Worldwide sales of exported cashews flatlined via an overall average -0.1% dip from 5 years earlier in 2019 when cashew exports totaled $6.65 billion.
Year over year, overall export revenues from selling the richly and nutty flavored seed rose 6.9% compared to $6.22 billion in 2022.
Prized by consumers as snack nuts, cashews seeds come from the fruits of large tropical evergreen trees as tall as 46 feet (14 meters). Cashew nut oil is used in cooking and salad dressings. Cashews are also key ingredients to make cashew butter.
Geographic Insights about Cashew Exports & Imports
By value, the 5 biggest exporters of cashews (Vietnam, Africa’s Ivory Coast, India, Cambodia and Nigeria) sold well over two-thirds (71.9%) of all cashews exported during 2023.
Applying a continental perspective, countries in Asia supplied the highest dollar worth of exported cashews during 2023 with shipments valued at $3.35 billion or 50.4% of the global total. In second place were exporters in Africa (39.2%) trailed by those in Europe (9%), Latin America (1%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, North America (0.3%), and Oceania (0.002%) led by Australia.
Shifting our focus to imports, the 5 leading importers of cashews in 2023 were Vietnam, India, United States of America, Germany and the Netherlands. Collectively, that quintet of most valuable import countries bought roughly two-thirds (66.8%) of globally imported cashews as measured by dollar value.
The above percentages suggest the total 110 exporting countries for cashews (71.9% for the corresponding top 5 exporters) is a more concentrated cohort compared to 180+ buying countries, islands and territories. At 66.8%, the top 5 importers accounted for a smaller portion of its world total for imported cashews.
As for continental data for global imports of cashews, almost three-fifths (57.9%) of cashews purchased on international markets was delivered to customers in Asia ahead of the percentage share for importers in Europe (24.4%), North America (14.5%), Oceania (1.7%) led by Australia, Africa (1.1%), and Latin America (0.4%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.
Average Global Prices for Cashew Imports by Type
We calculated the average unit price paid by importers of cashews still in-shell to be $1,066 per ton in 2023. That dollar amount reflects a -20% decline from the average tonnage rate of $1,333 during 2022.
Unsurprisingly, exports of shelled cashews demand a higher unit price. For shelled cashews, the average unit price paid by importers was $5,685 per ton in 2023 down by -12.2% from the average tonnage rate of $6,474 for 2022. The higher average price for shelled cashews results in part from labor costs and other shell-removal processing expenses.
For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 080131 for fresh or dried cashew nuts in shell, and 080132 for fresh or dried shelled cashew nuts.
Drilling down on those categories, over three-fifths (60.7%) of cashews exported worldwide by dollar value were for shelled cashews. The remaining 39.3% was paid for cashews in shell, up from 36.3% one year earlier.
Top Cashews Exports by Country
Below are the top 20 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of cashews during 2023, regardless of whether the shipped cashews were in-shell or shelled.
- Vietnam: US$2.5 billion (37.6% of total exported cashews)
- Ivory Coast: $1.2 billion (18.8%)
- India: $356.6 million (5.4%)
- Cambodia: $347.9 million (5.2%)
- Nigeria: $327.5 million (4.9%)
- Netherlands: $294.1 million (4.4%)
- Ghana: $256.6 million (3.9%)
- Tanzania: $219.8 million (3.3%)
- Germany: $210.8 million (3.2%)
- Burkina Faso: $119.5 million (1.8%)
- Benin: $112 million (1.7%)
- Senegal: $87.6 million (1.3%)
- Mozambique: $77.7 million (1.2%)
- Guinea: $73.3 million (1.1%)
- Brazil: $68.6 million (1%)
- Guinea-Bissau: $68.5 million (1%)
- Indonesia: $54.8 million (0.8%)
- Türkiye: $24.6 million (0.4%)
- United Arab Emirates: $22 million (0.3%)
- Belgium: $20.6 million (0.3%)
By value, the listed 20 countries shipped 97.6% of globally exported cashews in 2023.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing cashews exporters since 2022 were: Cambodia (up 2,663%), Benin (up 265.7%), Nigeria (up 58.5%) and Germany (up 37.3%).
Those countries that posted declines in their exported cashews sales were led by: United Arab Emirates (down -86% from 2022), Guinea-Bissau (down -66.8%), Guinea (down -26.5%), Senegal (down -21.4%) and Burkina Faso (down -17.1%).
Top Cashews Imports by Country
Overall spending on imported cashews was a reported $6.46 billion for 2023. That dollar metric reflects a 26.3% rise from $7.2 billion five years earlier in 2019. Starting from $8.4 billion for 2022, total purchases of imported cashews dropped by -22.9% year over year.
Below are the 20 best buying markets as measured by the highest dollar value worth of cashews imported during 2023, for any cashews regardless of whether shelled or not.
- Vietnam: US$1.39 billion (21.5% of total imported cashews)
- India: $1.36 billion (21%)
- United States: $843.7 million (13.1%)
- Germany: $426.6 million (6.6%)
- Netherlands: $301.4 million (4.7%)
- mainland China: $256 million (4%)
- United Arab Emirates: $158 million (2.4%)
- United Kingdom: $142.8 million (2.2%)
- Türkiye: $130.1 million (2%)
- France: $121.4 million (1.9%)
- Spain: $103.4 million (1.6%)
- Australia: $91.2 million (1.4%)
- Japan: $90.3 million (1.4%)
- Canada: $88.1 million (1.4%)
- Italy: $78.9 million (1.2%)
- Thailand: $74.3 million (1.1%)
- Poland: $63 million (1%)
- Belgium: $46.9 million (0.7%)
- Israel: $38.1 million (0.6%)
- Saudi Arabia: $34.5 million (0.5%)
By value, the listed 20 countries bought 90.3% of globally imported cashews in 2023.
Among the top importers, the fastest-growing cashews importers since 2022 were: Türkiye (up 73.1%), Belgium (up 16.8%), Thailand (up 13.2%), Spain (up 11.7%) and Japan (up 9.2%).
Posting double-digit declines in their cashew import purchases were: Saudi Arabia (down -63.3% from 2022), Vietnam (down -41.3%), India (down -28.7%), Israel (down -27.4%), United Arab Emirates (down -18.9%), United States of America (down -13.2%) and Canada (down -10.8%).
Imported In-Shell Cashews: Lowest and Highest Unit Prices
In 2023, the world’s average unit price for imports of in-shell cashews was US$1,066 per ton.
Ranked in ascending order, listed below are the countries paying the lowest average unit prices for imported in-shell cashews in 2023.
- Togo: US$34 per ton (up 25.9% from 2022)
- Burkina Faso: $34 per ton (up 183.3%)
- Ghana: $103 per ton (down -97.4%)
- Ivory Coast: $267 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
- El Salvador: $500 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
- Benin: $561 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
- Indonesia: $704 per ton (down -45.2%)
- Venezuela: $868 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
- United Arab Emirates: $915 per ton (down -82.1%)
- Rwanda: $954 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
- mainland China: $969 per ton (down -13.5%)
- Russia: $1,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
- Iran: $1,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
- Democratic Rep. Congo: $1,000 per ton (down -93.9%)
- Laos: $1,000 per ton (down -22.6%)
There were 6 reductions in average unit price paid per ton for in-shell cashews from 2022 to 2023. These were low-cost importers in Ghana (down -97.4%), Democratic Republic of the Congo (down -93.9%), United Arab Emirates (down -82.1%), Indonesia (down -45.2%), Laos (down -22.6%) then mainland China (down -13.5%).
The following countries paid the highest average unit prices for imported in-shell cashews.
- United Kingdom: US$28,526 per ton (up 286.3% from 2022)
- Bermuda: $27,000 per ton (up 170%)
- Ethiopia: $23,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
- Austria: $16,000 per ton (up 175.9%)
- Czech Republic: $15,000 per ton (down -34.8%)
- Luxembourg: $13,111 per ton (down -8%)
- Switzerland: $11,500 per ton (up 17.3%)
- Belgium: $11,411 per ton (down -9.2%)
- Botswana: $10,000 per ton (up 110.5%)
- Zambia: $9,846 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
- Finland: $9,126 per ton (up 5.1%)
- Curaçao: $9,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
- Romania: $9,000 per ton (up 9.1%)
- Portugal: $8,800 per ton (up 9%)
- Seychelles: $8,500 per ton (down -10%)
The greatest increases in terms of higher average unit prices in 2023 compared to 2022 were paid by importers in the United Kingdom (up 286.3%), Austria (up 175.9%), Bermuda (up 170%) and Botswana (up 110.5%).
Imported Shelled Cashews: Lowest and Highest Unit Prices
In 2023, the world’s average unit price for imports of shelled cashews was US$5,685 per ton.
Ranked in ascending order, listed below are the countries paying the lowest average unit prices for cashews imported in 2023 with shells already removed.
- Kyrgyzstan: US$794 per ton (up 2.1% from 2021)
- Ghana: $800 per ton (down -10.6%)
- Uganda: $1,000 per ton (down -48.7%)
- Vietnam: $1,099 per ton (down -84.7%)
- Cambodia: $1,138 per ton (up 13.8%)
- Suriname: $1,500 per ton (down -50%)
- Laos: $1,813 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
- Belize: $2,000 per ton (up 20%)
- Indonesia: $2,255 per ton (down -26.4%)
- Brazil: $2,366 per ton (down -41%)
- Kazakhstan: $2,420 per ton (up 21.4%)
- Russia: $2,425 per ton (down -63.6%)
- Bolivia: $2,500 per ton (up 25%)
- Dominican Republic: $2,553 per ton (up 15.1%)
- Estonia: $2,933 per ton (down -19.8%)
The greatest reductions in average unit price paid per ton for shelled cashews belong to low-cost importers in Vietnam (down -84.7% from 2022), Russia (down -63.6%), Suriname (down -50%), Uganda (down -48.7%) and Brazil (down -41%).
The following countries paid the highest average unit prices for imported cashews without their shells.
- Antigua/Barbuda: US$25,143 per ton (down -35.9% from 2021)
- Cuba: $16,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
- Ethiopia: $14,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
- Bermuda: $13,500 per ton (down -3.3%)
- Mauritius: $12,535 per ton (up 36.5%)
- New Caledonia: $12,500 per ton (up 13.6%)
- Gibraltar: $12,500 per ton (up 13.6%)
- French Polynesia: $12,000 per ton (down -2.7%)
- Liberia: $12,000 per ton (up 4700%)
- Marshall Islands: $12,000 per ton (down -4%)
- Brunei Darussalam: $11,000 per ton (up 33.1%)
- Eswatini: $11,000 per ton (up 10%)
- Aruba: $10,500 per ton (up 5%)
- Democratic Rep. Congo: $10,000 per ton (up 15.9%)
- Faroe Islands: $10,000 per ton (up 25%)
Strongest inflation in terms of higher average unit prices paid in 2023 compared to 2022 were experienced by importers of shelled cashews in Liberia (up 4,700%), Mauritius (up 36.5%), Brunei Darussalam (up 33.1%) and the Faroe Island (up 25%).
See also Top Peanuts Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices, Top Almonds Exporters by Country, Top Walnut Exporters by Country, Top Pistachios Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices, Top Hazelnuts Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices and Top Brazil Nuts Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices
Research Sources:
Alibaba, Cashew Showroom. Accessed on July 26, 2024
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on July 26, 2024
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 26, 2024
Wikipedia, Cashew. Accessed on July 26, 2024
Wikipedia, Cashew business in Kollam. Accessed on July 26, 2024