Oranges are a citrus fruit that provides consumers with much more fiber, vitamin C, potassium and calcium than apples do. Apples are non-citrus fruits; rather they belong to rose-family pome fruits.
When it comes to international trade, apples and oranges can be meaningfully compared. This article presents a statistical comparison of the two popular fruits in terms of exports, imports and product trade surpluses.
For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix for fresh apples is 080810 while 080510 is used for fresh or dried oranges.
Apples vs Oranges Exports by Top Suppliers
The worldwide value of exported apples totaled US$6.9 billion in 2022, 43.4% greater than global sales for exported oranges.
Below are the top 10 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of apples during 2022.
- China: US$1 billion (down -27.2% from 2021)
- Italy: $913.4 million (down -13%)
- United States: $886 million (down -3.1%)
- New Zealand: $569.8 million (down -4.8%)
- Chile: $526.1 million (down -10.8%)
- South Africa: $488.6 million (up 0.7%)
- France: $403.5 million (down -9.2%)
- Poland: $316.7 million (down -24.9%)
- Iran: $199.8 million (down -28.4%)
- Türkiye: $166.5 million (down -6.8%)
By value, the listed countries accounted for 80.4% of exported apples shipped in 2022.
The overall value of exported apples fell by -14.7% compared to 2021.
Among the top 10 apples suppliers, South Africa (up 0.7%) was the lone year-over-year gainer.
Incurring double-digit declines were apple exporters in Iran (down -28.4% from 2021), mainland China (down -27.2%), Poland (down -24.9%), Italy (down -13%) and Chile (down -10.8%).
The total for all oranges exported in 2022 amounted to $4.8 billion, slipping by -12.8% compared to $5.5 billion in 2021. The percentage decline for exported oranges is somewhat smaller than the reduction for exported apples.
The top 10 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of oranges are notable for the absence of the world-leading apples provider, mainland China.
- Spain: US$1.2 billion (down -15.1% from 2021)
- South Africa: $762.7 million (down -5.7%)
- Egypt: $635.9 million (down -11%)
- United States: $509.5 million (down -15.2%)
- Netherlands: $241.3 million (down -12.9%)
- Australia: $175.8 million (down -14.2%)
- Greece: $143.9 million (down -22.1%)
- Italy: $112 million (down -23.4%)
- Portugal: $104.6 million (up 4.5%)
- Türkiye: $98.5 million (down -6%)
The above countries collected 83.8% of spending on exported oranges in 2022.
Among the top 10 international suppliers of apples, Portugal was the only gainer thanks to its 4.5% increase in global sales.
Recording the severest declines were orange exporters in Italy (down -23.4% from 2021), Greece (down -22.1%), United States of America (down -15.2%), Spain (down -15.1%) and Australia (down -14.2%).
Apples vs Oranges Imports by Top Customers
The worldwide cost of imported apples was US$7.5 billion in 2022, 38.9% more than the global total for imported oranges.
Below are the top 10 countries that spent the most on imported apples in 2022.
- Germany: US$485.1 billion (down -22.5% from 2021)
- United Kingdom: $392.1 million (down -4.8%)
- Egypt: $356.7 million (up 2.2%)
- Indonesia: $355.5 million (down -5%)
- Russia: $316.6 million (down -33.7%)
- India: $314.3 million (down -16.7%)
- Taiwan: $258.7 million (down -5.5%)
- Thailand: $253.8 million (down -4.8%)
- Vietnam: $248.4 million (up 50%)
- Canada: $246 million (up 19.6%)
By value, the above buyer countries generated 42.9% of global spending on imported apples for 2022.
The overall value of imported apples fell by -9.7% compared to 2021.
There were 3 increasing spenders among the top 10 apples customers. These were buyers in Vietnam (up 50% from 2021), Canada (up 19.6%) then Egypt (up 2.2%).
Recording double-digit declines were importers in the Russian Federation (down -33.7% from 2021), Germany (down -22.5%) and India (down -16.7%).
The total cost for all oranges imported in 2022 was $5.4 billion, reducing by -8.7% versus the $5.9 billion spent in 2021.
The top 10 countries that imported the highest dollar value worth of oranges.
- France: US$416.9 million (down -8.6% from 2021)
- Germany: $410.2 million (down -17.8%)
- Netherlands: $378.6 million (down -3.2%)
- United States: $269.9 million (up 6.9%)
- Hong Kong: $244.5 million (down -6.5%)
- Saudi Arabia: $230.7 million (down -2.9%)
- China: $228.2 million (down -13.8%)
- Russia: $227.3 million (down -27.6%)
- Canada: $225.5 million (up 8.5%)
- United Kingdom: $211.4 million (down -5.5%)
The above countries collected 52.4% of total spending on imported oranges in 2022.
Among the top 10 apples buyers, Canada (up 8.5%) and the United States of America (up 6.9%) increased their spending on imported apples from 2021 to 2022.
The severest percentage declines belong to orange importers in Russia (down -27.6% from 2021), Germany (down -17.8%) and mainland China (down -13.8%).
Top 10 Countries with Highest Surpluses Trading Apples
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for apples 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 apples exports and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- Italy: US$889.2 million (down -13% from 2021)
- China: $824.5 million (down -35.5%)
- United States: $681.7 million (down -4.9%)
- New Zealand: $569.7 million (down -4.7%)
- Chile: $517.5 million (down -11.2%)
- South Africa: $488.6 million (up 0.8%)
- Poland: $315.1 million (down -24.7%)
- France: $314.2 million (up 7%)
- Iran: $199.8 million (down -28.4%)
- Türkiye: $166.2 million (down -6.8%)
From 2021 to 2022, France (up 7%) and South Africa (up 0.8%) garnered increases in their surpluses trading apples.
Posting double-digit percentage drops year over year was mainland China (down -35.5% from 2021), Iran (down -28.4%), Poland (down -24.7%), Italy (down -13%) then Chile (down -11.2%).
Top 10 Countries with Highest Surpluses Trading Oranges
In 2022, the following countries generated the greatest surpluses trading oranges on world markets.
- Spain: US$1.1 billion (down -13.5% from 2021)
- South Africa: $761.8 million (down -5.6%)
- Egypt: $635.9 million (down -11%)
- United States: $239.6 million (down -31.2%)
- Australia: $155.5 million (down -14.9%)
- Greece: $141.4 million (down -22.7%)
- Türkiye: $86.8 million (down -6.3%)
- Morocco: $86.5 million (up 27.9%)
- Chile: $57.6 million (down -23.7%)
- Iran: $52.8 million (up 7.8%)
A pair of top 10 trade countries increased their surpluses trading oranges on international markets, namely Morocco (up 27.9% from 2021) and Iran (up 7.8%).
The severest percentage reductions in their oranges-specific surpluses belong to the United States of America (down -31.2% from 2021), Chile (down -23.7%), Greece (down -22.7%), Australia (down -14.9%), then the world’s leading oranges exporter Spain (down -13.5%).
See also Apples Exports by Country, Apples Imports by Country, Oranges Exports by Country and International Markets for Imported Oranges by Country
Research Sources:
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on January 16, 2024
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on January 16, 2024
Live Strong, Which is Healthier, an Apple or an Orange. Accessed on January 16, 2024
Wikipedia, Apple. Accessed on January 16, 2024
Wikipedia, Orange (fruit). Accessed on January 16, 2024