That dollar amount results from a 61% upturn in international wheat sales since 2018 when global wheat exports were valued at $41.1 billion.
From 2021 to 2022, the value of globally exported wheat increased by 16.2% compared to $56.7 billion one year earlier.
The 5 biggest wheat exporters (Australia, United States of America, Canada, France and Russia) provided over three-fifths (61.7%) of the overall value of international shipments for the nourishing cereal food.
From a continental perspective, European countries furnished approaching half of worldwide wheat exports during 2022 with shipments amounting to $30.6 billion or 46.2% of total global sales. Home to two leading wheat-shipping neighbors (United States and Canada), North American exporters supplied another 24.9% worth of wheat sold on international markets.
Oceania (mostly Australia) was responsible for 15.4% of wheat exports by value, ahead of Latin America excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean at 6.7%. Smaller percentages came from exporters in Asia (6.5%) and Africa (0.3%).
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 2022.
- Australia: US$10.2 billion (15.4% of total wheat exports)
- United States: $8.52 billion (12.9%)
- Canada: $7.9 billion (12%)
- France: $7.4 billion (11.2%)
- Russia: $6.8 billion (10.3%)
- Argentina: $3.1 billion (4.7%)
- Ukraine: $2.7 billion (4%)
- Germany: $2.2 billion (3.3%)
- India: $2.13 billion (3.2%)
- Romania: $2.1 billion (3.2%)
- Kazakhstan: $1.9 billion (2.9%)
- Bulgaria: $1.5 billion (2.2%)
- Poland: $1.4 billion (2.1%)
- Lithuania: $1 billion (1.5%)
- Brazil: $967.3 million (1.5%)
The listed 15 countries shipped 90.4% of globally exported wheat in 2022 by value.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing wheat suppliers were: Brazil (up 240.6% from 2021), France (up 62.4%), Australia (up 40.5%), Poland (up 40.4%), Kazakhstan (up 34.7%) and India (up 23.6%).
A pair of leading countries posted declines in their annual exported wheat sales namely Ukraine (down -47.2% from 2021) and Russia (down -6.9%).
To research other trends for global wheat exports, please see the section Searchable List of Wheat Exporting Countries in 2022 further down this article.
Countries Generating Highest Trade Surpluses from the Global Wheat Trade
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for wheat during 2022. 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.
- Australia: US$10.2 billion (net export surplus up 40.5% since 2021)
- Canada: $7.9 billion (up 20.2%)
- United States of America: $7.8 billion (up 13.9%)
- France: $7.3 billion (up 63.9%)
- Russia: $6.8 billion (down -6.6%)
- Argentina: $3.1 billion (up 5%)
- Ukraine: $2.7 billion (down -47.2%)
- India: $2.1 billion (up 23.6%)
- Romania: $1.8 billion (up 14.1%)
- Kazakhstan: $1.6 billion (up 32%)
- Bulgaria: $1.4 billion (up 8.4%)
- Poland: $1.1 billion (up 33.1%)
- Lithuania: $967.2 million (up 19.5%)
- Latvia: $764.1 million (up 68.3%)
- Germany: $753.2 million (down -15.6%)
Australia garnered the highest surplus in the international trade of wheat for 2022. The positive trade balance for wheat confirms Australia’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 2022. 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$3.81 billion (net export deficit up 7.4% since 2021)
- Egypt: -$3.8 billion (up 54.3%)
- mainland China: -$3.78 billion (up 24.4%)
- Türkiye: -$3.2 billion (up 22.6%)
- Algeria: -$2.68 billion (up 13.7%)
- Italy: -$2.6 billion (up 18%)
- Philippines: -$2.58 billion (up 32.5%)
- Morocco: -$2.56 billion (up 60.9%)
- Japan: -$2.53 billion (up 41.5%)
- Nigeria: -$2.3 billion (down -17.5%)
- South Korea: -$1.8 billion (up 32.4%)
- Spain: -$1.6 billion (up 57%)
- Mexico: -$1.5 billion (up 19.6%)
- Bangladesh: -$1.4 billion (down -27.3%)
- Vietnam: -$1.3 billion (down -3.1%)
Highly populated Indonesia, Egypt and mainland China incurred the highest deficits in the international trade of wheat. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights the countries’ severe competitive disadvantages for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for wheat-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand among each country’s consumers.
Major Wheat-Exporting Companies
Below are bulk wheat-supplying conglomerates that dominate the worldwide grain trade (73% of the global market in 2003, according to OXFAM researchers). Shown within parenthesis is the country where the company is headquartered.
- Cargill (United States)
- Archer Daniels Midland (United States)
- Bunge (United States)
- Louis Dreyfus (France)
According to global trading platform Alibaba, the following companies are also examples of wheat-trading companies located in the country shown within parentheses.
- Tropolis (Canada)
- Pentarch (Australia)
- FENIL (Russia)
- SB Import & Export (Germany)
- Agro Resources International LLC (Ukraine)
- NUPUR International (India)
- Zaharni Zavodi – AD (Bulgaria)
Searchable List of Wheat Exporting Countries in 2022
The following database of 100 exporters shipped 100% of worldwide exported wheat during 2022.
| Rank | Exporter | Exported Wheat (US$) | 2021-2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Australia | $10,183,948,000 | +40.5% |
| 2. | United States | $8,523,270,000 | +17.3% |
| 3. | Canada | $7,941,595,000 | +19.5% |
| 4. | France | $7,388,965,000 | +62.4% |
| 5. | Russia | $6,800,405,000 | -6.9% |
| 6. | Argentina | $3,120,222,000 | +5% |
| 7. | Ukraine | $2,678,054,000 | -47.2% |
| 8. | Germany | $2,212,755,000 | +11% |
| 9. | India | $2,130,739,000 | +23.6% |
| 10. | Romania | $2,099,413,000 | +15.3% |
| 11. | Kazakhstan | $1,920,362,000 | +34.7% |
| 12. | Bulgaria | $1,453,475,000 | +8.7% |
| 13. | Poland | $1,395,772,000 | +40.4% |
| 14. | Lithuania | $1,021,144,000 | +23.2% |
| 15. | Brazil | $967,323,000 | +240.6% |
| 16. | Latvia | $951,178,000 | +56.9% |
| 17. | Czech Republic | $762,594,000 | +30.1% |
| 18. | Hungary | $717,632,000 | +7.1% |
| 19. | Slovakia | $406,456,000 | +22.8% |
| 20. | United Kingdom | $295,771,000 | +238.5% |
| 21. | Austria | $289,989,000 | +13% |
| 22. | Serbia | $260,437,000 | -3.5% |
| 23. | Uruguay | $232,483,000 | +68.5% |
| 24. | Greece | $220,103,000 | +3.8% |
| 25. | Italy | $217,594,000 | +122.3% |
| 26. | Croatia | $210,275,000 | +42.3% |
| 27. | Estonia | $205,764,000 | +65.9% |
| 28. | South Africa | $203,389,000 | +114.3% |
| 29. | Sweden | $202,965,000 | +20.1% |
| 30. | Spain | $184,817,000 | +36.6% |
| 31. | Türkiye | $174,217,000 | +78.1% |
| 32. | Denmark | $162,238,000 | +12.6% |
| 33. | Belgium | $158,338,000 | -27.7% |
| 34. | Paraguay | $108,117,000 | +415735% |
| 35. | Netherlands | $94,128,000 | +55% |
| 36. | Moldova | $58,101,000 | -72% |
| 37. | Mexico | $36,256,000 | -65.8% |
| 38. | Belarus | $33,012,000 | +223% |
| 39. | Slovenia | $28,482,000 | -0.8% |
| 40. | Finland | $20,958,000 | +110.2% |
| 41. | Syria | $15,012,000 | +9.6% |
| 42. | United Arab Emirates | $10,837,000 | -68.5% |
| 43. | Ireland | $9,299,000 | -42.3% |
| 44. | Senegal | $9,226,000 | +189% |
| 45. | Luxembourg | $7,529,000 | +2.8% |
| 46. | Portugal | $5,664,000 | +258.7% |
| 47. | Sri Lanka | $5,339,000 | +63.6% |
| 48. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $4,712,000 | -59.6% |
| 49. | Lebanon | $3,357,000 | +180% |
| 50. | China | $2,960,000 | +49.3% |
| 51. | Tanzania | $1,811,000 | +575.7% |
| 52. | Uzbekistan | $1,507,000 | -76.4% |
| 53. | El Salvador | $1,419,000 | +176.6% |
| 54. | North Macedonia | $1,144,000 | -79% |
| 55. | Laos | $1,140,000 | 0% |
| 56. | Mozambique | $929,000 | -59.4% |
| 57. | Armenia | $727,000 | +22.8% |
| 58. | Dominican Republic | $427,000 | +636.2% |
| 59. | Malaysia | $409,000 | +88.5% |
| 60. | New Zealand | $398,000 | -27% |
| 61. | Kenya | $372,000 | +6.3% |
| 62. | Vietnam | $341,000 | -97.4% |
| 63. | Iraq | $310,000 | -99.9% |
| 64. | Peru | $135,000 | -21.5% |
| 65. | Morocco | $127,000 | +135.2% |
| 66. | Burkina Faso | $127,000 | 0% |
| 67. | Israel | $125,000 | +35.9% |
| 68. | Tajikistan | $118,000 | -26.7% |
| 69. | Switzerland | $118,000 | -36.9% |
| 70. | Algeria | $109,000 | +122.4% |
| 71. | Oman | $103,000 | -84.2% |
| 72. | Chile | $76,000 | +7500% |
| 73. | Malawi | $68,000 | 0% |
| 74. | Nigeria | $66,000 | +1000% |
| 75. | Thailand | $39,000 | +8.3% |
| 76. | Lesotho | $36,000 | -14.3% |
| 77. | Zambia | $30,000 | -90.4% |
| 78. | Zimbabwe | $28,000 | 0% |
| 79. | Namibia | $25,000 | -26.5% |
| 80. | Botswana | $24,000 | -79.7% |
| 81. | Qatar | $21,000 | 0% |
| 82. | Azerbaijan | $16,000 | 0% |
| 83. | Taiwan | $15,000 | -48.3% |
| 84. | Singapore | $14,000 | +55.6% |
| 85. | Norway | $10,000 | +233.3% |
| 86. | Iran | $6,000 | 0% |
| 87. | Ghana | $6,000 | +500% |
| 88. | Cameroon | $5,000 | 0% |
| 89. | Nicaragua | $5,000 | 0% |
| 90. | Uganda | $5,000 | -68.8% |
| 91. | Bangladesh | $4,000 | -33.3% |
| 92. | Palestine | $4,000 | -99.7% |
| 93 | Bahrain | $3,000 | +200% |
| 94 | Angola | $2,000 | 0% |
| 95 | Egypt | $2,000 | -81.8% |
| 96 | Suriname | $1,000 | 0% |
| 97 | Tunisia | $1,000 | 0% |
| 98 | Cyprus | $1,000 | 0% |
| 99 | Guatemala | $1,000 | 0% |
| 100 | Haiti | $1,000 | 0% |
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 2022 compared to 2021. (An entry of 0% under that column means that 2021 data was unavailable.)
Related Read: Average Wheat Prices Compared for Biggest Wheat Export Countries
See also Average Wheat Prices Compared for Biggest Wheat Export Countries, 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 July 14, 2023
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on July 14, 2023
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 14, 2023
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on July 14, 2023
OXFAM Research Reports (August 2018) pp 9-10, Cereal Secrets. Accessed on July 14, 2023
