Exports of vanilla declined in value by an average -36.7% since 2018 when export sales for vanilla were $1.38 billion.
Year over year, overall export revenues from sales of the fragrant and tasty spice fell by -7.5% compared to $945.3 million during 2021.
Vanilla comes from special orchid flowers notably Mexican flat-leaved flower pods. Vanilla is widely used as a baking ingredient, as well as a flavor enhancement in the commercial production of food, beverages, perfumes, cosmetics and aromatherapy products.
By value, the top 5 biggest exporters of vanilla in 2022 were Madagascar, France, Uganda, Canada and Germany. Combined, that leading cohort sold over four-fifths (82.9%) of all vanilla exported during 2022.
Madagascar is an island country off the East African coast.
Applying a continental perspective, countries in Africa supplied the highest dollar worth of exported vanilla during 2022 with shipments valued at $586.2 million or 67.1% of the global total. In second place were exporters in Europe (19.6%) trailed by those in North America (4.6%), Oceania (3.7%) led by Papua New Guinea, then suppliers in Asia (3.1%). Tinier percentages originated from Latin America (0.1%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.
Shifting our focus to imports, the 5 leading importers of vanilla in 2022 were the United States of America, France, Germany, Canada, and the Netherlands. Combined, that quintet of top import countries bought more than four-fifths (82.5%) of globally imported vanilla as measured by dollar value.
The above percentages suggest the total 74 exporters of vanilla (82.9% for the corresponding top 5 exporters) compares with 138 buying countries, islands and territories. The top 5 importers accounted for a slightly smaller portion of the corresponding world total at 82.5%.
As for global imports of vanilla by continent, approaching half (48.3%) of vanilla purchased on international markets was delivered to customers in North America. In second place were importers in North America (45.2%) then Asia (3.7%), Africa (1.7%), Oceania (0.9%) led by Australia and New Zealand, then buyers in Latin America (0.2%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.
Vanilla Price Insights
Like another high-priced spice saffron, vanilla is one of the world’s most valuable spices shipped on global markets.
We calculated the average unit price paid by importers of non-crushed and unground vanilla to be $163,918 per ton in 2022. That dollar amount is -0.1% lower than the average for 2021.
Processed vanilla exports scored a lower unit price. For crushed or ground vanilla, the average unit price paid by importers was $30,607 per ton in 2022 down by -24.8% from the average tonnage rate of $40,686 for 2021. The lower average price is driven more by the geography of supplying countries rather than labor and other processing expenses.
For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 090510 for vanilla that is neither crushed nor ground, and 090520 for crushed or ground vanilla.
Drilling down by the type of vanilla, 92.2% of world vanilla exports by sales were for non-crushed and unground vanilla. The remaining 7.8% was collected for shipments of crushed or ground vanilla.
Top Vanilla Exports by Country
Below are the top 20 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of vanilla during 2022, regardless of whether the shipped vanilla was crushed or ground.
- Madagascar: US$531.6 million (60.8% of total vanilla exports)
- France: $70.3 million (8%)
- Uganda: $44.3 million (5.1%)
- Canada: $44.1 million (5.1%)
- Germany: $34.2 million (3.9%)
- Netherlands: $26.2 million (3%)
- Indonesia: $23 million (2.6%)
- Papua New Guinea: $22.3 million (2.6%)
- United States: $12.6 million (1.4%)
- Belgium: $12.4 million (1.4%)
- Switzerland: $7.9 million (0.9%)
- Comoros: $7.8 million (0.9%)
- Poland: $6.8 million (0.8%)
- French Polynesia: $6 million (0.7%)
- Czech Republic: $3.1 million (0.4%)
- Australia: $3 million (0.3%)
- United Kingdom: $3 million (0.3%)
- Denmark: $2.4 million (0.3%)
- South Africa: $1.6 million (0.2%)
- Austria: $1.2 million (0.1%)
By value, the listed 20 countries shipped 98.8% of globally exported vanilla in 2022.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing vanilla exporters since 2021 were: Uganda (up 411%), Switzerland (up 112.9%), Belgium (up 101.2%) and Comoros (up 67.9%).
Those countries that posted declines in their exported vanilla sales were led by: Czech Republic (down -44.7% from 2021), Austria (down -44%), Indonesia (down -42.4%), Poland (down -36.5%) and South Africa (down -29.9%).
Top Vanilla Imports by Country
The overall cost for imported vanilla plummeted by -32.1% over the 5-year period starting in 2018 but increased by 3.4% year over year since 2021.
Below are the 20 best buying markets as measured by the highest dollar value worth of vanilla imported during 2022, for any vanilla regardless of whether crushed or ground.
- United States: US$350.7 million (37.4% of total vanilla imports)
- France: $230.8 million (24.6%)
- Germany: $78.1 million (8.3%)
- Canada: $72.9 million (7.8%)
- Netherlands: $41 million (4.4%)
- Belgium: $18.1 million (1.9%)
- Switzerland: $17.9 million (1.9%)
- United Kingdom: $14.4 million (1.5%)
- Mauritius: $13 million (1.4%)
- Japan: $12.7 million (1.4%)
- Italy: $10.5 million (1.1%)
- Denmark: $10.3 million (1.1%)
- Poland: $9.2 million (1%)
- Indonesia: $9.1 million (1%)
- Australia: $7.2 million (0.8%)
- South Korea: $4.2 million (0.4%)
- Austria: $3.9 million (0.4%)
- Sweden: $3.4 million (0.4%)
- Czech Republic: $3.3 million (0.4%)
- Spain: $2.4 million (0.3%)
By value, the listed 20 countries bought 97.4% of globally imported vanilla in 2022.
Among the top importers, the fastest-growing vanilla importers since 2021 were: Belgium (up 119.9%), United Kingdom (up 103.2%), Mauritius (up 42.2%) and Japan (up 31.6%).
Those buyer countries that posted declines in their imported vanilla purchases were led by: Czech Republic (down -42.5% from 2021), Indonesia (down -42.5%), Sweden (down -37.9%), Spain (down -30.1%) and the Netherlands (down -27.2%).
Imported Raw Vanilla: Lowest and Highest Unit Prices
In 2022, the world’s average unit price for imports of non-crushed and unground vanilla was US$163,918 per ton.
The average tonnage charge for the number one importer of non-crushed and unground vanilla, United States of America, was lower at $182,153.
Ranked in ascending order, listed below are the countries paying the lowest average unit prices for imported raw vanilla in 2022.
- Niger: US$261 per ton (down -73.9% from 2021)
- Democratic Rep. Congo: $542 per ton (up 116.8%)
- Angola: $639 per ton (up 27.8%)
- Cameroon: $1,000 per ton (down -50%)
- Turks/Caicos Islands: $1,000 per ton (2021 data unavailable)
- Haiti: $1,000 per ton (2021 data unavailable)
- Timor-Leste: $1,000 per ton (up 100%)
- Rwanda: $2,000 per ton (2021 data unavailable)
- Solomon Islands: $2,000 per ton (2021 data unavailable)
- Benin: $3,000 per ton (up 200%)
- Lebanon: $3,552 per ton (down -80.8%)
- Bahamas: $5,200 per ton (down -44.5%)
- Barbados: $5,333 per ton (down -33.3%)
- Trinidad/Tobago: $6,000 per ton (up 50%)
- Ivory Coast: $7,000 per ton (2021 data unavailable)
There were 5 double-digit reductions in average unit price paid per ton for non-crushed and unground vanilla from 2021 to 2022. These were low-cost importers Lebanon (down -80.8%), Niger (down -73.9%), Cameroon (down -50%), Bahamas (down -44.5%) and Barbados (down -33.3%).
The following countries paid among the highest average unit prices for imported unprocessed vanilla.
- Finland: US$350,000 per ton (up 127.8% from 2021)
- Norway: $335,000 per ton (down -7.2%)
- Taiwan: $294,000 per ton (up 17.1%)
- United Arab Emirates: $269,800 per ton (up 124.8%)
- Denmark: $258,724 per ton (down -16%)
- Türkiye: $243,000 per ton (up 16.8%)
- Czech Republic: $235,818 per ton (down -21.1%)
- Estonia: $231,000 per ton (up 138.1%)
- Mauritius: $216,458 per ton (down -14.6%)
- Brazil: $215,000 per ton (up 56.9%)
- Netherlands: $213,198 per ton (down -9.9%)
- France: $210,309 per ton (up 0.7%)
- Poland: $207,875 per ton (down -30.2%)
- Romania: $202,500 per ton (down -30.2%)
- Israel: $202,500 per ton (down -20.3%)
There was a trio of triple-digit accelerations in terms of higher average unit prices paid in 2022 compared to 2021. These were for Estonia (up 138.1% from 2021), Finland (up 127.8%) and the United Arab Emirates (up 124.8%).
Imported Crushed or Ground Vanilla: Lowest and Highest Unit Prices
In 2022, the world’s average unit price for imports of crushed and ground vanilla was US$30,607 per ton. Ironically, the average metric for processed vanilla falls below the $163,918 per ton for raw vanilla.
The average tonnage charge for the number one importer of crushed and ground vanilla, France, was $70,898 higher than the global average for processed vanilla.
Ranked in ascending order, listed below are the countries paying the lowest average unit prices for imported crushed and ground vanilla in 2022.
- Venezuela: US$140 per ton (2021 data unavailable)
- Democratic Rep. Congo: $216 per ton (down -48.1% from 2021)
- Niger: $280 per ton (2021 data unavailable)
- Tanzania: $286 per ton (2021 data unavailable)
- Panama: $523 per ton (2021 data unavailable)
- Cameroon: $750 per ton (down -50%)
- Angola: $1,000 per ton (down -20%)
- Cuba: $1,000 per ton (2021 data unavailable)
- Haiti: $1,000 per ton (up 60%)
- Burundi: $1,000 per ton (2021 data unavailable)
- Namibia: $1,226 per ton (down -91.8%)
- Curaçao: $1,571 per ton (up 17.9%)
- Syria: $1,978 per ton (down -15.1%)
- Turks/Caicos Islands: $2,000 per ton (up 100%)
- Timor-Leste: $2,000 per ton (up 100%)
There were 5 reductions in average unit price paid per ton for crushed and ground vanilla from 2021 to 2022. These were low-cost importers Namibia (down -91.8%), Cameroon (down -50%), Democratic Republic of the Congo (down -48.1%), Angola (down -20%) and Syria (down -15.1%).
The following countries paid among the highest average unit prices for imported crushed or ground vanilla.
- Finland: US$298,500 per ton (up 83.7% from 2021)
- Croatia: $213,000 per ton (down -11.8%)
- Mauritius: $206,000 per ton (2021 data unavailable)
- mainland China: $202,000 per ton (up 129.5%)
- Austria: $180,700 per ton (up 9.6%)
- Poland: $180,071 per ton (up 65.8%)
- Czech Republic: $179,250 per ton (down -31.9%)
- Norway: $172,500 per ton (down -26.9%)
- Sweden: $168,889 per ton (down -25.6%)
- Switzerland: $159,037 per ton (down -43.4%)
- Taiwan: $158,000 per ton (up 7.5%)
- Bulgaria: $148,000 per ton (down -8.6%)
- Japan: $146,333 per ton (down -10.4%)
- Latvia: $115,600 per ton (down -19.7%)
- South Korea: $111,000 per ton (2021 data unavailable)
The 3 greatest accelerations in terms of higher average unit prices in 2022 compared to 2021 were paid by importers of crushed or ground vanilla in mainland China (up 129.5%), Finland (up 83.7%), and Poland (up 65.8%).
See also Top Exported Spices by Sales, Weight and Unit Value, Cinnamon Exports by Country, Top Garlic Exports by Country and Top Cloves Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices
Research Sources:
Alibaba, Vanilla Showroom. Accessed on September 9, 2023
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on September 9, 2023
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on September 9, 2023
Wikipedia, Vanilla. Accessed on September 9, 2023