.5 million (1.9%)
- Poland: $708.4 million (1.9%)
- Russia: $685.8 million (1.8%)
- Belgium: $650.2 million (1.7%)
- Saudi Arabia: $598 million (1.6%)
- Netherlands: $593.4 million (1.6%)
- Mexico: $451.1 million (1.2%)
- Ukraine: $420.5 million (1.1%)
- Colombia: $416.6 million (1.1%)
- South Africa: $393.6 million (1%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 83.6% of global sugar exports in 2024.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing sugar exporters from 2023 to 2024 were: Russia (up 68.7%), Belgium (up 41.3%), Germany (up 25.4%) and Guatemala (up 22.4%).
Those countries that posted declines in their exported sugar sales were led by: India (down -39.2%), Thailand (down -30.4%), South Africa (down -17.7%), Mexico (down -9.3%) and Colombia (down -7.5%).
Searchable List of Sugar Exporting Countries in 2024
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the columns below. An entry of 0% in the right-most column means that no 2020 data was available.
| Rank | Exporter | Sugar Exports | 2023-4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Brazil | $18,601,688,000 | +18.1% |
| 2. | Thailand | $2,361,275,000 | -30.4% |
| 3. | India | $2,259,348,000 | -39.2% |
| 4. | France | $1,603,327,000 | +19.8% |
| 5. | Germany | $1,197,440,000 | +25.4% |
| 6. | Guatemala | $729,491,000 | +22.4% |
| 7. | Poland | $708,353,000 | +16.5% |
| 8. | Russia | $685,832,000 | +68.7% |
| 9. | Belgium | $650,200,000 | +41.3% |
| 10. | Saudi Arabia | $597,957,000 | +16.5% |
| 11. | Netherlands | $593,387,000 | -5% |
| 12. | Mexico | $451,147,000 | -9.3% |
| 13. | Ukraine | $420,450,000 | +7.5% |
| 14. | Colombia | $416,635,000 | -7.5% |
| 15. | South Africa | $393,618,000 | -17.7% |
| 16. | United States | $379,477,000 | +68.5% |
| 17. | Eswatini | $354,183,000 | -10% |
| 18. | Pakistan | $342,175,000 | +170.2% |
| 19. | Czech Republic | $325,062,000 | +5.1% |
| 20. | Portugal | $261,436,000 | -6.8% |
| 21. | El Salvador | $241,262,000 | +2.4% |
| 22. | Mauritius | $225,179,000 | -3.3% |
| 23. | South Korea | $183,139,000 | 0% |
| 24. | Denmark | $176,122,000 | +10.1% |
| 25. | Nicaragua | $173,855,000 | -10% |
| 26. | Austria | $161,854,000 | +56.4% |
| 27. | Dominican Republic | $161,276,000 | +25.8% |
| 28. | Argentina | $159,641,000 | +378.2% |
| 29. | Indonesia | $159,071,000 | +22.7% |
| 30. | Malaysia | $155,775,000 | +4.6% |
| 31. | United Kingdom | $128,337,000 | -6.2% |
| 32. | Honduras | $127,822,000 | +12.6% |
| 33. | United Arab Emirates | $123,382,000 | -78.9% |
| 34. | Türkiye | $121,970,000 | +210.8% |
| 35. | Costa Rica | $111,974,000 | +70.4% |
| 36. | mainland China | $99,278,000 | -30.6% |
| 37. | Lithuania | $93,336,000 | +17.9% |
| 38. | Cambodia | $91,400,000 | -16.9% |
| 39. | Belize | $91,088,000 | +15.3% |
| 40. | Egypt | $91,053,000 | -79.1% |
| 41. | Peru | $88,214,000 | -11.3% |
| 42. | Morocco | $82,265,000 | -79.6% |
| 43. | Zambia | $71,317,000 | -42.6% |
| 44. | Slovakia | $69,956,000 | +1.1% |
| 45. | Vietnam | $67,318,000 | +13.6% |
| 46. | Canada | $65,790,000 | +33.5% |
| 47. | Spain | $64,640,000 | -20.4% |
| 48. | Hungary | $60,237,000 | +56.3% |
| 49. | Fiji | $58,755,000 | -9.9% |
| 50. | Serbia | $58,277,000 | +11% |
| 51. | Myanmar | $57,319,000 | +7% |
| 52. | Croatia | $56,166,000 | -45.8% |
| 53. | Kazakhstan | $55,326,000 | +472.3% |
| 54. | Panama | $51,633,000 | +108.7% |
| 55. | Bolivia | $44,426,000 | -27% |
| 56. | Singapore | $43,580,000 | +12.3% |
| 57. | Paraguay | $43,276,000 | -7.4% |
| 58. | Azerbaijan | $38,460,000 | +62.4% |
| 59. | Slovenia | $38,247,000 | -44.1% |
| 60. | Uganda | $37,012,000 | -53.4% |
| 61. | Mozambique | $36,147,000 | +50% |
| 62. | Sweden | $34,969,000 | -5.2% |
| 63. | Belarus | $34,386,000 | +26.8% |
| 64. | Bulgaria | $33,489,000 | -66.6% |
| 65. | Romania | $32,452,000 | -70.4% |
| 66. | Italy | $32,089,000 | -10.2% |
| 67. | Zimbabwe | $31,636,000 | -44.2% |
| 68. | Finland | $27,191,000 | -22.2% |
| 69. | New Zealand | $21,563,000 | +27.1% |
| 70. | Ecuador | $20,664,000 | +121.7% |
| 71. | Philippines | $19,643,000 | +374% |
| 72. | Malawi | $15,290,000 | -66.9% |
| 73. | Guyana | $15,054,000 | -50.7% |
| 74. | Laos | $14,547,000 | -84.2% |
| 75. | Greece | $11,180,000 | +89.7% |
| 76. | Taiwan | $10,786,000 | +2.2% |
| 77. | Ireland | $10,625,000 | +49.4% |
| 78. | Australia | $9,506,000 | -20.2% |
| 79. | Algeria | $8,115,000 | -95.9% |
| 80. | Switzerland | $8,060,000 | +80.8% |
| 81. | Gambia | $7,872,000 | +72.5% |
| 82. | Togo | $7,455,000 | -14.7% |
| 83. | Bahrain | $7,432,000 | +1242% |
| 84. | Kyrgyzstan | $7,420,000 | +136% |
| 85. | Hong Kong | $6,931,000 | -30.5% |
| 86. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $5,393,000 | -60.9% |
| 87. | Jamaica | $5,307,000 | +21.7% |
| 88. | Latvia | $4,876,000 | -3.4% |
| 89. | Namibia | $3,818,000 | -72.4% |
| 90. | Japan | $3,593,000 | -7.1% |
| 91. | Israel | $3,422,000 | +376.6% |
| 92. | Trinidad/Tobago | $2,926,000 | +28.1% |
| 93. | Lebanon | $2,079,000 | +92% |
| 94. | Kenya | $1,696,000 | +161.7% |
| 95. | Madagascar | $1,621,000 | -71.9% |
| 96. | Moldova | $1,435,000 | -45.3% |
| 97. | Luxembourg | $780,000 | +5.5% |
| 98. | Armenia | $780,000 | +16.9% |
| 99. | Iran | $697,000 | -98.8% |
| 100. | Estonia | $681,000 | +78.3% |
The 100 top exporters accounted for 99.94% of the overall value of sugar exported during 2024.
Biggest Exporters of Sugar Ranked by Shipment Weight
The overall volume of sugar exported during 2024 totaled 65.7 million tons, rising by 0.8% compared to global shipments weighing 65.2 million tons in 2020.
From 2023 to 2024, the shipment weight of all sugar exports increased by 3.7% versus 63.3 million tons one year earlier.
Below, you will find the 15 countries that exported the greatest amount of sugar as measured by physical weight during 2024.
- Brazil: 38,237,216 tons of exported sugar (up 22.2% from 2023)
- Thailand: 4,068,956 tons (down -37.7%)
- India: 3,651,622 tons (down -44.1%)
- France: 2,102,391 tons (up 39.4%)
- Germany: 1,511,401 tons (up 49%)
- Guatemala: 1,292,163 tons (up 11.5%)
- Russia: 1,045,145 tons (up 77.8%)
- Poland: 981,184 tons (up 44.6%)
- Saudi Arabia: 858,486 tons (up 22.7%)
- Belgium: 780,666 tons (up 71.7%)
- Ukraine: 749,772 tons (up 45.3%)
- South Africa: 702,851 tons (down -14.5%)
- Netherlands: 674,876 tons (up 3.9%)
- Pakistan: 632,804 tons (up 154.3%)
- Colombia: 540,300 tons (down -13%)
- Mexico: 485,819 tons (2023 data unavailable)
The fastest gainers were Pakistan (up 154.3% from 2023), Russia (up 77.8%), Belgium (up 71.7%), Germany (up 49%) then Ukraine (up 45.3%).
Decliners in terms of shipping weight in 2024 were India (down -44.1% compared to 2023), Thailand (down -37.7%), South Africa (down -14.5%) and Colombia (down -13%).
Average Unit Prices for Top Sugar Exporters
The world average price for sugar exported from all countries was US$577 per ton in 2024. That sugar tonnage cost reflects a -17.1% drop compared to $696 per ton in 2020.
In addition, the most recent average price deflated by -41.6% versus an average unit price of $988 per ton for 2023.
The following listing focuses on the average unit prices per ton of exported sugar in 2024 for the top 15 countries ranked in terms of each entry’s total dollar value for sugar supplied in international markets.
- Brazil: $486 per ton of sugar (down -3.4% from 2023)
- Thailand: $580 per ton (up 11.8%)
- India: $619 per ton (up 8.8%)
- France: $763 per ton (down -14.1%)
- Germany: $792 per ton (down -15.8%)
- Guatemala: $565 per ton (up 9.9%)
- Poland: $722 per ton (down -19.4%)
- Russia: $656 per ton (down -5.1%)
- Belgium: $833 per ton (down -17.7%)
- Saudi Arabia: $697 per ton (down -4.9%)
- Netherlands: $879 per ton (down -8.6%)
- Mexico: $929 per ton (2023 data unavailable)
- Ukraine: $561 per ton (down -26%)
- Colombia: $771 per ton (up 6.3%)
- South Africa: $560 per ton (down -3.6%)
Just four of the listed countries shipped sugar on global markets charging average unit prices lower than the global average of $577 per ton for 2024. These were sugar-leader Brazil, Guatemala, Ukraine and South Africa.
Countries Generating Greatest Surpluses Trading Sugar
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for sugar 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 sugar exports and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- Brazil: US$18.6 billion (net export surplus up 18.1% since 2023)
- Thailand: $2.1 billion (down -34.7%)
- France: $1.3 billion (up 26.8%)
- Guatemala: $729.3 million (up 22.4%)
- Germany: $706.5 million (up 68.2%)
- Russia: $652.9 million (up 80.4%)
- Poland: $622.8 million (up 45.3%)
- India: $461.9 million (down -80.3%)
- Ukraine: $418.5 million (up 7.5%)
- Eswatini: $352.4 million (down -10.2%)
- Pakistan: $338.7 million (up 176.2%)
- Netherlands: $322.7 million (down -3.7%)
- Czech Republic: $249.9 million (up 17.2%)
- El Salvador: $241.2 million (up 2.4%)
- Colombia: $220.1 million (down -19.3%)
World-leading Brazil maintains its position earning the highest surplus in the international trade of sugar. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms Brazil’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Countries Incurring Worst Deficits Trading Sugar
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for sugar 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 sugar import purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- Indonesia: -US$2.9 billion (net export deficit up 4.3% since 2023)
- mainland China: -$2.29 billion (up 5.9%)
- United States of America: -$2.27 billion (up 1%)
- Italy: -$1.23 billion (down -13.8%)
- Malaysia: -$1.2 billion (up 14.6%)
- United Arab Emirates: -$1.15 billion (up 639.3%)
- Algeria: -$1.05 billion (up 43.1%)
- Egypt: -$884.1 million (up 370.4%)
- Bangladesh: -$881.3 million (down -17.6%)
- Canada: -$847.5 million (up 11.3%)
- Morocco: -$845 million (up 42.5%)
- Uzbekistan: -$790.8 million (up 68.1%)
- South Korea: -$782.8 million (down -7.2%)
- Spain: -$774.0 million (down -36.5%)
- Japan: -$737.1 million (down -5%)
Highly populated Indonesia mainland China, and, America racked up the biggest deficits in the international trade of sugar. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights their strong competitive disadvantages for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for sugar-supplying countries that help satisfy the demand from a myriad consumers and businesses.
Major Sugar Exporting Companies
Below are the world’s biggest sugar exporting companies. Shown within parenthesis is the country where the conglomerate is headquartered.
- Copersucar (Brazil)
- Cosan (Brazil)
- Mitr Phol Group (Thailand)
- Thai Roong Ruang Sugar Group (Thailand)
- Tereos S.A. (France)
- EID Parry Limited (India)
- Südzucker AG (Germany)
- Nordzucker Group (Germany)
- British Sugar Plc (United Kingdom)
- Louis Dreyfus Group (Netherlands)
According to global trade intelligence firm Zepol, the following companies are also engaged in the sugar industry.
- Jalles Machad (Brazil)
- Azucarera Paraguay (Paraguay)
- Liga Agricola Industrial De La (Costa Rica)
See also Top Exported Spices by Sales, Weight and Unit Value, Sugar Imports by Country, Brazil’s Top 10 Exports and Top Soft Drinks Exporters by Country
Research Sources:
Bloomberg Business, Suedzucker Leads the Top 10 Sugar-Producing Companies (November 2011). Accessed on June 2, 2025
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on June 2, 2025
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on June 2, 2025
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on June 2, 2025
Wikipedia, Sugar Companies. Accessed on June 2, 2025
Zepol’s company summary highlights by HTS code. Accessed on June 2, 2025