Skip links

World's Top Exports

Trade metrics that inspire global thinking

Header Right

Top Brazil Nuts Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices

by

Shelled Brazil nuts
Brazil nuts
In 2021, exports of Brazil nuts were worth a total US$343 million.

Export sales of Brazil nuts rose by an overall average 4.9% since 2017 when export sales for Brazil nuts were $327.1 million.

Year over year, worldwide export revenues accelerated by 30% compared to $263.8 million in cashflow during 2020 for the smooth, buttery and relatively large nuts.

Raw Brazil nuts seeds come from the fruits of Brazil nut trees, one of the largest and oldest trees in the Amazon rainforest. However, the highest dollar value of shelled Brazil nuts come from exporters in Venezuela.

Brazil nuts are rich in selenium, a valued antioxidant that bolsters the quality of blood flow, resistance to disease, and defends against inflammation.

Besides serving as unique additions to nut mixtures, Brazil nuts are used to make unsaturated fatty acid oils.

Key Geographic Facts for Brazil Nuts Exports & Imports

By value, the 5 biggest exporters of Brazil nuts are Bolivia, Peru, Germany, Brazil and the Netherlands. Collectively, that leading cohort of suppliers sold 88.1% of all shelled and unshelled Brazil nuts exported during 2021.

Applying a continental lens, countries in Latin America excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean supplied the highest dollar worth of exported Brazil nuts during 2021 with shipments valued at $247.2 million or 72.1% of the global total. In second place were exporters in Europe (20.2%) trailed by those in Africa (5.4%), North America (1.9%), Asia (0.4%) then Oceania (0.1%) led by Australia.

Shifting our focus to imports, the 5 leading importers of Brazil nuts in 2021 were the United States of America, Germany, United Kingdom, South Korea and France. That quintet of top import countries bought 60.8% of globally imported Brazil nuts as measured by dollar value.

The above percentages suggest the total 67 exporters of Brazil nuts (88.1% for the corresponding top 5 exporters) is a more concentrated cohort compared to 122 buying countries, islands and territories. The top 5 importers accounted for a smaller portion of its world total for imported Brazil nuts at 60.8%.

As for global imports of Brazil nuts by continent, 57.6% of Brazil nuts purchased on international markets was delivered to customers in Europe ahead of importers in North America (24.4%), Asia (9%), Latin America (5.2%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, Oceania (3%) led by Australia, and Africa (0.8%).

We calculated the average unit price paid by importers of Brazil nuts still in-shell to be $1,767 per ton in 2021. That dollar amount reflects a -5.8% drop from the average tonnage rate of $1,876 during 2020.

Exports of shelled Brazil nuts demand a higher unit price. For shelled Brazil nuts, the average unit price paid by importers was $7,245 per ton in 2021 up 17.5% from the average tonnage rate of $6,164 for 2020. The higher average price results in part from shelling labor costs and other processing expenses.

For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 080121 for fresh or dried Brazil nuts in shell, and 080122 for fresh or dried shelled Brazil nuts.

Drilling down on those categories, 90.6% of Brazil nuts exported worldwide by sales were for shelled Brazil nuts. The remaining 9.4% was paid for Brazil nuts in shell.

Top Brazil Nuts Exports by Country

Below are the top 20 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of Brazil nuts during 2021, regardless of whether the shipped Brazil nuts were in-shell or shelled.

  1. Bolivia: US$157.3 million (45.8% of exported Brazil nuts)
  2. Peru: $48.7 million (14.2%)
  3. Brazil: $41.3 million (12%)
  4. Germany: $33.2 million (9.7%)
  5. Netherlands: $21.6 million (6.3%)
  6. Nigeria: $14.8 million (4.3%)
  7. United States: $5.3 million (1.6%)
  8. Spain: $3.5 million (1%)
  9. Mozambique: $3.4 million (1%)
  10. United Kingdom: $2.5 million (0.7%)
  11. Italy: $1.6 million (0.5%)
  12. Canada: $1.2 million (0.4%)
  13. Poland: $971,000 (0.3%)
  14. Lithuania: $886,000 (0.3%)
  15. Belarus: $671,000 (0.2%)
  16. Czech Republic: $629,000 (0.2%)
  17. Greece: $563,000 (0.2%)
  18. United Arab Emirates: $461,000 (0.1%)
  19. Portugal: $414,000 (0.1%)
  20. Belgium: $370,000 (0.1%)

By value, the listed 20 countries shipped 99% of globally exported Brazil nuts in 2021.

Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing Brazil nuts exporters since 2020 were: Nigeria (up 620.2%), Spain (up 150.7%), Poland (up 140.3%) and Brazil (up 98.9%).

Those suppliers that posted double-digit declines in their exported Brazil nuts sales were: United Kingdom (down -65.4%), Belgium (down -57.2%), Canada (down -49.8%), Mozambique (down -24.3%) and Germany (down -14.5%).

Top Brazil Nuts Imports by Country

Overall spending on imported Brazil nuts amounted to $298.8 million, slipping by -14.7% over the 5-year period starting in 2017 but increasing via a 14.2% year over year upturn since 2020.

Below are the 20 best buying markets as measured by the highest dollar value worth of Brazil nuts imported during 2021, for any Brazil nuts regardless of whether shelled or not.

  1. United States: US$65.1 million (21.8% of imported Brazil nuts)
  2. Germany: $49.7 million (16.6%)
  3. United Kingdom: $30.1 million (10.1%)
  4. South Korea: $19.6 million (6.6%)
  5. France: $17.2 million (5.8%)
  6. Netherlands: $13.9 million (4.7%)
  7. Italy: $11 million (3.7%)
  8. Peru: $9.1 million (3.1%)
  9. Canada: $7.9 million (2.6%)
  10. Poland: $7.2 million (2.4%)
  11. Australia: $6.5 million (2.2%)
  12. Spain: $6 million (2.0%)
  13. Russia: $4.5 million (1.5%)
  14. Czech Republic: $3.8 million (1.3%)
  15. Belgium: $3.7 million (1.2%)
  16. Switzerland: $3.3 million (1.1%)
  17. Colombia: $3.2 million (1.1%)
  18. Brazil: $2.73 million (0.9%)
  19. Austria: $2.69 million (0.9%)
  20. New Zealand: $2.3 million (0.8%)

By value, the listed 20 countries bought 90.2% of globally imported Brazil nuts in 2021.

Among the top importers, the fastest-growing Brazil nuts importers since 2020 were: Peru (up 315.9%), Brazil (up 170%), Colombia (up 109.6%) and the United States of America (up 82.2%).

Major suppliers that endured declines in their imported Brazil nuts purchases were: Netherlands (down -32.1%), Belgium (down -20.2%), Canada (down -13.3%), Germany (down -12.4%) and the United Kingdom (down -8.6%).

Imported In-Shell Brazil Nuts: Lowest and Highest Unit Prices

In 2021, the world’s average unit price for imports of in-shell Brazil nuts was US$1,767 per ton. That metric reflects a -5.8% drop from an average $1,875 per ton for 2020.

The average tonnage charge for the number one importer of unshelled Brazil nuts, United States of America, was lower at $1,238. The average cost per 1,000 for American buyers dropped by -48.5% compared to $2,404 one year earlier.

Ranked in ascending order, listed below are the countries paying the lowest average unit prices for imported in-shell Brazil nuts in 2021.

  1. Mauritania: US$160 per ton (down -62.7% from 2020)
  2. Brunei Darussalam: $314 per ton (up 4.7%)
  3. Kazakhstan: $429 per ton (up 243.2%)
  4. Bolivia: $638 per ton (up 66.6%)
  5. Montenegro: $1,000 per ton (2020 data unavailable)
  6. Suriname: $1,217 per ton (up 21.7%)
  7. United States: $1,238 per ton (down -48.5%)
  8. Peru: $1,397 per ton (up 102.2%)
  9. Eswatini: $1,500 per ton (2020 data unavailable)
  10. Greece: $2,000 per ton (down -42.9%)
  11. Belgium: $2,222 per ton (down -71.3%)
  12. Botswana: $2,333 per ton (2020 data unavailable)
  13. Lebanon: $2,375 per ton (2020 data unavailable)
  14. Spain: $2,414 per ton (up 36%)
  15. Bulgaria: $2,450 per ton (up 14%)

There were 4 reductions in average unit price paid per ton for in-shell Brazil nuts from 2020 to 2021 namely low-cost importers Belgium (down -71.3%), Mauritania (down -62.7%), United States of America (down -48.5%) and Greece (down -42.9%).

The following countries paid the highest average unit prices for imported in-shell Brazil nuts.

  1. Finland: US$255,000 per ton (up 46.6% from 2020)
  2. Iceland: $33,333 per ton (up 33.3%)
  3. Saudi Arabia: $23,000 per ton (up 338.1%)
  4. Iraq: $12,250 per ton (2020 data unavailable)
  5. Estonia: $11,000 per ton (up 78.4%)
  6. Singapore: $11,000 per ton (down -26.7%)
  7. Qatar: $9,143 per ton (up 562.1%)
  8. Trinidad & Tobago: $9,000 per ton (up 80%)
  9. Lithuania: $8,833 per ton (up 120.8%)
  10. Norway: $8,625 per ton (up 77.6%)
  11. Sweden: $7,625 per ton (down -36.5%)
  12. Germany: $7,500 per ton (up 50.9%)
  13. Netherlands: $7,406 per ton (up 14.6%)
  14. Romania: $7,000 per ton (up 29.6%)
  15. Malaysia: $6,333 per ton (2020 data unavailable)

The strongest growth in terms of higher average unit prices paid in 2021 compared to 2020 were experienced by importers in Qatar (up 562.1%), Saudi Arabia (up 338.1%), Lithuania (up 120.8%), Trinidad and Tobago (up 80%), Estonia (up 78.4%) and Norway (up 77.6%).

Imported Shelled Brazil Nuts: Lowest and Highest Unit Prices

In 2021, the world’s average unit price for imports of shelled Brazil nuts was US$7,245 per ton, expanding by 17.5% compared to $6,164 per ton one year earlier.

The average tonnage charge for the number one importer of shelled Brazil nuts, Peru, was significantly lower at $1,308. That lower cost is due to Peru’s close proximity to Bolivia, the world’s number one supplier of Brazil nuts, and simple economies of scale.

Ranked in ascending order, listed below are the countries paying the lowest average unit prices for imported Brazil nuts in 2021 that that have already had their shells removed.

  1. Cambodia: US$100 per ton (2020 data unavailable)
  2. Kyrgyzstan: $475 per ton (up 18.8% from 2020)
  3. Kazakhstan: $989 per ton (up 1.1%)
  4. Belize: $1,000 per ton (2020 data unavailable)
  5. Peru: $1,038 per ton (down -74.9%)
  6. Angola: $1,333 per ton (2020 data unavailable)
  7. Mozambique: $1,500 per ton (down -50%)
  8. Honduras: $1,667 per ton (2020 data unavailable)
  9. Antigua & Barbuda: $2,000 per ton (2020 data unavailable)
  10. Namibia: $2,000 per ton (down -50%)
  11. Jordan: $2,000 per ton (down -71.4%)
  12. Brazil: $2,765 per ton (up 32%)
  13. Colombia: $2,792 per ton (up 48.5%)
  14. Yemen: $2,964 per ton (up 295.2%)
  15. Chile: $3,000 per ton (2020 data unavailable)

There were 4 buyers that endured reductions in average unit price paid per ton for shelled Brazil nuts from 2020 to 2021. The reductions were posted by low-cost importers in Peru (down -74.9%), Jordan (down -71.4), Mozambique (down -50%) and Namibia (also down -50%).

The following countries paid the highest average unit prices for imported Brazil nuts without their shells .

  1. Finland: US$263,000 per ton (up 2,425% from 2020)
  2. China: $21,667 per ton (up 298.8%)
  3. Bermuda: $18,000 per ton (down -14.3%)
  4. Hong Kong: $17,000 per ton (up 108.8%)
  5. Armenia: $16,667 per ton (up 19.1%)
  6. Guatemala: $15,000 per ton (2020 data unavailable)
  7. Oman: $14,400 per ton (up 105.7%)
  8. Ecuador: $14,143 per ton (up 135.7%)
  9. Kuwait: $12,688 per ton (up 35.7%)
  10. Nigeria: $12,000 per ton (2020 data unavailable)
  11. Indonesia: $12,000 per ton (up 200%)
  12. Dominican Republic: $12,000 per ton (up 200%)
  13. Barbados: $12,000 per ton (2020 data unavailable)
  14. Switzerland: $11,675 per ton (up 27.7%)
  15. Singapore: $11,571 per ton (up 64.5%)

The strongest accelerations in terms of higher average unit prices paid in 2021 compared to 2020 were experienced by importers of shelled Brazil nuts in Finland (up 2,425%), mainland China (up 298.8%), Indonesia (up 200%), Dominican Republic (also up 200%), Ecuador (up 135.7%), Hong Kong (up 108.8%) and Oman (up 105.7%).

See also Top Peanuts Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices, Top Almonds Exporters by Country, Top Walnut Exporters by Country and Top Cashews Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices, Top Pistachios Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices, Top Hazelnuts Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices and Top Chestnuts Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices

Research Sources:
Alibaba, Brazil Nut Showroom. Accessed on December 27, 2022

Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on December 27, 2022

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on December 27, 2022

Wikipedia, Brazil nut. Accessed on December 27, 2022

Wikipedia, Selenium. Accessed on December 27, 2022