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Top Peanuts Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices

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Peanuts in shell
Peanuts in shell
In 2021, exports of peanuts (also called groundnuts) were worth a total US$4.03 billion.

Exports of peanuts expanded in value by an overall average 56.1% since 2017 when global export sales for peanuts added up to $2.6 billion.

Year over year, overall export revenues for the popular snacking nut flatlined via a 2.6% upturn compared to $3.93 billion during 2020.

Peanuts are edible seeds of a legume crop plant unique because peanut pods grow under the soil rather than above ground.

Whole peanuts can be dry roasted, boiled, baked or eaten raw as a snack food. Peanuts are also ingredients to make peanut oil, peanut butter and peanut flour.

Little-known industrial uses for peanuts encompass paint, varnish, lubricating oil, leather dressings, furniture polish, insecticides, soap and cosmetics. Peanut shells go into making plastics, wallboard, abrasives, rayon cellulose used for paper, mucilage and fuel.

By value, the 5 biggest exporters of peanuts in 2020 were India, Sudan, United States of America, Brazil, then the Netherlands. Combined, that leading cohort sold 55% of peanuts exported worldwide during 2021.

Applying a continental perspective, countries in Latin America excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean supplied the highest dollar worth of exported peanuts during 2021 with shipments valued at $1.28 billion or 31.7% of the global total. In second place were exporters in Asia (25.7%) trailed by those in Africa (22.5%), North America (11.8%), Europe (8.2%), then Oceania (0.1%) led by Australia.

Shifting our focus to imports, the 5 leading importers of peanuts in 2021 were mainland China, Netherlands, Indonesia, Russia, and Germany. Combined, that quintet of top import countries bought over half (53.5%) of globally imported peanuts as measured by dollar value.

The above percentages suggest the total 89 exporters of peanuts (55% for the corresponding top 5 exporters) is a more concentrated cohort compared to 131 importing countries, islands and territories. The top 5 importers accounted for a somewhat smaller portion of its world total at 53.5%.

As for global imports of peanuts by continent, 42.9% of peanuts purchased on international markets was delivered to customers in Asia just ahead of importers in Europe (42.1%) then North America (7.5%), Africa (3.9%), Latin America (2.2%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania (1.3%) led by Australia.

Other Key Facts About Exported and Imported Peanuts

We calculated the average unit price paid by importers of peanuts still in-shell to be $650 per ton in 2021. That dollar amount reflects a -28.3% reduction from the average tonnage cost of $907 during 2020.

Imports of shelled peanuts demand a higher unit price. For shelled peanuts, the average unit price paid by importers was about $1,374 per ton in 2021. The higher average price results in part from labor costs and other processing expenses.

For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 120241 for peanuts in shell, and 120242 for shelled peanuts. Note that peanuts are classified under oil seeds and are sometimes called groundnuts.

Drilling down on those categories, 93.6% of peanuts exported worldwide by sales were for shelled peanuts. The remaining 6.4% was paid for peanuts in shell.

Top Peanuts Exports by Country

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

  1. India: US$687.7 million (17.1% of total exported peanuts)
  2. Sudan: $485.6 million (12%)
  3. United States: $474.9 million (11.8%)
  4. Brazil: $330.5 million (8.2%)
  5. Netherlands: $239.8 million (5.9%)
  6. China: $176.7 million (4.4%)
  7. Nicaragua: $102.1 million (2.5%)
  8. Myanmar: $53.5 million (1.3%)
  9. Turkey: $28.8 million (0.7%)
  10. Germany: $28.4 million (0.7%)
  11. Israel: $25.1 million (0.6%)
  12. Uzbekistan: $23.5 million (0.6%)
  13. Belgium: $20.9 million (0.5%)
  14. United Arab Emirates: $18.6 million (0.5%)
  15. Bolivia: $15.4 million (0.4%)
  16. Malawi: $14.6 million (0.4%)
  17. South Africa: $13.2 million (0.3%)
  18. Madagascar: $12 million (0.3%)
  19. Ethiopia: $11.35 million (0.3%)
  20. Vietnam: $6.1 million (0.2%)

By value, the listed 20 countries shipped 68.7% of globally exported peanuts in 2021.

Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing peanuts exporters since 2021 were: Ethiopia (up 24,583%), Myanmar also called Burma (up 524.8%), Türkey (up 359.2%), then the United Arab Emirates (up 94.5%).

Those countries that posted declines in their exported peanuts sales were led by: Vietnam (down -90.8%), Malawi (down -63.1%), South Africa (down -21.5%), Belgium (down -18.6%), then the United States of America (down -17.2%).

Top Peanuts Imports by Country

Overall spending on imported peanuts accelerated by 154.2% over the 5-year period starting in 2017 but slowed to a 4.3% year-over-year increase since 2020.

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

  1. China: US$1 billion (24% of total imported peanuts)
  2. Netherlands: $473.5 million (11%)
  3. Indonesia: $357.8 million (8.3%)
  4. Russia: $221.2 million (5.2%)
  5. Germany: $217.1 million (5.1%)
  6. United Kingdom: $173.6 million (4%)
  7. Canada: $140.7 million (3.3%)
  8. Vietnam: $135.7 million (3.2%)
  9. Poland: $103.7 million (2.4%)
  10. Italy: $99.1 million (2.3%)
  11. Mexico: $92.1 million (2.1%)
  12. Spain: $83.6 million (1.9%)
  13. Malaysia: $67.3 million (1.6%)
  14. Thailand: $62.7 million (1.5%)
  15. France: $61.7 million (1.4%)
  16. United Arab Emirates: $43.6 million (1%)
  17. Belgium: $43 million (1%)
  18. Iran: $42.3 million (1%)
  19. Ukraine: $41.3 million (1%)
  20. Philippines: $37.5 million (0.9%)

By value, the listed 20 countries bought 82.2% of globally imported peanuts in 2021.

Among the top importers, the fastest-growing peanuts importers since 2020 were: Iran (up 161.9%), United Arab Emirates (up 119.4%), Philippines (up 23.5%), and mainland China (up 23.1%).

Those countries that posted declines in their imported peanuts purchases were led by: Mexico (down -35.8%), Netherlands (down -11.8%), Vietnam (down -10.2%), Thailand (down -7.8%), and France (down -6%).

Imported In-Shell Peanuts: Lowest and Highest Unit Prices

In 2021, the world’s average unit price for imports of in-shell peanuts was US$650 per ton.

The average tonnage charge for the number one importer of unshelled peanuts, mainland China, was lower at $602.

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

  1. Niger: US$60 per ton (down -51.2% from 2020)
  2. Angola: $72 per ton (down -78.9%)
  3. Malawi: $193 per ton (down -94.9%)
  4. Timor-Leste: $194 per ton (up 22.8%)
  5. South Africa: $323 per ton (down -36.4%)
  6. Algeria: $333 per ton (down -72.5%)
  7. Philippines: $386 per ton (up 6%)
  8. Dominican Republic: $440 per ton (down -34.9%)
  9. Kazakhstan: $444 per ton (down -40%)
  10. El Salvador: $474 per ton (down -21%)
  11. Benin: $478 per ton (down -200%)
  12. Laos: $500 per ton (up 50.2%)
  13. Zambia: $588 per ton (up 37.1%)
  14. Tunisia: $589 per ton (down -12.9%)
  15. Zimbabwe: $600 per ton (2020 data unavailable)

The greatest reductions in average unit price paid per ton for in-shell peanuts namely low-cost importers in Benin (down -200% from 2020), Malawi (down -94.9%), Angola (down -78.9%), Algeria (down -72.5%), Niger (down -51.2%), Kazakhstan (down -40%), then South Africa (down -36.4%).

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

  1. Iceland: US$7,000 per ton (2020 data unavailable)
  2. New Zealand: $4,520 per ton (down -6.9% from 2020)
  3. Ireland: $4,278 per ton (2020 data unavailable)
  4. Maldives: $3,500 per ton (down -18.6%)
  5. Gibraltar: $3,250 per ton (up 8.3%)
  6. Norway: $3,229 per ton (up 2%)
  7. Albania: $3,105 per ton (up 59.1%)
  8. Congo, Democratic Republic of the: $3,000 per ton (2020 data unavailable)
  9. Aruba: $2,722 per ton (up 27.6%)
  10. Switzerland: $2,699 per ton (up 1.7%)
  11. United States: $2,667 per ton (2020 data unavailable)
  12. Slovenia: $2,446 per ton (up 6.1%)
  13. Austria: $2,335 per ton (up 25.7%)
  14. Turkey: $2,286 per ton (up 72.7%)
  15. Italy: $2,281 per ton (up 3.1%)

There were 4 double-digit accelerations in terms of higher average unit prices paid in 2021 compared to 2020. These were experienced by importers in Turkey (up 72.7%), Albania (up 59.1%), Aruba (up 27.5%), and Austria (up 25.7%).

Imported Shelled Peanuts: Lowest and Highest Unit Prices

In 2021, the world’s average unit price for imports of shelled peanuts was an estimated US$1,374 per ton.

The average tonnage charge for the number one importer of shelled peanuts, mainland China, was lesser at $1,120.

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

  1. Trinidad/Tobago: US$01 per ton (up 5.9% from 2020)
  2. Uganda: $190 per ton (down -24%)
  3. Angola: $191 per ton (down -29.8%)
  4. Burundi: $359 per ton (down -1.4%)
  5. Kenya: $414 per ton (down -26.6%)
  6. Benin: $417 per ton (up 2216.7%)
  7. Philippines: $491 per ton (up 6.7%)
  8. Rwanda: $499 per ton (down -8.6%)
  9. Laos: $509 per ton (up 11.1%)
  10. Tanzania: $539 per ton (up 10.7%)
  11. Guatemala: $648 per ton (down -6.8%)
  12. Bolivia: $736 per ton (down -40.1%)
  13. Tunisia: $778 per ton (up 1.8%)
  14. Bangladesh: $798 per ton (up 1.7%)
  15. Peru: $923 per ton (down -1.6%)

There were 4 double-digit reductions in average unit price paid per ton for shelled peanuts from 2020 to 2021. These were low-cost importers in Bolivia (down -40.1%), Angola Faso (down -29.8%), Kenya (down -26.6%), then Uganda (down -24%).

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

  1. Maldives: US$3,851 per ton (up 569.7% from 2020)
  2. Iceland: $3,252 per ton (up 2.5%)
  3. Saudi Arabia: $2,641 per ton (up 69.7%)
  4. Switzerland: $2,372 per ton (up 9.9%)
  5. Japan: $2,024 per ton (down -1.5%)
  6. United States: $1,973 per ton (up 5.3%)
  7. Malta: $1,943 per ton (up 14.1%)
  8. Estonia: $1,930 per ton (up 14.2%)
  9. Cyprus: $1,921 per ton (up 10.3%)
  10. Mozambique: $1,917 per ton (down -72.6%)
  11. Lebanon: $1,869 per ton (up 0.6%)
  12. New Zealand: $1,851 per ton (down -1.3%)
  13. Norway: $1,813 per ton (up 8.9%)
  14. Macao: $1,786 per ton (up 6%)
  15. Armenia: $1,781 per ton (up 23%)

The greatest increases in terms of higher average unit prices paid in 2021 compared to 2020 were experienced by importers of shelled peanuts in the Maldives (up 569.7%), Saudi Arabia (up 69.7%), Armenia (up 23%), Estonia (up 14.2%), and Malta (up 14.1%).

See also Top Almonds Exporters by Country, Top Chickpeas Exports & Imports by Country, Top Walnut Exporters by Country, Top Cardamoms Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices and Top Chestnuts Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices

Research Sources:
Alibaba, Peanut Showroom. Accessed on October 3, 2022

SNACKEX, Conference Presentation Future Peanut Sourcing for Europe. Accessed on October 3, 2022

Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on October 3, 2022

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on October 3, 2022

Wikipedia, Peanut. Accessed on October 3, 2022