Exports of peanuts expanded in value by an overall average 61.4% since 2018 when global export sales for peanuts added up to $2.38 billion.
Year over year, overall export revenues for the popular snacking nut dropped via a -7.3% downturn compared to $4.14 billion during 2021.
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 2022 were India, United States of America, Brazil, Netherlands then mainland China. Combined, that leading cohort sold about half (49.9%) of exported peanuts sold worldwide during 2022.
Applying a continental perspective, countries in Latin America excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean supplied the highest dollar worth of exported peanuts during 2022 with shipments valued at $1.21 billion or 31.6% of the global total. In second place were exporters in Asia (26%) trailed by those in Africa (21.7%), North America (12.8%), Europe (7.8%), then Oceania (0.1%) comprised of Australia, Fiji and New Zealand.
Shifting our focus to imports, the 5 leading importers of peanuts in 2022 were mainland China, Netherlands, Indonesia, Germany and Vietnam. Combined, that quintet of top import countries bought almost half (49%) of globally imported peanuts as measured by dollar value.
The above percentages suggest the total 92 exporters of peanuts (49.9% for the corresponding top 5 exporters) is a more concentrated cohort compared to 139 importing countries, islands and territories. The top 5 importers accounted for a somewhat smaller portion of its world total at 49%.
As for global imports of peanuts by continent, 43.7% of peanuts purchased on international markets was delivered to customers in Asia just ahead of importers in Europe (42%) then North America (6.6%), Africa (3.8%), Latin America (2.9%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania (0.9%) led by Australia and New Zealand.
Other Key Facts About Exported and Imported Peanuts
We calculated the average unit price paid by importers of peanuts still in-shell to be $1,233 per ton in 2022. That dollar amount reflects a 13.4% gain from the average tonnage cost of $1,087 during 2021.
Imports of shelled peanuts demand a higher unit price. For shelled peanuts, the average unit price paid by importers was about $1,254 per ton in 2022. Up by 2.8% from $1,220 per ton for 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, 92.4% of peanuts exported worldwide by sales were for shelled peanuts. The remaining 7.6% 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 2022, regardless of whether the shipped peanuts were in-shell or shelled.
- India: US$710.6 million (18.5% of total exported peanuts)
- United States: $491.8 million (12.8%)
- Brazil: $332.7 million (8.7%)
- Netherlands: $214.7 million (5.6%)
- China: $163.8 million (4.3%)
- Nicaragua: $107.6 million (2.8%)
- Egypt: $84.8 million (2.2%)
- Malawi: $84.7 million (2.2%)
- Mozambique: $42.5 million (1.1%)
- Türkiye: $26.1 million (0.7%)
- Germany: $26 million (0.7%)
- Uzbekistan: $25.6 million (0.7%)
- Myanmar: $22.7 million (0.6%)
- Israel: $19.6 million (0.5%)
- Bolivia: $16.7 million (0.4%)
- Belgium: $16.5 million (0.4%)
- South Africa: $13.6 million (0.4%)
- Madagascar: $11.8 million (0.3%)
- Austria: $7.7 million (0.2%)
- Vietnam: $6.7 million (0.2%)
By value, the listed 20 countries shipped 63.3% of globally exported peanuts in 2022.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing peanuts exporters since 2022 were: Mozambique (up 3,501%), Malawi (up 94.5%), Austria (up 62.1%) and Egypt (up 27.2%).
Suppliers that recorded declines in their exported peanuts sales were led by: Vietnam (down -91.5% from 2021), Myanmar (down -57.6%), Israel (down -21.5%), Belgium (down -21.3%) and the Netherlands (down -10.4%).
Top Peanuts Imports by Country
Overall spending on imported peanuts accelerated by 154.3% over the 5-year period starting from $3.1 billion in 2018 but reversed to a -4.9% year-over-year decline compared to $4.3 billion for 2021.
Below are the 20 best buying markets as measured by the highest dollar value worth of peanuts imported during 2022, for any peanuts regardless of whether shelled or not.
- China: US$646.5 million (15.8% of total imported peanuts)
- Netherlands: $525.1 million (12.9%)
- Indonesia: $463.2 million (11.3%)
- Germany: $199.9 million (4.9%)
- Vietnam: $165.9 million (4.1%)
- Russia: $161.8 million (4%)
- United Kingdom: $159.8 million (3.9%)
- Canada: $153.7 million (3.8%)
- Poland: $118.4 million (2.9%)
- Mexico: $112.3 million (2.8%)
- Spain: $90.4 million (2.2%)
- Malaysia: $86.1 million (2.1%)
- Italy: $85 million (2.1%)
- France: $67.4 million (1.6%)
- Thailand: $58 million (1.4%)
- Algeria: $50.9 million (1.2%)
- Philippines: $48.9 million (1.2%)
- Colombia: $37.8 million (0.9%)
- Ukraine: $36.8 million (0.9%)
- Belgium: $35.8 million (0.9%)
By value, the listed 20 countries bought 80.9% of globally imported peanuts in 2022.
Among the top importers, the fastest-growing peanuts importers since 2021 were: Colombia (up 31.9%), Philippines (up 30.5%), Indonesia (up 29.5%) and Malaysia (up 27.9%).
Major buying nations that posted declines in their imported peanuts purchases were led by: Algeria (down -39% from 2021), mainland China (down -37.1%), Russia (down -26.8%), Belgium (down -16.8%) and Italy (down -13.4%).
Imported In-Shell Peanuts: Lowest and Highest Unit Prices
In 2022, the world’s average unit price for imports of in-shell peanuts was US$1,233 per ton.
The average tonnage charge for the number one importer of unshelled peanuts as measured by shipment weight, mainland China, was significantly lower at $651.
Ranked in ascending order, listed below are the countries paying the lowest average unit prices for imported in-shell peanuts in 2022.
- Benin: US$24 per ton (down -95% from 2021)
- Ivory Coast: $48 per ton (down -45.5%)
- Mali: $56 per ton (up 36.6%)
- Guinea: $114 per ton (up 25.3%)
- Niger: $142 per ton (up 136.7%)
- Mauritania: $144 per ton (2021 data unavailable)
- Ghana: $208 per ton (down -18.8%)
- Algeria: $250 per ton (down -24.9%)
- Angola: $277 per ton (up 284.7%)
- Comoros: $390 per ton (2021 data unavailable)
- Burundi: $400 per ton (2021 data unavailable)
- Guatemala: $432 per ton (2021 data unavailable)
- Syria: $435 per ton (down -45.7%)
- Philippines: $447 per ton (up 15.8%)
- Tajikistan: $500 per ton (2021 data unavailable)
There were 5 reductions in average unit price paid per ton for in-shell peanuts among the above low-cost importers. These were buyers in Benin (down -95% from 2021), Syria (down -45.7%), Angola (down -78.9%), Ivory Coast (down -45.5%), Algeria (down -24.9%) then Ghana (down -18.8%).
The following countries paid the highest average unit prices for imported in-shell peanuts.
- Cayman Islands: US$7,000 per ton (up 311.8% from 2021)
- Iceland: $6,000 per ton (down -14.3%)
- Bahamas: $4,667 per ton (down -49.2%)
- New Zealand: $4,273 per ton (down -5.5%)
- Australia: $4,000 per ton (up 216.2%)
- Laos: $4,000 per ton (up 700%)
- Norway: $3,571 per ton (up 10.6%)
- Maldives: $3,500 per ton (2021 data unavailable)
- Gibraltar: $3,500 per ton (up 7.7%)
- Bermuda: $3,500 per ton (2021 data unavailable)
- Aruba: $3,107 per ton (up 14.1%)
- United States: $3,091 per ton (up 634.2%)
- Seychelles: $2,727 per ton (down -54.6%)
- Lesotho: $2,526 per ton (down -12.6%)
- Montserrat: $2,500 per ton (down -28.6%)
The strongest accelerations in terms of higher average unit prices paid in 2022 compared to 2021 were paid by importers in Laos (up 700%), United States of America (up 634.2%), Cayman Islands (up 311.8%) and Australia (up 216.2%).
Imported Shelled Peanuts: Lowest and Highest Unit Prices
In 2022, the world’s average unit price for imports of shelled peanuts was an estimated US$1,254 per ton.
The average tonnage charge for the number one importer of shelled peanuts, mainland China, was lesser at $1,023.
Ranked in ascending order, listed below are the countries paying the lowest average unit prices for imported peanuts in 2022 that that have already had their shells removed.
- Mozambique: US$13,221 per ton (up 589.7% from 2021)
- Senegal: $6,611 per ton (2021 data unavailable)
- Saint Lucia: $4,500 per ton (up 145.5%)
- French Polynesia: $4,250 per ton (up 27.5%)
- Cuba: $4,000 per ton (down -11.1%)
- Congo: $4,000 per ton (up 4155.3%)
- Aruba: $4,000 per ton (2021 data unavailable)
- Marshall Islands: $4,000 per ton (down -33.3%)
- Turks/Caicos Islands: $3,800 per ton (up 237.8%)
- Bahamas: $3,650 per ton (down -15.3%)
- Bermuda: $3,333 per ton (2021 data unavailable)
- Iceland: $3,118 per ton (down -4.1%)
- Grenada: $3,000 per ton (2021 data unavailable)
- Guam: $3,000 per ton (2021 data unavailable)
- Maldives: $2,996 per ton (down -22.2%)
There were 4 double-digit reductions in average unit price paid per ton for shelled peanuts from 2021 to 2022. 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 .
- Maldives: US$3,851 per ton (up 569.7% from 2021)
- Iceland: $3,252 per ton (up 2.5%)
- Saudi Arabia: $2,641 per ton (up 69.7%)
- Switzerland: $2,372 per ton (up 9.9%)
- Japan: $2,024 per ton (down -1.5%)
- United States: $1,973 per ton (up 5.3%)
- Malta: $1,943 per ton (up 14.1%)
- Estonia: $1,930 per ton (up 14.2%)
- Cyprus: $1,921 per ton (up 10.3%)
- Mozambique: $1,917 per ton (down -72.6%)
- Lebanon: $1,869 per ton (up 0.6%)
- New Zealand: $1,851 per ton (down -1.3%)
- Norway: $1,813 per ton (up 8.9%)
- Macao: $1,786 per ton (up 6%)
- Armenia: $1,781 per ton (up 23%)
The greatest increases in terms of higher average unit prices paid in 2022 compared to 2021 were experienced by importers of shelled peanuts in Congo (up 4,155%), Mozambique (up 589.7%), Turks and Caicos Islands (up 237.8%) and Saint Lucia (up 145.5%).
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 August 2, 2023
SNACKEX, Conference Presentation Future Peanut Sourcing for Europe. Accessed on August 2, 2023
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on August 2, 2023
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on August 2, 2023
Wikipedia, Peanut. Accessed on August 2, 2023