Globally imported natural rubber for all buyer countries fell by an average -3.9% from 5 years earlier in 2019 when natural rubber import purchases totaled $14.1 billion.
Year over year, money spent on imported natural rubber shrank by -32.7% compared to $20.1 billion starting from 2022.
The 5 biggest importers of natural rubber are mainland China, United States of America, Malaysia, Japan and India. That cohort of highly populous countries spent nearly three-fifths (59.1%) of total worldwide purchases of globally imported natural rubber. Such a high percentage indicates a concentrated cohort of natural rubber buyers.
From a continental perspective, buyers in Asian countries purchased the highest dollar worth of imported natural rubber during 2023 with purchases amounting to $8.6 billion or 63.4% of the global total. In second place were importers in Europe at 18.5% while another 13.8% of overall natural rubber imports was delivered to customers in North America.
Smaller percentages went to importers in Latin America (3.1%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, Africa (1.2%), then Oceania (0.1%) led by Australia and New Zealand.
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 4001 for natural rubber, balata, gutta-percha, guayule, chicle and similar natural gums in primary form.
Natural Rubber Imports by Country
Below are the 15 countries that imported the highest dollar value worth of natural rubber during 2023.
- mainland China: US$3.6 billion (26.4% of total natural rubber imports)
- United States: $1.5 billion (11%)
- Malaysia: $1.3 billion (9.3%)
- Japan: $963.7 million (7.1%)
- India: $714.4 million (5.3%)
- Vietnam: $559.5 million (4.1%)
- South Korea: $411.5 million (3%)
- Türkiye: $394.2 million (2.9%)
- Germany: $389.3 million (2.9%)
- Spain: $292.2 million (2.2%)
- Brazil: $243.9 million (1.8%)
- Poland: $213.6 million (1.6%)
- Italy: $202.9 million (1.5%)
- Belgium: $195.5 million (1.4%)
- Canada: $191.7 million (1.4%)
By value, the listed 15 countries purchased over four-fifths (82%) of all natural rubber imported in 2023.
Those countries that posted declines in their imported natural rubber purchases were led by: Vietnam (down -70% from 2022), Brazil (down -47%), South Korea (down -43.0%) and Belgium (down -42.4%).
Searchable List of Natural Rubber Importing Countries in 2023
The 100 key buyers of natural rubber in the automated database below accounted for 99.97% of the value of imported natural rubber bought during 2023.
| Rank | Importer | Natural Rubber Imports | 2022-3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | mainland China | $3,571,833,000 | -11.3% |
| 2. | United States | $1,480,461,000 | -37.6% |
| 3. | Malaysia | $1,257,749,000 | -23.7% |
| 4. | Japan | $963,741,000 | -34.5% |
| 5. | India | $714,383,000 | -31.8% |
| 6. | Vietnam | $559,476,000 | -70% |
| 7. | South Korea | $411,519,000 | -43% |
| 8. | Türkiye | $394,220,000 | -38.2% |
| 9. | Germany | $389,273,000 | -32.9% |
| 10. | Spain | $292,159,000 | -37.2% |
| 11. | Brazil | $243,859,000 | -47% |
| 12. | Poland | $213,614,000 | -26.7% |
| 13. | Italy | $202,939,000 | -37.1% |
| 14. | Belgium | $195,493,000 | -42.4% |
| 15. | Canada | $191,702,000 | -30% |
| 16. | Mexico | $188,780,000 | -32.4% |
| 17. | Luxembourg | $167,576,000 | -16% |
| 18. | Indonesia | $150,419,000 | +4.4% |
| 19. | Romania | $149,825,000 | -32.9% |
| 20. | Czech Republic | $148,706,000 | -23.8% |
| 21. | Slovakia | $148,487,000 | -27.6% |
| 22. | France | $136,480,000 | -53.7% |
| 23. | Pakistan | $114,630,000 | +15.7% |
| 24. | Hungary | $102,242,000 | -30.1% |
| 25. | Taiwan | $97,943,000 | -36.6% |
| 26. | United Arab Emirates | $96,324,000 | +1888.9% |
| 27. | Singapore | $80,682,000 | -36.9% |
| 28. | Argentina | $68,046,000 | -4.5% |
| 29. | South Africa | $67,652,000 | -25.4% |
| 30. | Netherlands | $56,329,000 | -36.1% |
| 31. | Russia | $55,157,000 | -62.1% |
| 32. | Portugal | $54,565,000 | -42.2% |
| 33. | Sri Lanka | $54,044,000 | -56.8% |
| 34. | Serbia | $50,536,000 | -39.7% |
| 35. | Egypt | $46,370,000 | -37.5% |
| 36. | United Kingdom | $41,906,000 | -16.7% |
| 37. | Iran | $37,823,000 | -77.8% |
| 38. | Chile | $32,008,000 | -26.8% |
| 39. | Slovenia | $23,899,000 | -28.6% |
| 40. | Colombia | $22,983,000 | -45% |
| 41. | Costa Rica | $20,975,000 | -14.9% |
| 42. | Finland | $18,189,000 | -75.4% |
| 43. | Philippines | $15,829,000 | -19% |
| 44. | Ukraine | $14,737,000 | +21% |
| 45. | Liberia | $13,451,000 | +54.9% |
| 46. | Austria | $12,395,000 | -24% |
| 47. | Peru | $11,596,000 | -49.6% |
| 48. | Cambodia | $11,015,000 | +302.6% |
| 49. | North Korea | $10,563,000 | +40.7% |
| 50. | Greece | $8,694,000 | -32.7% |
| 51. | Ecuador | $8,536,000 | -30.3% |
| 52. | Israel | $7,425,000 | -50.1% |
| 53. | Australia | $7,213,000 | -8.6% |
| 54. | Tunisia | $5,906,000 | -2.9% |
| 55. | Lithuania | $5,342,000 | -44.5% |
| 56. | Algeria | $5,203,000 | -41% |
| 57. | Uganda | $4,958,000 | +56.5% |
| 58. | Nigeria | $4,326,000 | -15.2% |
| 59. | Armenia | $3,531,000 | +101% |
| 60. | Thailand | $3,320,000 | +42% |
| 61. | Ethiopia | $3,309,000 | -38.1% |
| 62. | Ireland | $3,145,000 | -19.4% |
| 63. | Sweden | $3,059,000 | -48.9% |
| 64. | Saudi Arabia | $2,779,000 | -51.9% |
| 65. | Bulgaria | $2,241,000 | -35.8% |
| 66. | Croatia | $2,032,000 | -49.8% |
| 67. | Bangladesh | $2,003,000 | -83.2% |
| 68. | Laos | $1,840,000 | +9.5% |
| 69. | Kenya | $1,728,000 | -52.9% |
| 70. | Switzerland | $1,356,000 | -14.2% |
| 71. | New Zealand | $1,350,000 | -47.8% |
| 72. | Morocco | $1,186,000 | -32.1% |
| 73. | Dominican Republic | $1,121,000 | -17.1% |
| 74. | Syria | $1,042,000 | +9.3% |
| 75. | Venezuela | $1,025,000 | -78.2% |
| 76. | Ghana | $1,009,000 | +306.9% |
| 77. | Kazakhstan | $980,000 | -16.2% |
| 78. | Mozambique | $969,000 | -50% |
| 79. | Norway | $868,000 | +5.7% |
| 80. | Denmark | $839,000 | -31.3% |
| 81. | Senegal | $788,000 | -37.6% |
| 82. | Burkina Faso | $745,000 | -5% |
| 83. | Zambia | $739,000 | -16.9% |
| 84. | Latvia | $597,000 | +366.4% |
| 85. | Guatemala | $518,000 | -83.8% |
| 86. | Panama | $449,000 | +2% |
| 87. | Myanmar | $449,000 | -11.3% |
| 88. | Togo | $423,000 | -10.2% |
| 89. | Democratic Rep. Congo | $420,000 | +89.2% |
| 90. | Estonia | $416,000 | -25% |
| 91. | Uzbekistan | $409,000 | -96% |
| 92. | Albania | $392,000 | 0% |
| 93. | Cameroon | $386,000 | -53.7% |
| 94. | Ivory Coast | $332,000 | -24.9% |
| 95. | Yemen | $330,000 | +20.9% |
| 96. | Tanzania | $326,000 | -6.9% |
| 97. | Paraguay | $314,000 | -33.3% |
| 98. | Nepal | $313,000 | -85.8% |
| 99. | Mongolia | $301,000 | +4.5% |
| 100. | Djibouti | $277,000 | -87.7% |
Focusing on the top 100 main buyers of natural rubber from international markets, the fastest growers were the United Arab Emirates (up 1,889% from 2022), Latvia (up 366.4%), Ghana (up 306.9%), Cambodia (up 302.6%) then Armenia (up 101%).
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the above table’s columns. A 0% entry in the right-most column means that 2022 data was unavailable.
Natural Rubber Imports into China
Below are the top 15 suppliers from which mainland China imported the highest dollar value worth of natural rubber during 2023. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country since 2019.
- Thailand: US$1.4 billion (down -17.3% from 2022)
- Ivory Coast: $642 million (up 49.2%)
- Malaysia: $393 million (down -16.2%)
- Indonesia: $306.9 million (up 3.1%)
- Vietnam: $256.8 million (down -24.4%)
- Laos: $243.7 million (down -39.4%)
- Myanmar: $236.7 million (down -16.8%)
- Philippines: $19.4 million (down -36%)
- Ghana: $15.7 million (up 158.8%)
- Cambodia: $7.9 million (down -59.4%)
- Cameroon: $6.4 million (up 363.8%)
- Sri Lanka: $2.6 million (down -21.7%)
- Gabon: $2.1 million (2022 data unavailable)
- Nigeria: $1.8 million (down -70.8%)
- Liberia: $1.4 million (up 237.2%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 99.95% of natural rubber imported by mainland China in 2023.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of natural rubber to China since 2022 were: Cameroon (up 363.8%), Liberia (up 237.2%), Ghana (up 158.8%) and Ivory Coast (up 49.2%).
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their natural rubber supplied to Chinese importers included: Nigeria (down -70.8% from 2022), Cambodia (down -59.4%), Laos (down -39.4%) and Philippines (down -36%).
Overall, the value of mainland China’s imported natural rubber fell by an average -11.3% from all supplying countries since 2022 when natural rubber purchased cost $4 billion.
Natural Rubber Imports into the United States
Below are the top 15 suppliers from which United States imported the highest dollar value worth of natural rubber during 2023. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2022 to 2023.
- Indonesia: US$697.3 million (down -41.2% from 2022)
- Thailand: $396.6 million (down -34.8%)
- Ivory Coast: $155.8 million (down -24.6%)
- Liberia: $63.5 million (down -27.3%)
- Vietnam: $40.6 million (down -44%)
- Malaysia: $34.1 million (down -46.9%)
- Guatemala: $31.2 million (up 11.2%)
- Ghana: $29.4 million (up 30.6%)
- Cameroon: $7.2 million (down -58.2%)
- Sri Lanka: $4.8 million (down -17.6%)
- Guinea: $4.1 million (up 58.4%)
- Cambodia: $3.3 million (up 99.9%)
- Taiwan: $2.4 million (down -56.4%)
- Laos: $1.3 million (down -67.5%)
- Nigeria: $1.1 million (up 400.9%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 99.5% of natural rubber imported by the United States of America in 2023.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of natural rubber to the United States since 2022 were: Nigeria (up 400.9%), Cambodia (up 99.9%), Guinea (up 58.4%) and Ghana (up 30.6%).
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their natural rubber supplied to American importers included: Laos (down -67.5% from 2022), Cameroon (down -58.2%), Taiwan (down -56.4%) and Malaysia (down -46.9%).
Overall, the value of America’s imported natural rubber dropped by an average -37.6% from all supplying countries since 2022 when natural rubber purchased cost $2.4 billion.
Natural Rubber Imports into Malaysia
Below are the top 15 suppliers from which Malaysia imported the highest dollar value worth of natural rubber during 2023. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2022 to 2023.
- Thailand: US$545.5 million (down -35.8% from 2022)
- Ivory Coast: $434.1 million (up 10%)
- Philippines: $76.7 million (down -45.9%)
- Ghana: $52.5 million (up 50.6%)
- Myanmar: $40.3 million (down -65.3%)
- Liberia: $22.7 million (down -56.3%)
- South Africa: $15.2 million (up 171.1%)
- China: $13.09 million (up 930.1%)
- Vietnam: $13.07 million (down -21%)
- Guinea: $10.8 million (up 267.9%)
- Democratic Rep. Congo: $6.9 million (up 0.8%)
- Nigeria: $5.3 million (up 291.4%)
- Gabon: $5.1 million (up 6469.2%)
- Papua New Guinea: $3.1 million (up 12.8%)
- India: $2.4 million (down -61.1%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 99.1% of natural rubber imported by Malaysia in 2023.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of natural rubber to Malaysia since 2022 were: Gabon (up 6,469%), mainland China (up 930.1%), Nigeria (up 291.4%) and Guinea (up 267.9%).
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their natural rubber supplied to Malaysian importers included: Myanmar (down -65.3% from 2022), India (down -61.1%), Liberia (down -56.3%) and the Philippines (down -45.9%).
Overall, the value of Malaysia’s imported natural rubber retreated by an average -23.7% from all supplying countries since 2022 when natural rubber purchased cost $1.6 billion.
Natural Rubber Imports into Japan
Below are the top suppliers from which Japan imported the highest dollar value worth of natural rubber during 2023. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2022 to 2023.
- Indonesia: US$597.3 million (down -38.2% from 2022)
- Thailand: $338.3 million (down -26.9%)
- Vietnam: $16.8 million (down -15.8%)
- Cambodia: $3.9 million (up 152%)
- Sri Lanka: $3.5 million (down -43.6%)
- Myanmar: $2.7 million (down -40.2%)
- Malaysia: $853,000 (down -91.7%)
- Ivory Coast: $285,000 (2022 data unavailable)
- Mexico: $108,000 (up 54.3%)
- mainland China: $95,000 (up 53.2%)
- United States: $14,000 (up 366.7%)
- Belgium: $9,000 (down -88.3%)
- Denmark: $7,000 (up 133.3%)
- South Korea: $4,000 (2022 data unavailable)
- Italy: $2,000 (2022 data unavailable)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 100% of natural rubber imported by Japan in 2023.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of natural rubber to Japan since 2022 were: United States of America (up 366.7%), Cambodia (up 152%), Denmark (up 133.3%) and Mexico (up 54.3%).
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their natural rubber supplied to Japanese importers included: Malaysia (down -91.7% from 2022), Belgium (down -88.3%), Sri Lanka (down -43.6%) and Myanmar (down -40.2%).
Overall, the value of Japan’s imported natural rubber slowed by an average -34.5% from all supplying countries since 2022 when natural rubber purchased cost $1.5 billion.
See also Natural Rubber Exports by Country, Rubber Tires Exports by Country, China’s Top Trading Partners, Malaysia’s Top Trading Partners and America’s Top Trading Partners
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Imports – Commodities. Accessed on October 24, 2024
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on October 24, 2024
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on October 24, 2024
Wikipedia, Natural rubber. Accessed on October 24, 2024