The overall value of soya beans exports increased by an average 69.2% for all exporting countries from 5 years earlier in 2019 when soya beans shipments were valued at $55.3 billion.
Year over year, the value of globally exported soya beans flatlined via a -0.3% slowdown starting in 2022.
In 2023, the top 5 soya bean exporters are Brazil, United States of America, Paraguay, Canada and Ukraine. Combined, that leading cohort of major international suppliers generated 94.8% of worldwide revenues from exported soya beans.
From a continental perspective, sellers in Latin America (62.3% of the global total) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean sold the highest dollar worth of exported soya beans with shipments valued at $58.3 billion. In second place were exporters located in North America at 32.8%.
Smaller percentages for international sales of soya beans originated from Europe (3.3%), Africa (1.3%), Asia (0.3%) and Oceania (0.01%) mostly Australia.
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix for soya beans is 1201.
Soya Beans Exports by Country
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of soya beans during 2023.
- Brazil: US$53.2 billion (56.9% of exported soya beans)
- United States: $28 billion (30%)
- Paraguay: $3.4 billion (3.7%)
- Canada: $2.6 billion (2.8%)
- Ukraine: $1.3 billion (1.4%)
- Argentina: $948.8 million (1%)
- Russia: $744.9 million (0.8%)
- Uruguay: $413.8 million (0.4%)
- South Africa: $389.1 million (0.4%)
- Netherlands: $280.8 million (0.3%)
- Nigeria: $249.9 million (0.3%)
- Bolivia: $221.7 million (0.2%)
- Ethiopia: $130.2 million (0.1%)
- Croatia: $115 million (0.1%)
- Hungary: $99.1 million (0.1%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 98.6% of globally exported soya beans in 2023.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing soya beans exporters from 2022 to 2023 were: Nigeria (up 529.5%), Ethiopia (up 191.1%), Paraguay (up 179.1%) and South Africa (up 132.9%).
Those countries that posted declines in their exported soya beans sales were led by: Uruguay (down -78.5% from 2022), Argentina (down -69.1%), Bolivia (down -33.7%), Netherlands (down -26.2%) and the United States of America (down -18.8%).
Searchable List of Soya Beans Exporting Countries in 2023
The 100 countries in the following automated database accounted for 99.99998% of globally exported soyabeans during 2023.
| Rank | Exporter | Soya Bean Exports | 2022-3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Brazil | $53,244,619,000 | +14.1% |
| 2. | United States | $28,006,470,000 | -18.8% |
| 3. | Paraguay | $3,423,953,000 | +179.1% |
| 4. | Canada | $2,644,820,000 | -2.4% |
| 5. | Ukraine | $1,281,131,000 | +48% |
| 6. | Argentina | $948,768,000 | -69.1% |
| 7. | Russia | $744,881,000 | +63.7% |
| 8. | Uruguay | $413,840,000 | -78.5% |
| 9. | South Africa | $389,056,000 | +132.9% |
| 10. | Netherlands | $280,831,000 | -26.2% |
| 11. | Nigeria | $249,868,000 | +529.5% |
| 12. | Bolivia | $221,707,000 | -33.7% |
| 13. | Ethiopia | $130,178,000 | +191.1% |
| 14. | Croatia | $114,951,000 | +7.7% |
| 15. | Hungary | $99,086,000 | +13.6% |
| 16. | US Minor Outlying Is | $98,667,000 | 0% |
| 17. | Benin | $91,456,000 | +934.5% |
| 18. | Austria | $89,533,000 | +5.3% |
| 19. | France | $87,245,000 | -14.1% |
| 20. | mainland China | $84,128,000 | -39.7% |
| 21. | Romania | $82,768,000 | -34.1% |
| 22. | Belgium | $64,577,000 | -34.5% |
| 23. | Slovakia | $63,288,000 | +1.7% |
| 24. | Togo | $59,145,000 | -22.8% |
| 25. | Tanzania | $52,603,000 | +60.7% |
| 26. | Türkiye | $52,347,000 | -39.8% |
| 27. | Mozambique | $47,516,000 | +150.7% |
| 28. | Poland | $43,472,000 | -26.1% |
| 29. | Zambia | $41,507,000 | +236% |
| 30. | Malawi | $40,292,000 | +56.4% |
| 31. | Pakistan | $38,702,000 | +29902% |
| 32. | Ghana | $33,029,000 | +100.5% |
| 33. | Czech Republic | $26,019,000 | +25.2% |
| 34. | Kazakhstan | $23,046,000 | -22.8% |
| 35. | Germany | $22,172,000 | -41.9% |
| 36. | Italy | $20,902,000 | -2.4% |
| 37. | Moldova | $20,438,000 | +358.4% |
| 38. | India | $18,213,000 | -63.8% |
| 39. | Uganda | $15,928,000 | +32.9% |
| 40. | Burkina Faso | $10,469,000 | +7.5% |
| 41. | Cambodia | $10,167,000 | +126988% |
| 42. | Chile | $8,629,000 | +12.6% |
| 43. | Sudan | $8,587,000 | +15.1% |
| 44. | Malaysia | $7,465,000 | -2.3% |
| 45. | Australia | $5,102,000 | -60.3% |
| 46. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $4,868,000 | -9.5% |
| 47. | Portugal | $4,627,000 | +8.1% |
| 48. | Serbia | $4,504,000 | -36.6% |
| 49. | Slovenia | $3,940,000 | -41.6% |
| 50. | Spain | $3,714,000 | +9.4% |
| 51. | Latvia | $3,263,000 | +7859% |
| 52. | Denmark | $2,482,000 | -8.4% |
| 53. | United Kingdom | $1,930,000 | +153.9% |
| 54. | Azerbaijan | $1,892,000 | 0% |
| 55. | Indonesia | $1,164,000 | -85.1% |
| 56. | Ireland | $1,033,000 | +56.5% |
| 57. | Turkmenistan | $836,000 | 0% |
| 58. | Greece | $828,000 | +37.8% |
| 59. | Ivory Coast | $727,000 | +74.3% |
| 60. | Peru | $667,000 | +211.7% |
| 61. | Lithuania | $607,000 | -20.9% |
| 62. | Hong Kong | $574,000 | -7.4% |
| 63. | Sweden | $516,000 | +7.1% |
| 64. | Japan | $368,000 | -15% |
| 65. | Israel | $360,000 | +35900% |
| 66. | Thailand | $356,000 | -37.5% |
| 67. | Singapore | $282,000 | -71.2% |
| 68. | Vietnam | $203,000 | -93.3% |
| 69. | Eswatini | $199,000 | 0% |
| 70. | Cameroon | $190,000 | +22.6% |
| 71. | Switzerland | $142,000 | +59.6% |
| 72. | South Korea | $141,000 | -29.5% |
| 73. | Estonia | $141,000 | +487.5% |
| 74. | Zimbabwe | $96,000 | -97% |
| 75. | Iran | $94,000 | +248.1% |
| 76. | Taiwan | $86,000 | +4.9% |
| 77. | Myanmar | $68,000 | -59.5% |
| 78. | Sri Lanka | $64,000 | -8.6% |
| 79. | Botswana | $63,000 | 0% |
| 80. | Norway | $61,000 | +916.7% |
| 81. | Madagascar | $59,000 | -88.7% |
| 82. | Guatemala | $50,000 | -56.5% |
| 83. | Haiti | $48,000 | 0% |
| 84. | Luxembourg | $48,000 | +269.2% |
| 85. | Nicaragua | $36,000 | -97.4% |
| 86. | Ecuador | $36,000 | -48.6% |
| 87. | Bulgaria | $35,000 | -89.9% |
| 88. | Belarus | $31,000 | -44.6% |
| 89. | Nepal | $27,000 | +350% |
| 90. | United Arab Emirates | $20,000 | -81.3% |
| 91. | Egypt | $16,000 | -60% |
| 92. | Kenya | $15,000 | +150% |
| 93. | Marshall Islands | $12,000 | 0% |
| 94. | Mali | $10,000 | -85.1% |
| 95. | Uzbekistan | $10,000 | +400% |
| 96. | Algeria | $9,000 | +800% |
| 97. | Lesotho | $5,000 | 0% |
| 98. | Rwanda | $4,000 | 0% |
| 99. | North Macedonia | $3,000 | 0% |
| 100. | Bahrain | $3,000 | -62.5% |
Focusing on these 100 exporters, the fastest growers were Cambodia (up 126,988% from 2022), Israel (up 35,900%), Pakistan (up 29,902%), Latvia (up 7,859%) then Benin (up 934.5%).
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of the columns.
The right-most column showcases the percentage increase in the value of exported soya beans from 2022 to 2023. A value of 0% in that column means no 2022 data was available.
Average Prices for Major Soya Beans Exporters
Worldwide, the average unit price for exported soya beans was US$534 per ton for 2023. That dollar amount results from a -10.6% decrease from the average $597 per ton one year earlier in 2022.
Below you will find the average unit prices for some of the top exporters of soya beans by value. The countries are listed starting with competitors that generate the highest international sales of exported soya beans.
- Brazil: $523 per ton of exported soya beans (down -11.5% from 2022)
- United States of America: $575 per ton (down -4.5%)
- Paraguay: $527 per ton (down -2.4%)
- Canada: $590 per ton (down -6.8%)
- Ukraine: $367 per ton (down -15.2%)
- Argentina: $553 per ton (down -6.7%)
- Russia: $538 per ton (down -7.9%)
- Uruguay: $534 per ton (down -14.8%)
- South Africa: $565 per ton (down -19.7%)
- Netherlands: $637 per ton (down -10.2%)
- Nigeria: $112 per ton (down -81.6%)
- Bolivia: $483 per ton (down -12.8%)
- Ethiopia: $627 per ton (down -24.7%)
- Croatia: $514 per ton (down -25.5%)
- US Minor Outlying Is: $630 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
The lowest average prices among the listed exporters belong to suppliers in Nigeria, Ukraine, Bolivia, Croatia and world leader Brazil. Each of those top suppliers sold soya beans more economically than the global average of $534 per ton of shipped soya beans.
The most expensive exporters of soya beans are the Netherlands, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Ethiopia, Canada, United States of America and South Africa.
Countries Generating Greatest Surpluses Trading Soya Beans
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for soya beans during 2023. 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 exported soya beans and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- Brazil: US$53.2 billion (net export surplus up 14.4% since 2022)
- United States of America: $27.5 billion (down -19.1%)
- Paraguay: $3.4 billion (up 183.8%)
- Canada: $2.4 billion (up 1.9%)
- Ukraine: $1.3 billion (up 47.9%)
- Uruguay: $389.2 million (down -79.7%)
- South Africa: $387.3 million (up 136.5%)
- Nigeria: $247.5 million (reversing a -$3.7 million deficit)
- Bolivia: $219.1 million (down -34%)
- Ethiopia: $130 million (up 191.8%)
- Croatia: $100.4 million (up 6%)
- US Minor Outlying Is: $98.7 million (2022 data unavailable)
- Benin: $90.4 million (up 974.6%)
- Mozambique: $44.5 million (down -324.8%)
- Tanzania: $41.1 million (up 37.7%)
World leader Brazil earned the highest surplus in the international trade of soya beans. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms Brazil’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Countries Causing Worst Deficits Trading Soya Beans
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for soya beans during 2023. 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 imported soya beans purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- mainland China: -US$60.4 billion (net export deficit down -1.2% since 2022)
- Argentina: -$4.7 billion (reversing a $1.05 billion surplus)
- Mexico: -$2.4 billion (down -9.3%)
- Japan: -$2.2 billion (down -14.9%)
- Thailand: -$2 billion (down -0.3%)
- Germany: -$1.92 billion (down -11.1%)
- Spain: -$1.9 billion (down -7.4%)
- Egypt: -$1.66 billion (down -40.5%)
- Türkiye: -$1.59 billion (down -18.8%)
- Taiwan: -$1.55 billion (down -16.4%)
- Indonesia: -$1.5 billion (down -9%)
- Italy: -$1.3 billion (down -2.7%)
- Iran: -$1.2 billion (down -25.3%)
- Netherlands: -$1.1 billion (down -11.1%)
- Vietnam: -$1 billion (down -18.3%)
The People’s Republic of China continues to the highest deficit in the international trade of soya beans. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights strong Chinese competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for soya beans-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand.
Soya-based Products Export Companies
Below are global vegetarian and vegan firms that are players engaged in the international trade of soya-based goods. The home country for each company is shown within parenthesis.
- Alpro (Belgium)
- Earth’s Own Food Company (Canada)
- Eden Foods Inc (United States)
- Sahmyook Foods (South Korea)
- Somenoya (Japan)
See also Best Tofu Exports by Sales, Average Unit Prices & Weight, Wine Exports by Country, Rice Exports by Country, Wheat Exports by Country and Barley Exports by Country
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on August 7, 2024
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on August 7, 2024
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on August 7, 2024
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on August 7, 2024
Wikipedia, List of vegetarian and vegan companies. Accessed on August 7, 2024