Globally exported black pepper rose in value by an overall average 11.8% since five years earlier in 2019 when export sales for black pepper totaled $1.59 billion.
Year over year, export revenues for the spice declined by -18.9% reduction compared to $2.2 billion for 2022.
Black pepper is the world’s most traded spice in terms of quantity. The spice is typically added as a food seasoning paired with salt on dining tables either in shakers or mill containers.
Key Geographic Insights about Black Pepper Exports & Imports
By value, the 5 biggest exporters of black pepper are Vietnam, Brazil, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Germany. Added together, that leading cohort of suppliers sold over two-thirds (70.9%) of all black pepper exported during 2023.
Shifting our focus to imports, the 5 leading importers of black pepper in 2023 are buyers in the United States of America, India, Germany, Vietnam and Japan. Collectively, that quintet of top import countries bought more than two-fifths (42.7%) of globally imported black pepper as measured by dollar value.
The above percentages suggest the total 125 exporters of black pepper (70.9% for the corresponding top 5 exporters) is a more concentrated cohort compared to about 200 buying countries, islands and territories. In other words, the top 5 importers at 42.7% generated a smaller portion of its world total than the leading exporters.
Applying a continental perspective, exporters in Asia supplied the highest dollar worth of exported black pepper during 2023 with shipments valued at $1.12 billion or 63.2% of the global total. In second place were shippers in Europe (16.1%), trailed by those in Latin America (15.1%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean. Smaller percentages came from providers in North America (3.3%), Africa (2.2%), and Oceania (0.1%) led by Australia.
As for global imports of black pepper by continent, 35.8% of black pepper purchased on international markets was delivered to customers in Asia, ahead of importers in Europe (30.4%). Lesser percentages went to buyers in North America (23.1%), Africa (6.4%), Latin America (2.7%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania (1.6%) led by Australia and New Zealand.
For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 090411 for black pepper that is neither crushed nor ground, and 090412 for crushed or ground black pepper.
Drilling down on those categories, 72.5% of world black pepper exports by value were for raw black pepper. The remaining 27.5% was collected for shipments of crushed or ground black pepper.
Top Black Pepper Exports by Country
Below are the top 20 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of black pepper during 2023, regardless of whether the shipped black pepper was crushed, ground or neither.
- Vietnam: US$729.5 million (41% of total black pepper exports)
- Brazil: $252.2 million (14.2%)
- Indonesia: $114.5 million (6.4%)
- Sri Lanka: $90.4 million (5.1%)
- India: $79.9 million (4.5%)
- Germany: $75.3 million (4.2%)
- Netherlands: $59.5 million (3.3%)
- United States: $47.6 million (2.7%)
- France: $37.4 million (2.1%)
- Malaysia: $33 million (1.9%)
- mainland China: $23.4 million (1.3%)
- Austria: $20.2 million (1.1%)
- Spain: $15.3 million (0.9%)
- Cambodia: $15.2 million (0.9%)
- South Africa: $13.7 million (0.8%)
- Poland: $12.9 million (0.7%)
- Belgium: $10.4 million (0.6%)
- Italy: $9.7 million (0.5%)
- Madagascar: $9.3 million (0.5%)
- Türkiye: $9.3 million (0.5%)
By value, the listed 20 countries shipped 93.2% of globally exported black pepper in 2023.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing black pepper exporters since 2022 were: Sri Lanka (up 19%), France (up 18.3%), mainland China (up 13.1%) and South Africa (up 11.7%).
Those countries that posted declines in their exported black pepper sales were led by: Cambodia (down -31.8% from 2022), Indonesia (down -22.7%), Vietnam (down -21.4%), Malaysia (down -20.1%) and Brazil (down -18.5%).
Top Black Pepper Imports by Country
The overall cost for imported black pepper totaled US$1.72 billion in spending for 2023, posting an 11.1% increase over the 5-year period starting from $1.54 billion in 2019 accelerating into a -26% downturn compared to $2.3 billion for 2022.
Below are the 20 best buying markets as measured by the highest dollar value worth of black pepper imported during 2023, for any black pepper regardless of whether crushed, ground or unprocessed.
- United States: US$325.6 million (19% of total black pepper imports)
- India: $162.7 million (9.5%)
- Germany: $101.8 million (5.9%)
- Vietnam: $80.1 million (4.7%)
- Japan: $62 million (3.6%)
- France: $61.4 million (3.6%)
- United Kingdom: $58.8 million (3.4%)
- Canada: $52.3 million (3%)
- Netherlands: $49 million (2.9%)
- Egypt: $39.9 million (2.3%)
- mainland China: $39.8 million (2.3%)
- Pakistan: $37.4 million (2.2%)
- Thailand: $32.1 million (1.9%)
- United Arab Emirates: $32.1 million (1.9%)
- Poland: $31.9 million (1.9%)
- South Korea: $27.21 million (1.6%)
- Philippines: $26.68 million (1.6%)
- Morocco: $26.3 million (1.5%)
- Italy: $23.4 million (1.4%)
- Spain: $23.2 million (1.4%)
By value, the listed 20 countries bought 75.4% of globally imported black pepper in 2023.
Among the top importers, the growth markets for importing black peppers since 2022 were Pakistan (up 29.5%) and Spain (up 2.4%).
Those countries that posted declines in their imported black pepper purchases were led by: United Arab Emirates (down -69.3% from 2022), Vietnam (down -49.4%), United States of America (down -30.3%), Germany (down -27.6%) and South Korea (down -23.1%).
Imported Raw Black Pepper: Lowest and Highest Unit Prices
We calculated the average unit price paid by importers of non-crushed and unground black pepper to be $3,358 per ton in 2023. That dollar amount reflects a -20.8% decline from the average tonnage rate of $4,240 during 2022.
The average tonnage charge paid by the number one importer of non-crushed and unground black pepper, the United States of America, was higher at $4,424.
Ranked in ascending order, listed below are the countries paying the lowest average unit prices for imported raw black pepper in 2023.
- Mauritania: US$156 per ton (up 18.2% from 2022)
- Burkina Faso: $172 per ton (down -67.7%)
- Niger: $182 per ton (up 30%)
- Lesotho: $204 per ton (up 20.7%)
- Benin: $265 per ton (down -2.9%)
- Tanzania: $357 per ton (down -15.2%)
- Togo: $403 per ton (down -15.2%)
- Ghana: $421 per ton (down -64.1%)
- Somalia: $475 per ton (down -87%)
- Gambia: $476 per ton (down -17.9%)
- Democratic Rep. Congo: $500 per ton (down -30.6%)
- Ivory Coast: $520 per ton (up 25.6%)
- Liberia: $750 per ton (up 13.3%)
- Kyrgyzstan: $755 per ton (down -3.3%)
- South Sudan: $761 per ton (down -74.4%)
Posting the greatest reductions in average unit price paid per ton for non-crushed and unground black pepper from 2022 to 2023 were low-cost importers Somalia (down -87%), South Sudan (down -74.4%), Burkina Faso (down -67.7%) and Ghana (down -64.1%).
The following countries paid the highest average unit prices for imported unprocessed black pepper.
- French Polynesia: US$26,500 per ton (up 19.1% from 2022)
- Greenland: $23,000 per ton (up 15%)
- Faroe Islands: $22,000 per ton (up 29.4%)
- Iceland: $20,222 per ton (up 19.2%)
- Papua New Guinea: $18,000 per ton (up 38.5%)
- Luxembourg: $16,846 per ton (up 15.3%)
- Montenegro: $16,000 per ton (down -7%)
- Belarus: $15,750 per ton (up 167.2%)
- Ireland: $11,675 per ton (down -89.9%)
- Denmark: $11,429 per ton (up 3.6%)
- Switzerland: $11,018 per ton (up 17.8%)
- Madagascar: $11,000 per ton (up 371.5%)
- Slovenia: $10,636 per ton (down -3.1%)
- Cambodia: $10,333 per ton (down -13.9%)
- Cuba: $10,143 per ton (up 25.5%)
The greatest accelerations in terms of higher average unit prices paid in 2023 compared to 2022 were experienced by importers in Madagascar (up 371.5%), Belarus (up 167.2%) and Papua New Guinea (up 38.5%).
Imported Crushed or Ground Black Pepper: Lowest and Highest Unit Prices
In 2023, the world’s average unit price for imports of crushed and ground black pepper was US$4,216 per ton. With labor and related expenses added in, the average metric for processed black pepper lags the $5,589 per ton for raw black pepper.
The worldwide average for imports of processed black pepper decreased by an average -24.6% compared to $5,589 per ton during 2022.
The average tonnage charge at $5,239 for the number one importer of crushed and ground black pepper, America, was greater than the global benchmark for 2023.
Ranked in ascending order, listed below are the countries paying the lowest average unit prices for imported crushed and ground black pepper in 2023.
- Lesotho: US$161 per ton (down -70.3% from 2022)
- Mauritania: $173 per ton (down -32.2%)
- Niger: $393 per ton (down -86.9%)
- Gambia: $520 per ton (up 64%)
- Togo: $521 per ton (up 13.8%)
- Democratic Rep. Congo: $658 per ton (up 9.7%)
- Timor-Leste: $1,029 per ton (up 20.6%)
- Tanzania: $1,200 per ton (up 179.7%)
- Liberia: $1,219 per ton (down -40.1%)
- Armenia: $1,310 per ton (down -11.7%)
- Laos: $1,700 per ton (up 95%)
- Ethiopia: $1,797 per ton (down -39.9%)
- Tajikistan: $1,808 per ton (down -69.9%)
- Ivory Coast: $1,860 per ton (down -25.6%)
- Gabon: $1,882 per ton (up 4.6%)
The greatest decliners in average unit price paid per ton for crushed and ground black pepper were recorded by buyers in Niger (down -86.9% from 2022), Lesotho (down -70.3%), Tajikistan (down -69.9%), Liberia (down -40.1%) and Ethiopia (down -39.9%).
The following countries paid the highest average unit prices for imported crushed or ground black pepper.
- Mauritius: US$25,222 per ton (up 221.7% from 2022)
- Bangladesh: $23,000 per ton (up 105.4%)
- Greenland: $20,000 per ton (up 42.9%)
- Equatorial Guinea: $20,000 per ton (up 5.3%)
- Faroe Islands: $16,750 per ton (up 35.1%)
- French Polynesia: $15,364 per ton (down -13.3%)
- Luxembourg: $15,276 per ton (up 19%)
- Bermuda: $15,167 per ton (down -3.3%)
- Lebanon: $14,500 per ton (up 646.7%)
- Lithuania: $14,060 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
- Nicaragua: $13,947 per ton (up 0.5%)
- Vanuatu: $13,000 per ton (up 160%)
- Curaçao: $13,000 per ton (down -23.5%)
- Montenegro: $12,567 per ton (up 3.2%)
- Uruguay: $12,440 per ton (down -4.6%)
The strongest percentage gains in terms of higher average unit prices were paid by importers of crushed or ground black pepper in Lebanon (up 646.7% from 2022), Mauritius (up 221.7%), Vanuatu (up 160%) and Bangladesh (up 105.4%).
See also Top Exported Spices by Sales, Weight and Unit Value, Top Salt Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices, Top Garlic Exports by Country, Top Cloves Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices, Top Nutmeg Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices and Top Vanilla Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices
Research Sources:
Alibaba, Black Pepper Showroom. Accessed on August 21, 2024
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on August 21, 2024
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on August 21, 2024
Wikipedia, Black Pepper. Accessed on August 21, 2024