The overall value of imported wheat for all buying countries rose by an average 38.4% since 2017 when the world’s tally for wheat purchases equaled $42.3 billion.
From 2020 to 2021, the worldwide bill for imported wheat accelerated by 20.5%.
By value, the 5 biggest buyers of wheat (Indonesia, Nigeria, mainland China, Turkey and Egypt) purchased almost one quarter (24.2%) of overall wheat imports bought in 2021.
Among continents, Asian countries accounted for the highest dollar worth of overall wheat imported during 2021 with purchases valued at $25.2 billion or 43% of the global total. In second place were African importers at 26.8% while 17.5% of worldwide wheat imports was delivered to Europe.
Smaller percentages arrived in Latin America (9.1%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, North America (3.1%) and Oceania (0.5%) led by New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 1001 for wheat and meslin.
Wheat Imports by Country
Below are the 15 countries that imported the highest dollar value worth of wheat during 2021.
- Indonesia: US$3.5 billion (6.1% of total imported wheat)
- Nigeria: $2.7 billion (4.7%)
- China: $2.72 billion (4.6%)
- Turkey: $2.69 billion (4.6%)
- Egypt: $2.47 billion (4.2%)
- Algeria: $2.34 billion (4%)
- Italy: $2.30 billion (3.9%)
- Bangladesh: $1.96 billion (3.3%)
- Philippines: $1.95 billion (3.3%)
- Japan: $1.79 billion (3%)
- Brazil: $1.67 billion (2.8%)
- Morocco: $1.59 billion (2.7%)
- Mexico: $1.4 billion (2.3%)
- South Korea: $1.34 billion (2.3%)
- Vietnam: $1.27 billion (2.2%)
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing markets for wheat since 2020 were: Vietnam (up 57.1%), Bangladesh (up 52.1%), Algeria (up 41.9%) and South Korea (up 39%).
The lone decliner in its imported wheat purchases was Egypt via its -8.5% slowdown year over year.
By value, the listed 15 countries purchased 54.2% of all wheat imported in 2021.
Global Wheat Imports into Indonesia
Below are the top 15 suppliers from which Indonesia imported the highest dollar value worth of wheat during 2021. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2020 to 2021.
- Australia: US$1.5 billion (up 515.1% from 2020)
- Ukraine: $919.4 million (up 29.9%)
- Canada: $639.3 million (down -0.01%)
- Argentina: $169.5 million (down -73%)
- United States: $134.7 million (down -60.6%)
- India: $101 million (2020 data unavailable)
- Bulgaria: $58 million (up 99.3%)
- Brazil: $30.3 million (2020 data unavailable)
- Moldova: $20.1 million (up 33.3%)
- Russia: $825,000 (down -94.7%)
By value, the listed countries shipped 100% of wheat imported by Indonesia in 2021.
Overall, the value of Indonesia’s imported wheat increased by an average 24.2% from all supplying countries since 2020 when wheat purchased cost $2.6 billion.
Global Wheat Imports into Nigeria
Below are the top suppliers from which Nigeria imported the highest dollar value worth of wheat during 2021. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2020 to 2021.
- United States: US$558.7 million (up 10.3% from 2020)
- Ukraine: $495.2 million (2019 data unavailable)
- Lithuania: $402.9 million (up 27%)
- Canada: $372.9 million (up 2.6%)
- Russia: $298.8 million (down -22.6%)
- Latvia: $270.8 million (down -1.6%)
- Argentina: $125.7 million (up 148.7%)
- Germany: $86 million (up 35.4%)
- Estonia: $63.8 million (2019 data unavailable)
- Australia: $36.9 million (2019 data unavailable)
- Mexico: $14.6 million (up 579.6%)
- France: $11 million (down -23.3%)
- Czech Republic: $3.7 million (down -84.9%)
- Singapore: $1.4 million (2019 data unavailable)
- United Kingdom: $249,000 (down -99.2%)
By value, the listed countries shipped 100% of all Nigerian wheat imports in 2021.
Overall, the value of Egyptian wheat imports decreased by an average -6.5% from all supplying countries since 2020 when wheat purchases were valued at $2.8 billion.
Global Wheat Imports into China
Below are the top suppliers from which mainland China imported the highest dollar value worth of wheat during 2021. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2020 to 2021.
- United States: US$858.7 million (up 84.9% from 2020)
- Canada: $804.8 million (up 22.9%)
- Australia: $670.6 million (up 86.5%)
- France: $307.3 million (down -51.1%)
- Kazakhstan: $48.7 million (up 1.1%)
- Lithuania: $17.6 million (down -81%)
- Russia: $13.8 million (up 12.6%)
- Mexico: $2,000 (2019 data unavailable)
- United Kingdom: $1,000 (2019 data unavailable)
By value, the listed countries shipped 100% of wheat imported by mainland China in 2021.
Overall, the value of China’s imported wheat accelerated by an average 20.4% from all supplying countries since 2020 when wheat purchased totaled $1 billion.
Global Wheat Imports into Turkey
Below are the 15 suppliers from which Turkey imported the highest dollar value worth of wheat during 2021. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2020 to 2021.
- Russia: US$1.9 billion (up 24.8% from 2020)
- Ukraine: $471.4 million (up 91.3%)
- Moldova: $121.6 million (up 3,086%)
- Canada: $74.8 million (down -50.5%)
- Greece: $57.2 million (up 2,272%)
- Romania: $23 million (up 1,138%)
- Bulgaria: $22.8 million (down -33.2%)
- Mexico: $19.4 million (down -82.8%)
- Kazakhstan: $15 million (up 126.3%)
- Syrian Arab Republic: $13.7 million (down -49.8%)
- Cyprus: $1.6 million (down -43.6%)
- Lebanon: $1 million (up 12,525%)
- Iraq: $351,000 (down -30.5%)
- Italy: $130,000 (down -42%)
- France: $96,000 (up 68.4%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 99.9998% of wheat imported by Turkey in 2021.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of wheat to Turkey since 2020 were: Lebanon (up 12,525%), Moldova (up 3,086%), Greece (up 2,272%) and Romania (up 1,138%).
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their wheat supplied to Turkish importers included: Mexico (down -82.8%), Canada (down -50.5%), Syrian Arab Republic (down -49.8%) and Cyprus (down -43.6%).
Overall, the value of Turkey’s imported wheat increased by an average 15.3% from all supplying countries since 2020 when wheat purchased cost $1.04 billion.
Searchable List of Wheat Importing Countries in 2021
Collectively, the 100 key importers showcased in the database below bought 98.2% of worldwide imports of wheat during 2021 by dollar value.
| Rank | Importer | Wheat Imports (US$) | 2020-1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Indonesia | $3,548,356,000 | +35.6% |
| 2. | Nigeria | $2,742,845,000 | +33.4% |
| 3. | China | $2,721,469,000 | +20.4% |
| 4. | Turkey | $2,692,623,000 | +15.3% |
| 5. | Egypt | $2,465,060,000 | -8.5% |
| 6. | Algeria | $2,335,230,000 | +41.9% |
| 7. | Italy | $2,298,360,000 | +13.5% |
| 8. | Bangladesh | $1,958,455,000 | +52.1% |
| 9. | Philippines | $1,950,906,000 | +24% |
| 10. | Japan | $1,785,206,000 | +17.1% |
| 11. | Brazil | $1,669,006,000 | +24.3% |
| 12. | Morocco | $1,589,971,000 | +11.7% |
| 13. | Mexico | $1,370,032,000 | +26.2% |
| 14. | South Korea | $1,349,111,000 | +39% |
| 15. | Vietnam | $1,271,649,000 | +57.1% |
| 16. | Netherlands | $1,264,072,000 | +32.4% |
| 17. | Belgium | $1,230,203,000 | +42.8% |
| 18. | Spain | $1,183,514,000 | +24.5% |
| 19. | Germany | $1,093,870,000 | +19.9% |
| 20. | Ethiopia | $938,626,000 | +117.7% |
| 21. | Yemen | $835,716,000 | +24.5% |
| 22. | Pakistan | $815,128,000 | +23.3% |
| 23. | Thailand | $800,330,000 | +2% |
| 24. | Colombia | $654,675,000 | +37.1% |
| 25. | United Kingdom | $644,273,000 | +20.8% |
| 26. | Peru | $617,198,000 | +9.4% |
| 27. | Uzbekistan | $615,793,000 | +10.7% |
| 28. | Tunisia | $609,432,000 | +4.3% |
| 29. | Kenya | $567,588,000 | +23.8% |
| 30. | Israel | $521,503,000 | +46.5% |
| 31. | Sudan | $508,595,000 | -3.9% |
| 32. | Ecuador | $499,021,000 | +53.4% |
| 33. | South Africa | $463,458,000 | -6% |
| 34. | Taiwan | $438,209,000 | +8.8% |
| 35. | Malaysia | $427,101,000 | +13.1% |
| 36. | Chile | $422,401,000 | +49.5% |
| 37. | Saudi Arabia | $407,267,000 | +109.9% |
| 38. | United States | $402,258,000 | -12.1% |
| 39. | Sri Lanka | $386,143,000 | +5.5% |
| 40. | Libya | $354,927,000 | +43.8% |
| 41. | Portugal | $343,337,000 | +17.7% |
| 42. | United Arab Emirates | $339,520,000 | -10.3% |
| 43. | Azerbaijan | $331,946,000 | +11.8% |
| 44. | Greece | $311,942,000 | +47.9% |
| 45. | Austria | $305,632,000 | +27.9% |
| 46. | Angola | $286,992,000 | +65.9% |
| 47. | Tajikistan | $265,939,000 | +9.3% |
| 48. | Senegal | $259,306,000 | +35% |
| 49. | Romania | $258,599,000 | +3% |
| 50. | Cameroon | $256,378,000 | +40.1% |
| 51. | Mozambique | $252,179,000 | +18.1% |
| 52. | Ghana | $246,142,000 | +32.5% |
| 53. | Lebanon | $245,870,000 | +65.6% |
| 54. | Tanzania | $222,758,000 | +30% |
| 55. | Mauritania | $219,745,000 | +20.1% |
| 56. | Kazakhstan | $215,549,000 | +147.9% |
| 57. | Jordan | $206,720,000 | -4% |
| 58. | Guatemala | $200,588,000 | +17.9% |
| 59. | Dominican Republic | $200,506,000 | +50.6% |
| 60. | El Salvador | $198,693,000 | +178.5% |
| 61. | Ivory Coast | $195,438,000 | -2.7% |
| 62. | Venezuela | $193,085,000 | +68.5% |
| 63. | New Zealand | $165,757,000 | +34.9% |
| 64. | Poland | $156,120,000 | -10% |
| 65. | Iran | $154,623,000 | -83.2% |
| 66. | Cuba | $152,955,000 | +9.1% |
| 67. | Switzerland | $149,029,000 | +34.7% |
| 68. | Kuwait | $143,743,000 | -1.1% |
| 69. | Myanmar | $137,572,000 | +0.8% |
| 70. | Latvia | $132,215,000 | -18.4% |
| 71. | Uganda | $131,245,000 | -13.5% |
| 72. | Oman | $123,746,000 | -14.6% |
| 73. | Democr. Rep. Congo | $109,540,000 | +13.3% |
| 74. | Guinea | $106,041,000 | +31.4% |
| 75. | Norway | $101,187,000 | +41.7% |
| 76. | Congo | $95,350,000 | +74.1% |
| 77. | Georgia | $93,442,000 | -16.5% |
| 78. | Honduras | $89,719,000 | +34.1% |
| 79. | France | $88,927,000 | +15.2% |
| 80. | Djibouti | $86,010,000 | +558.4% |
| 81. | Mali | $81,586,000 | -0.1% |
| 82. | Costa Rica | $78,179,000 | +8.2% |
| 83. | Ireland | $77,708,000 | +6.8% |
| 84. | Haiti | $77,101,000 | +32.8% |
| 85. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $76,858,000 | +7.5% |
| 86. | Burkina Faso | $75,075,000 | +78% |
| 87. | Papua New Guinea | $72,403,000 | +12.4% |
| 88. | Madagascar | $64,449,000 | +221.9% |
| 89. | Singapore | $64,279,000 | -7.7% |
| 90. | Armenia | $61,913,000 | -14.5% |
| 91. | Nepal | $60,151,000 | -40.9% |
| 92. | Albania | $59,221,000 | -3.3% |
| 93. | Canada | $59,031,000 | +96.6% |
| 94. | Jamaica | $58,655,000 | +26.9% |
| 95. | Mauritius | $54,186,000 | +66.4% |
| 96. | Qatar | $54,051,000 | +214.6% |
| 97. | Fiji | $52,618,000 | +2.2% |
| 98. | Kyrgyzstan | $51,439,000 | +47.1% |
| 99. | Belarus | $51,124,000 | +978.3% |
| 100. | Russia | $49,158,000 | -24.2% |
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the columns above. An entry of 0% in the right-most column means no 2020 data is available.
Among the 100 major markets for imported wheat, the fastest growing demand came from: Belarus (up 978.3% from 2020 to 2021), Djibouti (up 558.4%), Madagascar (up 221.9%), Qatar (up 214.6%), El Salvador (up 178.5%), Kazakhstan (up 147.9%), Ethiopia (up 117.7%), Saudi Arabia (up 109.9%) then Canada (up 96.6%.
See also Average Wheat Prices Compared for Biggest Wheat Export Countries, Wheat Exports by Country, America’s Top Trading Partners, Corn Exports by Country and Barley Exports by Country
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Imports – 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
