Overall U.S. demand totaled US$16.4 billion worth of fruits imported during 2019. That dollar amount equals a 31.4% increase from the cost of America’s imported fruits during 2015 and a 5.3% year-over-year uptick from 2018 to 2019.
In contrast, exported fruits from the US were valued at $6.4 billion—39% of America’s total spend on fruits imported from 115 countries or territories around the globe. Thus the U.S. incurred a formidable -$10 billion trade deficit in its international trade of fruits for 2019.
America’s Most Beloved Imported Fruits
The following list showcases the top 15 imported fresh or dried fruits most in demand by Americans. Combined, these 15 fruit categories represent 88.1% of the overall cost of fruits imported by the United States in 2019.
- Avocados: US$2.9 billion (17.5% of US-imported fruits)
- Bananas not plantains: $2.5 billion (15.5%)
- Fresh grapes: $1.8 billion (11%)
- Fresh cranberries, bilberries: $1.4 billion (8.3%)
- Fresh raspberries, blackberries, mulberries, loganberries: $1356.8 million (8.3%)
- Fresh strawberries: $871.4 million (5.3%)
- Pineapples: $714.4 million (4.4%)
- Lemons, limes: $691.9 million (4.2%)
- Guavas, mangoes: $658.2 million (4%)
- Watermelons: $410.2 million (2.5%)
- Melons excluding watermelons: $385.2 million (2.4%)
- Mandarins including tangerines: $288.3 million (1.8%)
- Apples: $239.3 million (1.5%)
- Frozen strawberries: $234.6 million (1.4%)
Fastest-growers among the top 15 categories from 2018 to 2019 were fresh strawberries (up 42.9%), frozen strawberries (up 32.5%), fresh raspberries, blackberries, mulberries and loganberries (up 19.2%), avocados (up 17%) and watermelons (up 14.3%).
In contrast, there were four declines year over year: mandarins including tangerines (down -6.9%), melons excluding watermelons (down -4.4%), bananas excluding plantains (down -2.4%) and pineapples (down -1.6%).
Top Suppliers by Continent and Country
By value, listed below in descending order are the top 10 countries that supplied 88.8% of total fruits imported by America in 2019.
- Mexico: US$6.9 billion (43.2% of US-imported fruits)
- Chile: $1.8 billion (11.1%)
- Peru: $1.24 billion (7.7%)
- Guatemala: $1.16 billion (7.2%)
- Costa Rica: $924.9 million (5.8%)
- Vietnam: $886.5 million (5.5%)
- Ecuador: $425 million (2.7%)
- Honduras: $369.1 million (2.3%)
- Canada: $338.7 million (2.1%)
- Colombia: $184.3 million (1.1%)
Leading U.S. imported fruits from Mexico are avocados and fresh strawberries. Grapes and blueberries are the most valuable fruits shipped to America from Chile and Peru. Bananas top the list of fruits imported from Guatemala, Ecuador, Honduras and Colombia.
American imports of mangos and miscellaneous fresh fruits top the list of fruits imported from Vietnam. Blueberries, cranberries, cherries and apples represent the most lucrative fruits for suppliers in Canada.
See also Bananas Exports by Country, Grapes Exports by Country, Avocados Exports by Country and Pineapples Exports by Country
Research Sources
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on July 27, 2020
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 27, 2020
Wikipedia, Fruit. Accessed on July 27, 2020
