From 2020 to 2021, the value of globally exported wheat increased by 24.2%.
The 5 biggest wheat exporters (Russia, United States of America, Australia, Canada and Ukraine) provided about three-fifths (59.5%) of the overall value of international shipments for the nourishing cereal food.
From a continental perspective, European countries supplied half of worldwide wheat exports during 2021 with shipments amounting to $28 billion or 50.2% of total global sales. Home to two leading wheat-shipping neighbors (United States and Canada), North American exporters furnished 25.2% worth of wheat sold on international markets.
Oceania (mostly Australia) was responsible for 13% of wheat exports by value, ahead of Latin America excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean at 6.2%. Smaller percentages came from Asia (5.3%) and Africa (0.2%).
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 1001 for wheat and meslin.
Top 15 Wheat Exporters by Country
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of wheat during 2021.
- Russia: US$7.3 billion (13.1% of total wheat exports)
- United States: $7.29 billion (13.1%)
- Australia: $7.2 billion (13%)
- Canada: $6.6 billion (11.9%)
- Ukraine: $4.7 billion (8.5%)
- France: $4.6 billion (8.2%)
- Argentina: $3 billion (5.3%)
- Germany: $2 billion (3.6%)
- Romania: $1.8 billion (3.3%)
- India: $1.7 billion (3.1%)
- Bulgaria: $1.4 billion (2.5%)
- Kazakhstan: $1.1 billion (1.9%)
- Poland: $994.3 million (1.8%)
- Lithuania: $826.2 million (1.5%)
- Hungary: $670.8 million (1.2%)
The listed 15 countries shipped 91.8% of globally exported wheat in 2021 by value.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing wheat suppliers from 2020 to 2021 were: India (up 609%), Australia (up 167.2%), Bulgaria (up 96%), Romania (up 89.2%) and Argentina (up 46.5%).
Five countries posted declines in their annual exported wheat sales namely: Lithuania (down -9.3%), Russia (down -7.8%), Germany (down -5.8%), Kazakhstan (down -5%) and Poland (down -4.9%).
Countries Generating Highest Trade Surpluses from the Global Wheat Trade
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for wheat during 2021. 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 wheat exports and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- Russia: US$7.3 billion (net export surplus down -7.7% since 2020)
- Australia: $7.2 billion (up 178.9%)
- United States: $6.9 billion (up 17.4%)
- Canada: $6.6 billion (up 4.9%)
- Ukraine: $4.7 billion (up 31.3%)
- France: $4.5 billion (down -0.04%)
- Argentina: $3 billion (up 46.5%)
- India: $1.7 billion (up 609.2%)
- Romania: $1.6 billion (up 119.6%)
- Bulgaria: $1.4 billion (up 95.9%)
- Germany: $888.4 million (down -25.4%)
- Kazakhstan: $865.2 million (down -17.6%)
- Poland: $838.2 million (down -3.9%)
- Lithuania: $807 million (down -9%)
- Hungary: $622.1 million (up 5.4%)
The Russian Federation garnered the highest surplus in the international trade of wheat for 2021. The positive trade balance for wheat confirms Russia’s valuable competitive advantage for this important food product.
Countries Posting Greatest Trade Deficits from the Global Wheat Trade
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for wheat during 2021. 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 wheat import purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- Indonesia: -US$3.5 billion (net export deficit up 35.6% since 2020)
- Nigeria: -$2.74 billion (up 33.4%)
- China: -$2.72 billion (up 20.3%)
- Turkey: -$2.6 billion (up 13.1%)
- Egypt: -$2.5 billion (down -8.5%)
- Algeria: -$2.3 billion (up 41.9%)
- Italy: -$2.2 billion (up 10.4%)
- Bangladesh: -$1.96 billion (up 52.1%)
- Philippines: -$1.95 billion (up 24%)
- Japan: -$1.8 billion (up 17.1%)
- Morocco: -$1.6 billion (up 11.7%)
- Brazil: -$1.4 billion (up 12.5%)
- South Korea: -$1.35 billion (up 39%)
- Vietnam: -$1.27 billion (up 59.3%)
- Mexico: -$1.26 billion (up 26%)
Highly populated Indonesia, Nigeria and mainland China incurred the highest deficits in the international trade of wheat. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights the countries’ severe competitive disadvantages for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for wheat-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand among each country’s consumers.
Major Wheat-Exporting Companies
Below are bulk wheat-supplying conglomerates that dominate the worldwide grain trade (73% of the global market in 2003, according to OXFAM researchers). Shown within parenthesis is the country where the company is headquartered.
- Cargill (United States)
- Archer Daniels Midland (United States)
- Bunge (United States)
- Louis Dreyfus (France)
According to global trading platform Alibaba, the following companies are also examples of wheat-trading companies located in the country shown within parentheses.
- Tropolis (Canada)
- Pentarch (Australia)
- FENIL (Russia)
- SB Import & Export (Germany)
- Agro Resources International LLC (Ukraine)
- NUPUR International (India)
- Zaharni Zavodi – AD (Bulgaria)
Searchable List of Wheat Exporting Countries in 2021
The following database of 104 exporters shipped 100% of worldwide exported wheat during 2021.
| Rank | Exporter | Exported Wheat (US$) | 2020-1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Russia | $7,301,689,000 | -7.8% |
| 2. | United States | $7,286,648,000 | +15.2% |
| 3. | Australia | $7,247,149,000 | +167.2% |
| 4. | Canada | $6,639,162,000 | +5.4% |
| 5. | Ukraine | $4,722,745,000 | +31.4% |
| 6. | France | $4,550,825,000 | +0.2% |
| 7. | Argentina | $2,973,036,000 | +46.5% |
| 8. | Germany | $1,982,255,000 | -5.8% |
| 9. | Romania | $1,822,246,000 | +89.2% |
| 10. | India | $1,723,431,000 | +609% |
| 11. | Bulgaria | $1,372,280,000 | +96% |
| 12. | Kazakhstan | $1,080,796,000 | -5% |
| 13. | Poland | $994,331,000 | -4.9% |
| 14. | Lithuania | $826,169,000 | -9.3% |
| 15. | Hungary | $670,846,000 | +6.4% |
| 16. | Czech Republic | $592,580,000 | +13.3% |
| 17. | Latvia | $589,814,000 | -9.2% |
| 18. | Slovakia | $332,506,000 | +18% |
| 19. | Brazil | $284,037,000 | +154.2% |
| 20. | Serbia | $269,812,000 | +203% |
| 21. | Austria | $257,396,000 | +34.7% |
| 22. | Belgium | $212,426,000 | +15% |
| 23. | Greece | $209,095,000 | +134.4% |
| 24. | Moldova | $207,713,000 | +655.5% |
| 25. | Sweden | $169,054,000 | -29.2% |
| 26. | Croatia | $147,546,000 | +28.9% |
| 27. | Denmark | $144,021,000 | -17.8% |
| 28. | Spain | $135,302,000 | -23.8% |
| 29. | Estonia | $124,009,000 | -19.9% |
| 30. | Mexico | $106,156,000 | +29.3% |
| 31. | Uruguay | $100,967,000 | +7.7% |
| 32. | Turkey | $97,828,000 | +147.7% |
| 33. | South Africa | $94,891,000 | +78.1% |
| 34. | Italy | $94,049,000 | +235.2% |
| 35. | Paraguay | $89,153,000 | +46.3% |
| 36. | United Kingdom | $87,336,000 | -26.6% |
| 37. | Netherlands | $69,937,000 | +5.1% |
| 38. | Slovenia | $28,884,000 | +53.2% |
| 39. | United Arab Emirates | $19,251,000 | -9.1% |
| 40. | Ireland | $15,680,000 | +115.2% |
| 41. | Syrian Arab Republic | $13,684,000 | -49.9% |
| 42. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $11,659,000 | +39.9% |
| 43. | Belarus | $10,221,000 | +144.9% |
| 44. | Finland | $9,972,000 | -70.2% |
| 45. | Luxembourg | $7,323,000 | -11.7% |
| 46. | Uzbekistan | $6,392,000 | -31.1% |
| 47. | North Macedonia | $5,496,000 | +406.5% |
| 48. | Senegal | $3,192,000 | +95.1% |
| 49. | Mozambique | $2,289,000 | -25.1% |
| 50. | Bermuda | $1,954,000 | 0% |
| 51. | China | $1,365,000 | 0% |
| 52. | Portugal | $1,310,000 | -57.2% |
| 53. | Lebanon | $1,142,000 | +462.6% |
| 54. | Vietnam | $1,079,000 | -90.9% |
| 55. | Armenia | $592,000 | +1641.2% |
| 56. | New Zealand | $545,000 | +808.3% |
| 57. | El Salvador | $513,000 | +1% |
| 58. | Georgia | $393,000 | +2923.1% |
| 59. | Iraq | $351,000 | -30.5% |
| 60. | Kenya | $350,000 | -27.4% |
| 61. | Zambia | $311,000 | +1455% |
| 62. | Tanzania | $268,000 | -9.5% |
| 63. | Papua New Guinea | $244,000 | +1,777% |
| 64. | Malaysia | $217,000 | +51.7% |
| 65. | Switzerland | $187,000 | -48.3% |
| 66. | Peru | $172,000 | -56.3% |
| 67. | Tajikistan | $161,000 | 0% |
| 68. | Honduras | $147,000 | 0% |
| 69. | Grenada | $101,000 | 0% |
| 70. | Israel | $92,000 | +1,433% |
| 71. | Botswana | $58,000 | +61.1% |
| 72. | Dominican Republic | $58,000 | -86.5% |
| 73. | Morocco | $54,000 | +350% |
| 74. | Jordan | $53,000 | -87.4% |
| 75. | Algeria | $49,000 | +2350% |
| 76. | Thailand | $36,000 | +89.5% |
| 77. | Sri Lanka | $33,000 | -96% |
| 78. | Taiwan | $29,000 | +107.1% |
| 79. | Palestine | $20,000 | +566.7% |
| 80. | Malawi | $17,000 | 0% |
| 81. | Lesotho | $13,000 | 0% |
| 82. | Iran | $12,000 | 0% |
| 83. | Egypt | $11,000 | -15.4% |
| 84. | Singapore | $9,000 | +28.6% |
| 85. | Hong Kong | $7,000 | 0% |
| 86. | Kyrgyzstan | $6,000 | -40% |
| 87. | Nigeria | $6,000 | 0% |
| 88. | Nepal | $5,000 | 0% |
| 89. | Norway | $3,000 | -82.4% |
| 90. | Yemen | $3,000 | -97.6% |
| 91. | Somalia | $2,000 | 0% |
| 92. | Curaçao | $1,000 | 0% |
| 93 | Guatemala | $1,000 | 0% |
| 94 | Ghana | $1,000 | -85.7% |
| 95 | Chile | $1,000 | 0% |
| 96 | Colombia | $1,000 | 0% |
| 97 | Bangladesh | $1,000 | 0% |
| 98 | Liberia | $1,000 | 0% |
| 99 | Montenegro | $1,000 | 0% |
| 100 | Colombia | $1,000 | -66.7% |
| 101 | Congo | $1,000 | 0% |
| 102. | Democr. Rep. Congo | $1,000 | 0% |
| 103. | Ethiopia | $1,000 | -50% |
| 104. | Guatemala | $1,000 | -98.8% |
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the above columns. The right-most column highlights the percentage change in the value of exported wheat in 2021 compared to 2020. (An entry of 0% under that column means that 2020 data was unavailable.)
Related Read: Average Wheat Prices Compared for Biggest Wheat Export Countries
See also Wheat Imports by Country, America’s Top Trading Partners, Corn Exports by Country and Barley Exports by Country
Research Sources:
Alibaba, Supplier information for wheat. Accessed on May 15, 2022
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on May 15, 2022
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on May 15, 2022
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on May 15, 2022
OXFAM Research Reports (August 2017) pp 9-10, Cereal Secrets. Accessed on May 15, 2022
