Saffron is used mainly for food seasoning, in traditional medicine and as ingredients for fabric dyes and perfumes.
The spice, with its sweet honey and grassy hay-like aroma, is also used in religious ceremonies notably in India.
Worldwide exports of saffron grew by an average 2.6% since 5 years earlier in 2021 when saffron exports totaled $287.9 million.
Year over year, the dollar value of saffron exports continued to flatline by 0.5% compared to $293.9 million starting from 2024.
Key Geographic Insights for Saffron Exports & Imports
The 5 biggest saffron exporters are Iran, Spain, Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates and India. Combined, that leading cohort of international suppliers generated a concentrated 90.3% of globally exported saffron sold during 2025.
Applying a continental lens, countries in Asia sold the greatest dollar worth of exported saffron during 2025 with shipments valued at $200.5 million or 67.9% of the world total. In second place were exporters based in Europe at 31.5%. Tinier percentages came from North America (0.4%), Africa (0.08%), Latin America plus the Caribbean (0.06%), then Oceania’s (0.05%) Australia and New Zealand only.
Focusing on saffron imports, the 5 leading importers of saffron in 2025 were Spain, India, mainland China, Italy and Saudi Arabia. That quintet of top buyers bought almost three-fifths (59.5%) of globally imported saffron by total cost.
Those percentages suggest a more concentrated cohort of 72 saffron exporters in total (90.3% for top 5 suppliers) compared to 157 importing countries, islands and territories and the corresponding top 5 importers (59.5%).
From a continental perspective, 50.9% of globally imported saffron was delivered to countries in Europe trailed by importers in Asia (36.5%), North America (7.5%), Latin America (3.7%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, Oceania (0.9%) led by Australia and New Zealand, then Africa (0.5%).
In 2025, we calculated the worldwide average unit price paid by importers to be $214,074 per ton of saffron. That dollar amount reflects an average 15% in price inflation from the average tonnage rate of $186,141 for 2024.
Saffon is the world’s most valuable exported spice. Its inflated prices are partly due to labor costs since it takes roughly 70,000 hand-picked crocus flowers to produce one pound of saffron (150,000 flowers per kilogram).
For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 091020 for saffron.
Top Saffron Exports by Country
Below are the top 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of saffron during 2025.
- Iran: US$115.6 million (39.1% of total saffron exports)
- Spain: $70.9 million (24%)
- Afghanistan: $67.1 million (22.7%)
- United Arab Emirates: $7.2 million (2.4%)
- India: $6 million (2%)
- France: $5.4 million (1.8%)
- Oman: $3.1 million (1%)
- Netherlands: $2.5 million (0.9%)
- Poland: $2.5 million (0.8%)
- Italy: $2.2 million (0.7%)
- Greece: $2 million (0.7%)
- Belgium: $1.9 million (0.6%)
- Germany: $1.6 million (0.6%)
- Austria: $1.1 million (0.4%)
- Canada: $898,000 (0.3%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 98.2% of globally exported saffron in 2025.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing saffron exporters since 2024 were: Canada (up 203.4%), India (up 67.1%), Spain (up 26.2%) and France (up 25.7%).
Major suppliers that posted declines in their exported saffron sales were led by: Netherlands (down -70.4% from 2024), United Arab Emirates (down -45.7%), Oman (down -43.2%), Belgium (down -26.6%) and Greece (down -18.2%).
Top Saffron Imports by Country
The overall spending on imported saffron totaled US$288.5 million rising by 18.7% over the 5-year period starting in 2021 and growing by 3.9% since 2024.
Below are the 15 best buying markets as measured by the highest dollar value worth of saffron imported during 2025.
- Spain: US$68.1 million (23.6% of total saffron imports)
- India: $39.8 million (13.8%)
- mainland China: $23.4 million (8.1%)
- Italy: $20.4 million (7.1%)
- Saudi Arabia: $19.9 million (6.9%)
- United States: $17.9 million (6.2%)
- France: $14.5 million (5%)
- Sweden: $11.2 million (3.9%)
- Argentina: $9.1 million (3.2%)
- Germany: $7.8 million (2.7%)
- United Kingdom: $5.8 million (2%)
- Oman: $5.3 million (1.8%)
- Switzerland: $4.5 million (1.6%)
- United Arab Emirates: $4.5 million (1.5%)
- Belgium: $4.4 million (1.5%)
By value, the listed 15 countries bought 88.9% of globally imported saffron in 2025.
Among the top importers, the fastest-growing saffron importers since 2024 were: Argentina (up 248.1%), Sweden (up 43.4%), mainland China (up 42.5%) and Belgium (up 27.5%).
Buyer countries that posted declines in their imported saffron purchases were: the United Arab Emirates (down -76.3% from 2024), Oman (down -31.5%) and the United States of America (down -1.9%).
Lowest and Highest Unit Prices for Imported Saffron
The world’s average unit price for imported saffron was US$214,074 per ton in 2025, expanding by 15% compared to the average $186,141 per ton for 2024.
The average tonnage charge paid by the number one saffron importer, Spain, was an above-average $1,135,167 per ton.
Ranked in ascending order, listed below are the countries paying the lowest average unit prices for imported saffron in 2025.
- Papua New Guinea: US$333 per ton (2024 data unavailable from 2024)
- Honduras: $500 per ton (2024 data unavailable)
- Saint Helena: $1,000 per ton (2024 data unavailable)
- Trinidad/Tobago: $1,500 per ton (down -62.5%)
- Namibia: $2,000 per ton (2024 data unavailable)
- Marshall Islands: $2,000 per ton (down -33.3%)
- Ivory Coast: $2,500 per ton (down -16.7%)
- Angola: $2,966 per ton (up 79.2%)
- Nigeria: $3,000 per ton (2024 data unavailable)
- Nicaragua: $3,000 per ton (up 9.1%)
- Mozambique: $3,000 per ton (down -57.1%)
- Zambia: $3,000 per ton (up 253.8%)
- Mauritania: $3,700 per ton (up 1847.4%)
- Fiji: $4,333 per ton (up 23.8%)
- Sierra Leone: $4,667 per ton (2024 data unavailable)
Enjoying double-digit reductions in average unit price paid per ton for saffron were low-cost importers Trinidad and Tobago (down -62.5% from 2024), Mozambique (down -57.1%), Marshall Islands (down -33.3%) and Ivory Coast (down -16.7%).
The following countries paid the highest average unit prices for imported saffron.
- Japan: US$1,897,000 per ton (up 4% from 2024)
- Poland: $1,624,000 per ton (2024 data unavailable)
- Argentina: $1,301,286 per ton (down -0.6%)
- Germany: $1,300,667 per ton (down -15%)
- Spain: $1,135,167 per ton (down -9.3%)
- United Arab Emirates: $1,114,250 per ton (up 1844.8%)
- Austria: $1,104,500 per ton (up 95.3%)
- India: $946,643 per ton (up 43.6%)
- Switzerland: $895,800 per ton (up 23.5%)
- Taiwan: $773,500 per ton (down -6.6%)
- Afghanistan: $548,000 per ton (up 26.4%)
- mainland China: $544,419 per ton (up 39.2%)
- Czech Republic: $460,000 per ton (down -3.2%)
- Sweden: $446,240 per ton (down -19.7%)
- Iran: $435,000 per ton (down -26.2%)
At the forefront in terms of inflated average unit prices paid in 2025 compared to 2024 were the United Arab Emirates (up 1,845%), Austria (up 95.3%), India (up 43.6%), mainland China (up 39.2%) and Afghanistan (up 26.4%).
See also Top Exported Spices by Sales, Weight and Unit Value, Top Turmeric Exports & Imports by Country, Cinnamon Exports by Country, Top Garlic Exports by Country, Top Ginger Exporters and Top Peppermint Exports & Imports by Country
Research Sources:
Alibaba, Saffron Showroom. Accessed on July 30, 2026
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on July 30, 2026
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 30, 2026
Wikipedia, Saffron. Accessed on July 30, 2026