From 2019 to 2020, the value of globally exported pasta appreciated by 14.6%.
The 5 biggest exporters of pasta are Italy, China, South Korea, Turkey and Thailand. Collectively, that cohort collected well over half (56.3%) of exported pasta by value in 2020.
From a continental perspective, suppliers located in European countries sold the highest dollar worth of exported pasta during 2020 with shipments valued at $6.1 billion or 51.4% of the global total. In second place were Asian exporters at 40.4% while 4.6% of international pasta shipments originated from North America.
Smaller percentages came from Africa (2%), Latin America (1.5%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania (0.2%) led by New Zealand and Australia.
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix for pasta is 1902.
World Pasta Day is celebrated each October 25.
Top Pasta Exports by Country
Top 15
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of pasta during 2020.
- Italy: US$3.6 billion (30% of total pasta exports)
- China: $980.2 million (8.2%)
- South Korea: $792.3 million (6.7%)
- Turkey: $761.3 million (6.4%)
- Thailand: $595.5 million (5%)
- United States: $375.1 million (3.2%)
- Vietnam: $352 million (3%)
- Germany: $333.3 million (2.8%)
- Indonesia: $325.6 million (2.7%)
- Belgium: $276.8 million (2.3%)
- Netherlands: $263.8 million (2.2%)
- Austria: $260.6 million (2.2%)
- France: $231 million (1.9%)
- Saudi Arabia: $194 million (1.6%)
- Japan: $183.3 million (1.5%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 79.8% of global pasta exports in 2020.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing pasta exporters since 2019 were: South Korea (up 29.4%), Turkey (up 25.1%), Vietnam (up 24.4%) and Japan (up 23.1%).
Those countries that posted the most modest gains in their exported pasta sales were: Belgium (up 4.9%), Netherlands (up 5%) and China (up 5.4%).
Advantages
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for pasta during 2020. 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 pasta and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- Italy: US$3.5 billion (net export surplus up 18.2% since 2019)
- Turkey: $752.6 million (up 25.8%)
- China: $638.7 million (down -1.3%)
- South Korea: $619.9 million (up 40.4%)
- Thailand: $544.3 million (up 8.3%)
- Vietnam: $312 million (up 26.2%)
- Indonesia: $287.8 million (up 28.4%)
- Austria: $82.1 million (up 19.6%)
- Saudi Arabia: $81.9 million (up 26.6%)
- Egypt: $80.1 million (up 23.3%)
- Hungary: $70.9 million (up 26.9%)
- Taiwan: $68.5 million (up 37.3%)
- Lithuania: $61 million (up 181.3%)
- Belgium: $47.6 million (down -14.8%)
- Morocco: $41.1 million (up 44.6%)
Italy generated the highest surplus in the international trade of pasta. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms Italy’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Opportunities
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for pasta during 2020. 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 pasta purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- United States: -US$990.6 million (net export deficit up 48.4% since 2019)
- United Kingdom: -$667.1 million (up 15.9%)
- Germany: -$561 million (up 10.3%)
- France: -$549.1 million (up 11.7%)
- Canada: -$366 million (up 22.2%)
- Australia: -$296.5 million (up 28.9%)
- Hong Kong: -$262.8 million (up 26.6%)
- Japan: -$227.7 million (up 23.7%)
- Sweden: -$125.2 million (up 8.6%)
- Venezuela: -$124.6 million (up 27.6%)
- Iraq: -$119.7 million (down -7.2%)
- Netherlands: -$111.1 million (up 5.8%)
- Switzerland: -$95.4 million (up 24.1%)
- Denmark: -$84.9 million (up 12.5%)
- Malaysia: -$83.8 million (up 39.7%)
The United States of America incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of pasta. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights America’s competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for pasta-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand.
Companies
Pasta Exporting Companies
Below are global pasta-processing businesses that represent established players engaged in the international trade of pasta. Their home country is shown within parenthesis.
- A. Zerega’s Sons, Inc (United States)
- Barilla Group (Italy)
- Buitoni (Italy)
- Colavita (Italy)
- Dakota Growers Pasta Company (United States)
- De Cecco (Italy)
- Divella (Italy)
- Ebro Foods (Spain)
- La Molisana (Italy)
- New World Pasta Company (United States)
- San Remo Macaroni Co (Australia)
- V. La Rosa and Sons Macaroni Co. (United States)
Searchable List of Pasta Exporting Countries in 2020
The 100 key exporters of pasta in the following automated database account for 99.9% of the value of pasta sold on international markets during 2020.
| Rank | Exporter | Pasta Exports (US$) | 2019-20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Italy | $3,568,063,000 | +18% |
| 2. | China | $980,191,000 | +5.4% |
| 3. | South Korea | $792,304,000 | +29.4% |
| 4. | Turkey | $761,284,000 | +25.1% |
| 5. | Thailand | $595,460,000 | +8.8% |
| 6. | United States | $375,088,000 | +7.3% |
| 7. | Vietnam | $352,048,000 | +24.4% |
| 8. | Germany | $333,292,000 | +13.1% |
| 9. | Indonesia | $325,587,000 | +20.9% |
| 10. | Belgium | $276,760,000 | +4.9% |
| 11. | Netherlands | $263,802,000 | +5% |
| 12. | Austria | $260,607,000 | +15.5% |
| 13. | France | $230,968,000 | +6% |
| 14. | Saudi Arabia | $194,017,000 | +18.4% |
| 15. | Japan | $183,327,000 | +23.1% |
| 16. | Spain | $180,598,000 | +12.1% |
| 17. | Canada | $138,844,000 | +15.2% |
| 18. | Taiwan | $130,140,000 | +25.6% |
| 19. | Poland | $128,187,000 | +13.1% |
| 20. | Hungary | $108,996,000 | +23.6% |
| 21. | Russia | $101,780,000 | +0.3% |
| 22. | Hong Kong | $101,444,000 | +0.7% |
| 23. | Malaysia | $96,842,000 | +19% |
| 24. | United Kingdom | $86,297,000 | +3.5% |
| 25. | Lithuania | $83,977,000 | +100.9% |
| 26. | Egypt | $82,960,000 | +21.8% |
| 27. | Switzerland | $77,526,000 | +6.8% |
| 28. | Singapore | $64,930,000 | +5% |
| 29. | Greece | $63,115,000 | +18.7% |
| 30. | Czech Republic | $58,043,000 | +38.1% |
| 31. | Morocco | $56,041,000 | +33.4% |
| 32. | Ukraine | $53,995,000 | +21.7% |
| 33. | Kazakhstan | $44,228,000 | +52.1% |
| 34. | Peru | $42,137,000 | +25.8% |
| 35. | India | $39,731,000 | +51.9% |
| 36. | Latvia | $37,254,000 | +23.9% |
| 37. | Ireland | $35,623,000 | +15.3% |
| 38. | Philippines | $29,533,000 | -8.5% |
| 39. | Sweden | $29,133,000 | +7.7% |
| 40. | Mexico | $29,013,000 | #DIV/0! |
| 41. | Guatemala | $28,461,000 | +8.4% |
| 42. | Serbia | $26,928,000 | +95.4% |
| 43. | Costa Rica | $24,594,000 | +23.2% |
| 44. | Brazil | $24,380,000 | +162.6% |
| 45. | Portugal | $22,744,000 | +32.7% |
| 46. | South Africa | $20,887,000 | -12.3% |
| 47. | Croatia | $17,671,000 | +96.1% |
| 48. | United Arab Emirates | $17,663,000 | -57.8% |
| 49. | Tunisia | $17,310,000 | -63.8% |
| 50. | Argentina | $16,011,000 | -9.2% |
| 51. | Denmark | $15,958,000 | +0.7% |
| 52. | Romania | $15,554,000 | +60.7% |
| 53. | New Zealand | $14,416,000 | -9.4% |
| 54. | Slovenia | $13,573,000 | +15.3% |
| 55. | Bangladesh | $12,258,000 | +53.9% |
| 56. | Pakistan | $11,385,000 | +24% |
| 57. | Lebanon | $11,173,000 | -4.1% |
| 58. | Nepal | $10,995,000 | +1.1% |
| 59. | Namibia | $10,826,000 | -1.2% |
| 60. | Ivory Coast | $10,390,000 | -60% |
| 61. | Kuwait | $9,710,000 | -61.9% |
| 62. | Jordan | $9,558,000 | +29.3% |
| 63. | Mozambique | $8,608,000 | +134.9% |
| 64. | Dominican Republic | $8,301,000 | -71.7% |
| 65. | Slovakia | $8,193,000 | +54.2% |
| 66. | Chile | $7,695,000 | -34.2% |
| 67. | Guyana | $7,562,000 | +85.7% |
| 68. | Bolivia | $6,738,000 | +15.6% |
| 69. | Australia | $6,464,000 | -66.3% |
| 70. | Israel | $6,203,000 | +7.9% |
| 71. | Algeria | $5,477,000 | -57.3% |
| 72. | Senegal | $5,098,000 | +72.6% |
| 73. | Estonia | $4,380,000 | -10.3% |
| 74. | Mauritius | $3,952,000 | -48.6% |
| 75. | Iran | $3,466,000 | -50.7% |
| 76. | Kyrgyzstan | $3,365,000 | +16.2% |
| 77. | Luxembourg | $3,315,000 | +1.8% |
| 78. | Oman | $3,305,000 | -73.7% |
| 79. | Myanmar | $2,893,000 | +90% |
| 80. | Cambodia | $2,873,000 | -31.3% |
| 81. | Sri Lanka | $2,782,000 | +54.2% |
| 82. | Ghana | $2,777,000 | +3.1% |
| 83. | Niger | $2,738,000 | +36.3% |
| 84. | Finland | $2,280,000 | +28.7% |
| 85. | Bulgaria | $2,206,000 | +77.5% |
| 86. | Trinidad/Tobago | $2,179,000 | -12.5% |
| 87. | Ecuador | $1,956,000 | -45.3% |
| 88. | Belarus | $1,903,000 | -0.8% |
| 89. | Uruguay | $1,871,000 | -48.8% |
| 90. | Kenya | $1,599,000 | +27.2% |
| 91. | Syrian Arab Republic | $1,550,000 | +160.1% |
| 92. | Nigeria | $1,367,000 | -89.8% |
| 93. | Togo | $1,243,000 | +179.3% |
| 94. | Benin | $1,239,000 | +106.8% |
| 95. | Fiji | $1,097,000 | -80.4% |
| 96. | El Salvador | $1,093,000 | +96.9% |
| 97. | Norway | $1,009,000 | +16.2% |
| 98. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $920,000 | +38.1% |
| 99. | Jamaica | $910,000 | -4% |
| 100. | Uganda | $849,000 | +28.6% |
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of the columns. An entry of 0% in the right-most column means that 2019 data was unavailable.
See also Cheese Exports by Country, Wine Importing Countries and International Markets for Imported Tomatoes by Country
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on July 30, 2021
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on July 30, 2021
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 30, 2021
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on July 30, 2021
Wikipedia, Category:Pasta companies. Accessed on July 30, 2021
