Globally exported black pepper expanded in value by an overall average 71.5% since five years earlier in 2020 when export sales for black pepper totaled $1.57 billion.
Year over year, export revenues for the spice accelerated by 35.5% compared to $2.7 billion for 2023.
Black pepper is the world’s most traded spice in terms of quantity. The spice is typically added as a food seasoning paired with salt on dining tables either in shakers or mill containers.
Key Geographic Insights about Black Pepper Exports & Imports
By value, the 5 biggest exporters of black pepper are Vietnam, Indonesia, Brazil, Sri Lanka and India. Added together, that leading cohort of suppliers sold over three-quarters (76%) of all black pepper exported during 2024.
Shifting our focus to imports, the 5 leading importers of black pepper in 2024 are buyers in the United States of America, India, Vietnam, Germany and France. Collectively, that quintet of top import countries bought nearly half (48.6%) of globally imported black pepper as measured by dollar value.
The above percentages suggest the total 124 exporters of black pepper (76% for the corresponding top 5 exporters) is a more concentrated cohort compared to about 200 buying countries, islands and territories. Along those lines, the top 5 importers at 48.6% generated a much smaller portion of its world total than the leading exporters.
Applying a continental perspective, exporters in Asia supplied the highest dollar worth of exported black pepper during 2024 with shipments valued at $1.92 billion or 71.5% of the global total. In second place were shippers based in Europe (12.7%), trailed by those in Latin America (11.3%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean. Smaller percentages came from providers in North America (3%), Africa (1.4%), and Oceania (0.1%) led by Australia.
As for global imports of black pepper by continent, 39.1% of black pepper purchased on international markets was delivered to customers in Asia, ahead of importers in Europe (28.2%). Lesser percentages went to buyers in North America (24.7%), Africa (4.3%), Latin America (2.1%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania (1.5%) led by Australia and New Zealand.
For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 090411 for black pepper that is neither crushed nor ground, and 090412 for crushed or ground black pepper.
Drilling down on those categories, 75% of world black pepper exports by value were for raw black pepper. The remaining 25% was collected for shipments of crushed or ground black pepper (versus 27.5% for the prior year).
Top Black Pepper Exports by Country
Below are the top 20 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of black pepper during 2024, regardless of whether the shipped black pepper was crushed, ground or neither.
- Vietnam: US$1.2 billion (43.2% of total black pepper exports)
- Indonesia: $311.3 million (11.6%)
- Brazil: $285.9 million (10.6%)
- Sri Lanka: $171.3 million (6.4%)
- India: $114.1 million (4.2%)
- Germany: $88.3 million (3.3%)
- Netherlands: $75.2 million (2.8%)
- United States: $47.7 million (1.8%)
- Malaysia: $41 million (1.5%)
- France: $40.2 million (1.5%)
- Cambodia: $35.3 million (1.3%)
- mainland China: $33.6 million (1.2%)
- Mexico: $25.7 million (1%)
- Austria: $20.7 million (0.8%)
- Spain: $19.5 million (0.7%)
- Poland: $16.6 million (0.6%)
- Singapore: $16 million (0.6%)
- South Africa: $14.2 million (0.5%)
- Italy: $11.4 million (0.4%)
- Türkiye: $11.4 million (0.4%)
By value, the listed 20 countries shipped 94.5% of globally exported black pepper in 2024.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing black pepper exporters since 2023 were: Mexico (up 352.5%), Indonesia (up 171.8%), Singapore (up 145.1%) and Cambodia (up 131.6%).
Those countries that posted the most modest increases in their exported black pepper sales were the United States of America (up 0.4% from 2023), Austria (up 3.1%) and South Africa (up 3.3%).
Top Black Pepper Imports by Country
The overall cost for imported black pepper totaled US$2.52 billion in spending for 2024, representing a 56.9% expansion over the 5-year period starting from $1.6 billion in 2020 rising to a 31.8% upturn compared to $1.9 billion for 2023.
Below are the 20 best buying markets as measured by the highest dollar value worth of black pepper imported during 2024, for any black pepper regardless of whether crushed, ground or unprocessed.
- United States: US$540.5 million (21.5% of total black pepper imports)
- India: $265.8 million (10.6%)
- Vietnam: $166.2 million (6.6%)
- Germany: $165.5 million (6.6%)
- France: $84.9 million (3.4%)
- United Kingdom: $73.1 million (2.9%)
- Japan: $70.9 million (2.8%)
- Netherlands: $63.3 million (2.5%)
- Canada: $62 million (2.5%)
- United Arab Emirates: $58.7 million (2.3%)
- mainland China: $55.7 million (2.2%)
- South Korea: $50.1 million (2%)
- Saudi Arabia: $48.5 million (1.9%)
- Thailand: $45.3 million (1.8%)
- Pakistan: $43.6 million (1.7%)
- Poland: $43.2 million (1.7%)
- Egypt: $42.1 million (1.7%)
- Philippines: $35.5 million (1.4%)
- Spain: $34.2 million (1.4%)
- Italy: $31.9 million (1.3%)
By value, the listed 20 countries bought 78.7% of globally imported black pepper in 2024.
Among the top importers, the fastest-growing black pepper importers since 2023 were: Vietnam (up 85.2%), South Korea (up 84.3%), United States of America (up 66%) and India (up 63%).
The sole competitor to record a decline in its imported black pepper purchases was the United Arab Emirates via a -28.9% slowdown from 2023.
Imported Raw Black Pepper: Lowest and Highest Unit Prices
We calculated the average unit price paid by importers of non-crushed and unground black pepper to be $5,209 per ton in 2024. That dollar amount reflects 21.8% in inflation from the average tonnage rate of $4,275 during 2023.
The average tonnage charge paid by the number one importer of non-crushed and unground black pepper, the United States of America, was much higher at $10,108.
Ranked in ascending order, listed below are the countries paying the lowest average unit prices for imported raw black pepper in 2024.
- Egypt: US$109 per ton (down -30.1% from 2023)
- Saint Lucia: $161 per ton (down -21.1%)
- Slovakia: $182 per ton (down -91.9%)
- Greenland: $353 per ton (down -89.2%)
- Kiribati: $417 per ton (down -74.8%)
- Moldova: $428 per ton (up 148.8%)
- Panama: $550 per ton (up 15.5%)
- Jordan: $617 per ton (up 53.1%)
- Serbia: $631 per ton (up 76.8%)
- Slovenia: $632 per ton (up 133.2%)
- Estonia: $692 per ton (down -30.8%)
- Belarus: $692 per ton (down -72.3%)
- Croatia: $747 per ton (down -59.4%)
- Costa Rica: $789 per ton (down -27%)
- Nicaragua: $928 per ton (up 22.9%)
Posting the greatest reductions in average unit price paid per ton for non-crushed and unground black pepper from 2023 to 2024 were low-cost importers Slovakia (down -91.9%), Greenland (down -89.2%), Kiribati (down -74.8%), Belarus (down -72.3%) and Croatia (down -59.4%).
The following countries paid the highest average unit prices for imported unprocessed black pepper.
- Lebanon: US$27,500 per ton (up 3.8% from 2023)
- Belgium: $23,000 per ton (2023 data unavailable)
- Jamaica: $20,619 per ton (up 2%)
- Austria: $19,400 per ton (up 21.3%)
- Angola: $17,000 per ton (down -22.7%)
- Norway: $14,000 per ton (up 35.5%)
- South Africa: $13,371 per ton (up 134.6%)
- Japan: $13,333 per ton (down -8.7%)
- Lithuania: $13,000 per ton (up 409.8%)
- Israel: $12,833 per ton (up 16.7%)
- Italy: $12,375 per ton (up 37.5%)
- Bangladesh: $12,130 per ton (up 3.9%)
- Sweden: $12,000 per ton (2023 data unavailable)
- Cabo Verde: $11,368 per ton (up 3.2%)
- St Vincent/Grenadines: $10,948 per ton (down -35%)
The greatest accelerations in terms of higher average unit prices paid in 2024 compared to 2023 were experienced by importers in Lithuania (up 409.8%), South Africa (up 134.6%) and Italy (up 37.5%).
Imported Crushed or Ground Black Pepper: Lowest and Highest Unit Prices
In 2024, the world’s average unit price for imports of crushed and ground black pepper was US$5,862 per ton. With labor and related expenses added in, the average metric for processed black pepper exceeds the $5,209 per ton for raw black pepper.
The worldwide average for imports of processed black pepper decreased by an average -24.6% compared to $5,589 per ton during 2023.
The average tonnage charge at $5,939 for the number one importer of crushed and ground black pepper, America, was greater than the global benchmark for 2024.
Ranked in ascending order, listed below are the countries paying the lowest average unit prices for imported crushed and ground black pepper in 2024.
- Lesotho: US$244 per ton (up 51.6% from 2023)
- Pakistan: $250 per ton (down -95.7%)
- Niger: $250 per ton (down -36.4%)
- Gambia: $413 per ton (down -20.6%)
- Tanzania: $500 per ton (down -58.3%)
- Togo: $509 per ton (down -2.3%)
- Burkina Faso: $670 per ton (down -64.7%)
- Mali: $773 per ton (down -19.7%)
- Grenada: $1,090 per ton (down -75.8%)
- Laos: $1,286 per ton (up 71.5%)
- Armenia: $1,292 per ton (down -1.4%)
- Tajikistan: $1,333 per ton (down -26.3%)
- Tunisia: $1,480 per ton (down -24.9%)
- Kyrgyzstan: $1,556 per ton (down -44.1%)
- Türkiye: $1,619 per ton (down -59.6%)
The greatest decliners in average unit price paid per ton for crushed and ground black pepper were recorded by buyers in Pakistan (down -95.7% from 2023), Grenada (down -75.8%), Burkina Faso (down -64.7%), Türkiye (down -59.6%) and Tanzania (down -58.3%).
The following countries paid the highest average unit prices for imported crushed or ground black pepper.
- Bangladesh: US$28,000 per ton (up 21.7% from 2023)
- Gabon: $22,000 per ton (up 1,069%)
- Kenya: $20,000 per ton (up 140%)
- French Polynesia: $17,867 per ton (up 16.3%)
- Greenland: $17,667 per ton (down -11.7%)
- Aruba: $16,000 per ton (up 192.3%)
- Bermuda: $15,750 per ton (up 3.8%)
- Faroe Islands: $15,250 per ton (down -9%)
- Luxembourg: $14,121 per ton (down -7.6%)
- Nicaragua: $14,053 per ton (up 0.8%)
- Belarus: $14,000 per ton (up 109.2%)
- Montenegro: $13,679 per ton (up 8.8%)
- Lithuania: $13,641 per ton (down -3%)
- Iceland: $13,541 per ton (up 10.1%)
- Morocco: $12,875 per ton (up 22.9%)
The strongest percentage gains in terms of higher average unit prices were paid by importers of crushed or ground black pepper in Gabon (up 1,069% from 2023), Aruba (up 192.3%), Kenya (up 140%), Belarus (up 109.2%) and Morocco (up 22.9%).
See also Top Exported Spices by Sales, Weight and Unit Value, Top Salt Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices, Top Garlic Exports by Country, Top Cloves Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices, Top Nutmeg Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices and Top Vanilla Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices
Research Sources:
Alibaba, Black Pepper Showroom. Accessed on July 24, 2025
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on July 24, 2025
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 24, 2025
Wikipedia, Black Pepper. Accessed on July 24, 2025