That dollar amount results from a 10.3% increase compared to the $1.9 billion in exported cork 5 years earlier during 2020.
Year over year, global sales of cork exports declined by -8.8% from $2.3 billion starting from 2023.
An impermeable, buoyant, elastic and fire-retardant material, cork is made from bark tissue. Commercial uses of cork include wine stoppers, bulletin boards, wall or floor tiles and even spacecraft heat shields.
The world’s 3 biggest cork sellers are Portugal, Spain and France. Collectively, this trio of major suppliers generated 82.8% of the overall value of cork-related exports during 2024. Such a high percentage indicates a concentrated cohort of product exporters.
From a continental perspective, suppliers based in European countries furnished the highest dollar worth of exported cork during 2024 with shipments valued at $1.9 billion or 91.1% of the global total. Exporters located in Asia placed a distant second at 4.1% but ahead of shippers in Africa (1.8%).
Even tinier percentages originated from providers in North America (1.6%), Latin America (1.3%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania (0.1%) mostly Australia.
For research purposes, the 2-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 45. That code prefix encompasses both cork as a material and items made from cork.
Top Cork Exporting Countries by Revenue
Below are the 15 countries that sold the highest dollar value worth of exported cork during 2024.
- Portugal: US$1.2 billion (59.4% of total cork exports)
- Spain: $387.2 million (18.5%)
- France: $101.2 million (4.8%)
- Italy: $52.9 million (2.5%)
- mainland China: $45.8 million (2.2%)
- United States: $26.3 million (1.3%)
- Germany: $25.9 million (1.2%)
- Chile: $25.3 million (1.2%)
- Denmark: $20 million (1%)
- Poland: $18.1 million (0.9%)
- Morocco: $13.8 million (0.7%)
- Algeria: $12.6 million (0.6%)
- Saudi Arabia: $12.1 million (0.6%)
- Tunisia: $10.4 million (0.5%)
- Netherlands: $10.2 million (0.5%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 95.8% of all cork exported in 2024.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing exporters of cork since 2023 were: Chile (up 36%), Netherlands (up 29.3%), Tunisia (up 3.7%) and France (up 2.5%).
Those countries that posted declines in their international sales of cork were led by: Morocco (down -35.6% from 2023), Saudi Arabia (down -21.8%), Italy (down -14.1%), Spain (down -12.3%) and Portugal (down -6.7%).
Searchable List of Cork Exporting Countries in 2024
The 104 exporters showcased in the following automated database were responsible for 100% of globally exported cork during 2024.
| Rank | Exporter | Cork Exports | 2023-4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Portugal | $1,242,807,000 | -6.7% |
| 2. | Spain | $387,175,000 | -12.3% |
| 3. | France | $101,212,000 | +2.5% |
| 4. | Italy | $52,861,000 | -14.1% |
| 5. | mainland China | $45,755,000 | -1.8% |
| 6. | United States | $26,328,000 | -1.9% |
| 7. | Germany | $25,887,000 | +1.2% |
| 8. | Chile | $25,295,000 | +36% |
| 9. | Denmark | $19,956,000 | -5.6% |
| 10. | Poland | $18,081,000 | -1.7% |
| 11. | Morocco | $13,763,000 | -35.6% |
| 12. | Algeria | $12,587,000 | -4.8% |
| 13. | Saudi Arabia | $12,084,000 | -21.8% |
| 14. | Tunisia | $10,370,000 | +3.7% |
| 15. | Netherlands | $10,194,000 | +29.3% |
| 16. | United Kingdom | $8,773,000 | +15.2% |
| 17. | Switzerland | $8,152,000 | +22.7% |
| 18. | Türkiye | $7,196,000 | -14% |
| 19. | Belgium | $6,921,000 | -22% |
| 20. | Canada | $5,701,000 | +12.5% |
| 21. | Austria | $5,663,000 | -9.5% |
| 22. | India | $4,812,000 | -6.1% |
| 23. | Bulgaria | $3,908,000 | -10.9% |
| 24. | Vietnam | $3,752,000 | +131.7% |
| 25. | Japan | $3,170,000 | +81.7% |
| 26. | Taiwan | $2,979,000 | -8.5% |
| 27. | Hungary | $2,523,000 | +48.8% |
| 28. | Czech Republic | $2,403,000 | -9.6% |
| 29. | Ukraine | $2,277,000 | -11.1% |
| 30. | Mexico | $2,191,000 | -37.2% |
| 31. | United Arab Emirates | $1,666,000 | -95.9% |
| 32. | Sweden | $1,524,000 | -12.2% |
| 33. | Thailand | $1,212,000 | +1793.8% |
| 34. | Australia | $1,137,000 | -9.2% |
| 35. | Russia | $894,000 | -62.9% |
| 36. | Malaysia | $836,000 | -37.2% |
| 37. | Singapore | $827,000 | +20% |
| 38. | South Africa | $809,000 | +67.5% |
| 39. | Philippines | $737,000 | -20.2% |
| 40. | Panama | $586,000 | +94.7% |
| 41. | Romania | $554,000 | -7.5% |
| 42. | South Korea | $478,000 | -5.9% |
| 43. | Slovakia | $456,000 | -19.9% |
| 44. | Serbia | $424,000 | +17.1% |
| 45. | Croatia | $384,000 | +24.3% |
| 46. | Brazil | $384,000 | +75.3% |
| 47. | Lithuania | $374,000 | -59.5% |
| 48. | Slovenia | $357,000 | +1.4% |
| 49. | Norway | $225,000 | +40.6% |
| 50. | Kuwait | $221,000 | +93.9% |
| 51. | Greece | $209,000 | -38.3% |
| 52. | Indonesia | $204,000 | +245.8% |
| 53. | Colombia | $184,000 | -21% |
| 54. | Israel | $164,000 | -94.2% |
| 55. | Georgia | $147,000 | -62.2% |
| 56. | Hong Kong | $138,000 | -6.1% |
| 57. | Peru | $117,000 | -4.9% |
| 58. | Latvia | $112,000 | -8.9% |
| 59. | Nicaragua | $105,000 | +34.6% |
| 60. | Argentina | $103,000 | 0% |
| 61. | Finland | $85,000 | -17.5% |
| 62. | Ireland | $72,000 | -63.6% |
| 63. | Belarus | $70,000 | +94.4% |
| 64. | Eswatini | $66,000 | 0% |
| 65. | Oman | $63,000 | -97.4% |
| 66. | Bahrain | $53,000 | -50% |
| 67. | Estonia | $51,000 | -22.7% |
| 68. | Azerbaijan | $49,000 | 0% |
| 69. | Guatemala | $47,000 | +4600% |
| 70. | Moldova | $47,000 | -62.4% |
| 71. | Luxembourg | $42,000 | -14.3% |
| 72. | New Zealand | $39,000 | +129.4% |
| 73. | Montenegro | $33,000 | +3200% |
| 74. | Armenia | $33,000 | -96.8% |
| 75. | Qatar | $25,000 | -94.3% |
| 76. | Andorra | $24,000 | 0% |
| 77. | Ivory Coast | $22,000 | +120% |
| 78. | Mauritius | $20,000 | +33.3% |
| 79. | Seychelles | $20,000 | -23.1% |
| 80. | Aruba | $19,000 | +1800% |
| 81. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $19,000 | -13.6% |
| 82. | Venezuela | $18,000 | 0% |
| 83. | Cambodia | $14,000 | 0% |
| 84. | El Salvador | $14,000 | 0% |
| 85. | Lebanon | $14,000 | -86.7% |
| 86. | Jordan | $10,000 | +42.9% |
| 87. | Bangladesh | $9,000 | +350% |
| 88. | Costa Rica | $8,000 | -94.4% |
| 89. | Egypt | $7,000 | -63.2% |
| 90. | Kazakhstan | $6,000 | -40% |
| 91. | Tanzania | $5,000 | -94.7% |
| 92 | Timor-Leste | $5,000 | 0% |
| 93. | Syria | $4,000 | -55.6% |
| 94. | Namibia | $3,000 | -25% |
| 95. | Ghana | $3,000 | 0% |
| 96. | Albania | $3,000 | -57.1% |
| 97. | Dominican Republic | $2,000 | -33.3% |
| 98. | Iran | $2,000 | -92.3% |
| 99. | North Macedonia | $2,000 | +100% |
| 100. | Uruguay | $2,000 | -84.6% |
| 101. | Malta | $1,000 | -90% |
| 102. | Nigeria | $1,000 | 0% |
| 103. | Burundi | $1,000 | 0% |
| 104. | American Samoa | $1,000 | 0% |
Overall, the fastest-growing exporters of cork were Guatemala (up 4,600% from 2023), Montenegro (up 3,200%), Aruba (up 1,800%), Thailand (up 1,794%) and Bangladesh (up 350%).
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of the above table’s columns. An entry of 0% in the right-most column means that 2024 data was unavailable.
Countries Generating Best Trade Surpluses from Cork
The following countries posted positive net exports for cork 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 exported cork and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- Portugal: US$1 billion (net export surplus down -0.8% since 2023)
- Spain: $189.7 million (down -7.8%)
- mainland China: $14.2 million (up 76.4%)
- Denmark: $12.8 million (down -11.2%)
- Morocco: $11.8 million (down -41.6%)
- Algeria: $11.7 million (down -8.9%)
- Tunisia: $9.8 million (up 9.2%)
- Poland: $9.3 million (down -9%)
- Netherlands: $1.9 million (reversing a -$6.8 million deficit)
- Bulgaria: $126,000 (down -38.2%)
- Eswatini: $57,000 (reversing a -$7,000 deficit)
- Nicaragua: $43,000 (reversing a -$129,000 deficit)
- Burundi: $1,000 (2023 data unavailable)
- American Samoa: $1,000 (reversing a -$129,000 deficit)
World-leading cork exporter Portugal generated the highest surplus in the international trade of cork. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms Portgual’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Countries Causing Worst Trade Deficits from Cork
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for cork 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 imported cork purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- United States: -US$268.5 million (net export deficit down -4.8% since 2023)
- France: -$210.3 million (down -7.1%)
- Italy: -$195.9 million (down -7.6%)
- Saudi Arabia: -$132.8 million (down -38.4%)
- Germany: -$66.9 million (up 5.2%)
- Mexico: -$65.2 million (up 16.5%)
- United Kingdom: -$54.8 million (down -28.3%)
- Argentina: -$35.7 million (down -17.9%)
- Australia: -$21.7 million (up 20.3%)
- Belarus: -$18.1 million (up 16%)
- Chile: -$17.5 million (down -5.8%)
- Switzerland: -$15.9 million (down -20.6%)
- Canada: -$14.5 million (down -16.1%)
- South Africa: -$13.2 million (up 18.5%)
- Vietnam: -$12.5 million (down -13.5%)
The United States of America incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of cork. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights America’s strong competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for cork-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand.
Cork Exporting Companies
According to global trading platform Alibaba, the following cork export companies are examples of suppliers for either cork materials or commercial items made from cork like wine stoppers or beverage coasters. The home-country location for each business is shown within parentheses.
- Bleile Bodenbelage Handel Und Dienstleistungen (Germany)
- Bunkado Printing Co, Ltd (Japan)
- Changzhou Huakang Cork Co, Ltd (China)
- dollaritemdirect.com Inc (United States)
- Eurotrading Collection SL (Spain)
- Fukutomi Technologies Pte Ltd (Singapore)
- Hanipole FH (Poland)
- ISO Cork (Algeria)
- Portugalia Cork SA (Portugal)
- Studio Assoiciato Miraglia & Mattia (Italy)
See also Plastic Item Exports by Country, Sawn Wood Exports by Country, Top Stainless Steel Exporters by Country, Top Glass and Glassware Exports by Country and Portugal’s Top 10 Exports
Research Sources:
Alibaba, Supplier information for cork. Accessed on July 30, 2025
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on July 30, 2025
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on July 30, 2025
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 30, 2025
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on July 30, 2025
Wikipedia, Cork (material). Accessed on July 30, 2025