The overall value of exported pesticides rose by an average 19.4% for all exporting countries from 5 years earlier in 2019 when pesticides shipments were valued at $36.5 billion.
Year over year, sales of globally exported pesticides fell by -13% compared to $50.1 billion starting from 2022.
The 5 biggest exporters of pesticides onto global markets are mainland China, United States of America, India, France and Germany. Collectively, that cohort of major suppliers generated almost three-fifths (57.4%) of total international sales for exported pesticides during 2023.
Among continents, Asian countries posted the greatest sales from exported pesticides during 2023 with shipments valued at $19 billion or 43.6% of the global total. In second place were exporters located in Europe at 39% while another 12.2% of worldwide pesticides shipments originated from North America.
Smaller percentages came from sellers in Latin America (3.9%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, Africa (0.9%), then and Oceania (0.3%) mostly Australia and New Zealand.
Types of Exported Pesticides
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 3808 under which subcategories are herbicides (including anti-sprouting products and plant-growth regulators), insecticides, fungicides, disinfectants and rodenticides (plus other plant protection products).
Below is a breakdown of the most valuable types of pesticides exported in 2023. Not shown are miscellaneous subcategories with technical chemical components, which accounted for 3.7% of the global total.
- Herbicides: 36.9% of all exported pesticides
- Insecticides : 24.3%
- Fungicides : 23.4%
- Disinfectants : 7.6%
- Rodenticides, other plant protection items: 4.1%
The category of pesticides recording the most modest decline is disinfectants, recording a -3.5% drop in export sales from 2022 to 2023.
Top Pesticides Exporters
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of pesticides during 2023.
- mainland China: US$8.1 billion (18.6% of total exported pesticides)
- United States: $4.7 billion (10.9%)
- India: $4.3 billion (9.9%)
- France: $4.1 billion (9.4%)
- Germany: $3.7 billion (8.6%)
- Belgium: $2.1 billion (4.7%)
- Spain: $1.7 billion (4%)
- United Kingdom: $1.2 billion (2.9%)
- Israel: $1.1 billion (2.6%)
- Hungary: $1.1 billion (2.5%)
- Italy: $1 billion (2.3%)
- Poland: $730.7 million (1.7%)
- South Korea: $701 million (1.6%)
- Japan: $661.9 million (1.5%)
- Netherlands: $629.9 million (1.4%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 82.6% of globally exported pesticides in 2023.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing pesticides exporters since 2022 were: Spain (up 5.3%), Hungary (up 4.3%), South Korea (up 2.8%) and Poland (up 1.1%).
Major suppliers that posted declines in their exported pesticides sales were led by: mainland China (down -27.2% from 2022), India (down -22.1%), United States (down -12.5%), Israel (down -11.5%) and Belgium (down -10.7%).
Searchable List of Pesticides Exporting Countries in 2023
The 100 key exporters of pesticides showcased in the following automated database sold 99.8% of the overall value for exported pesticides during 2023.
| Rank | Exporter | Pesticide Exports | 2022-3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | mainland China | $8,087,677,000 | -27.2% |
| 2. | United States | $4,738,346,000 | -12.5% |
| 3. | India | $4,324,626,000 | -22.1% |
| 4. | France | $4,115,515,000 | -2.8% |
| 5. | Germany | $3,748,122,000 | -4.9% |
| 6. | Belgium | $2,061,980,000 | -10.7% |
| 7. | Spain | $1,737,912,000 | +5.3% |
| 8. | United Kingdom | $1,241,909,000 | -9.3% |
| 9. | Israel | $1,110,975,000 | -11.5% |
| 10. | Hungary | $1,073,037,000 | +4.3% |
| 11. | Italy | $1,001,064,000 | +0.8% |
| 12. | Poland | $730,689,000 | +1.1% |
| 13. | South Korea | $701,005,000 | +2.8% |
| 14. | Japan | $661,853,000 | -5% |
| 15. | Netherlands | $629,916,000 | -5.8% |
| 16. | Singapore | $569,316,000 | +0.1% |
| 17. | Austria | $507,939,000 | -19.2% |
| 18. | Colombia | $460,974,000 | -3.3% |
| 19. | Brazil | $427,767,000 | +9.9% |
| 20. | Indonesia | $387,572,000 | -16.6% |
| 21. | Mexico | $373,145,000 | -0.9% |
| 22. | Denmark | $336,991,000 | -0.4% |
| 23. | Malaysia | $307,014,000 | -17.3% |
| 24. | South Africa | $256,864,000 | +0.7% |
| 25. | Guatemala | $240,249,000 | -2.7% |
| 26. | Thailand | $222,320,000 | -4.2% |
| 27. | Greece | $197,499,000 | +7.1% |
| 28. | Ireland | $196,116,000 | -34.6% |
| 29. | Romania | $189,144,000 | -3.6% |
| 30. | Canada | $189,071,000 | -16.4% |
| 31. | Taiwan | $188,594,000 | -24.6% |
| 32. | Türkiye | $177,619,000 | -4.5% |
| 33. | Slovenia | $166,372,000 | -8.3% |
| 34. | Portugal | $163,423,000 | +8.3% |
| 35. | Switzerland | $138,207,000 | -6.7% |
| 36. | Czech Republic | $138,113,000 | -13.7% |
| 37. | Russia | $129,558,000 | -21.8% |
| 38. | Australia | $126,979,000 | -33.5% |
| 39. | Paraguay | $113,959,000 | -13.9% |
| 40. | Costa Rica | $111,962,000 | -5% |
| 41. | Norway | $97,439,000 | +17.6% |
| 42. | Vietnam | $95,313,000 | -37.4% |
| 43. | Argentina | $86,760,000 | -16.1% |
| 44. | Bulgaria | $70,318,000 | +13.8% |
| 45. | Chile | $59,719,000 | -24.8% |
| 46. | Uruguay | $59,183,000 | +15.2% |
| 47. | Jordan | $55,671,000 | +13.8% |
| 48. | Sweden | $50,910,000 | -4.7% |
| 49. | Lithuania | $50,056,000 | +1% |
| 50. | El Salvador | $43,941,000 | -49.5% |
| 51. | Serbia | $41,317,000 | -1.3% |
| 52. | Croatia | $39,013,000 | -0.9% |
| 53. | Panama | $35,979,000 | +27.8% |
| 54. | Ivory Coast | $29,792,000 | +46.7% |
| 55. | Kenya | $28,035,000 | -22.1% |
| 56. | Luxembourg | $27,487,000 | +63.5% |
| 57. | Egypt | $25,531,000 | +22.5% |
| 58. | Slovakia | $25,170,000 | -15.3% |
| 59. | United Arab Emirates | $24,138,000 | -72.1% |
| 60. | Peru | $24,072,000 | -7.4% |
| 61. | Belarus | $22,622,000 | +10% |
| 62. | Hong Kong | $20,182,000 | -25.7% |
| 63. | New Zealand | $18,083,000 | -14.2% |
| 64. | Finland | $14,919,000 | -31% |
| 65. | Nigeria | $13,598,000 | -21.6% |
| 66. | Estonia | $13,320,000 | -9.2% |
| 67. | Ukraine | $10,783,000 | +15.8% |
| 68. | Dominican Republic | $10,560,000 | -15.5% |
| 69. | Barbados | $10,370,000 | -15.9% |
| 70. | Tanzania | $8,345,000 | +68% |
| 71. | Ecuador | $7,945,000 | -29.3% |
| 72. | Kazakhstan | $7,903,000 | +52.4% |
| 73. | Latvia | $7,660,000 | -22.1% |
| 74. | Honduras | $7,606,000 | 0% |
| 75. | Trinidad/Tobago | $7,115,000 | -1.6% |
| 76. | Iran | $6,737,000 | +59.9% |
| 77. | Pakistan | $4,764,000 | +47.1% |
| 78. | Tunisia | $4,735,000 | +33.2% |
| 79. | Djibouti | $4,398,000 | +9% |
| 80. | Cambodia | $4,340,000 | +86.3% |
| 81. | Saudi Arabia | $3,952,000 | -70.5% |
| 82. | Philippines | $2,843,000 | -55.7% |
| 83. | Kyrgyzstan | $2,396,000 | +37.6% |
| 84. | Zambia | $1,999,000 | +118% |
| 85. | Cyprus | $1,986,000 | +105.2% |
| 86. | Bahrain | $1,962,000 | +38.4% |
| 87. | Uganda | $1,862,000 | +40.3% |
| 88. | Senegal | $1,841,000 | -24.1% |
| 89. | Ghana | $1,823,000 | -9.3% |
| 90. | Morocco | $1,647,000 | +6.8% |
| 91. | Zimbabwe | $1,480,000 | +44.8% |
| 92. | Moldova | $1,416,000 | +17.7% |
| 93. | Georgia | $1,253,000 | +121% |
| 94. | US Minor Outlying Is | $1,226,000 | +13522% |
| 95. | Armenia | $1,171,000 | +46.6% |
| 96. | Oman | $1,140,000 | -91% |
| 97. | Mauritius | $822,000 | +3474% |
| 98. | Macao | $719,000 | 0% |
| 99. | Bangladesh | $694,000 | +59.5% |
| 100. | Yemen | $689,000 | +115.3% |
Focusing on the 100 major exporters, the greatest growers were the United States Minor Outlying Islands (up 13,522% from 2022), Mauritius (up 3,474%), Georgia (up 121%), Zambia (up 118%), Yemen (up 115.3%) then Cyprus (up 105.2%).
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of the above table’s columns.
Note that an entry of 0% in the right-most column means 2022 data was unavailable.
Countries Benefiting from Best Trade Surpluses for Pesticides
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for pesticides 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 pesticides and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- mainland China: US$7.1 billion (net export surplus down -30% since 2022)
- United States of America: $3.1 billion (down -7.2%)
- India: $2.8 billion (down -24.1%)
- Germany: $2 billion (down -4.7%)
- France: $1.8 billion (down -5.4%)
- Belgium: $1.2 billion (down -16.5%)
- Israel: $1 billion (down -9.4%)
- Spain: $758 million (up 27.1%)
- Hungary: $552.1 million (up 16.5%)
- South Korea: $491.8 million (up 4.5%)
- Singapore: $455.7 million (up 3.2%)
- United Kingdom: $377.4 million (down -25.4%)
- Austria: $250.8 million (down -28.8%)
- Japan: $149.3 million (up 13.6%)
- Malaysia: $88.6 million (down -0.1%)
World-leading mainland China earned the highest surplus in the international trade of pesticides. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms strong Chinese competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Countries Experiencing Worst Trade Deficits for Pesticides
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for pesticides 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 pesticides purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- Brazil: -US$4.4 billion (net export deficit down -31.7% since 2022)
- Canada: -$1.9 billion (down -7.3%)
- Australia: -$1.1 billion (down -22%)
- Ukraine: -$819.8 million (down -9.2%)
- Russia: -$805 million (up 1.2%)
- Mexico: -$588.3 million (up 9.5%)
- Argentina: -$545.7 million (down -9.4%)
- Vietnam: -$544.3 million (down -33.7%)
- Thailand: -$531.3 million (down -22.3%)
- Türkiye: -$468.1 million (up 47.3%)
- Romania: -$394.1 million (down -16.9%)
- Philippines: -$377 million (down -19.4%)
- Nigeria: -$372.8 million (down -39.6%)
- Ghana: -$344.9 million (up 14.3%)
- Chile: -$318.5 million (down -17.8%)
South America’s biggest country both in terms of population and land area, Brazil incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of pesticides. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights Brazil’s competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for pesticides-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand.
Major Pesticides Classification Groups
Below are the major groupings for pesticides based on the Compendium of Pesticide Common Names.
- Acaricides
- Algicides
- Antifeedants
- Avicides
- Bactericides
- Bird repellents
- Chemical classes
- Chemosterilants
- Fungicides
- Herbicide safeners
- Herbicides
- Insect attractants
- Insect repellents
- Insecticides
- Mammal repellents
- Mating disrupters
- Miscellaneous
- Molluscicides
- Nematicides
- Plant activators
- Plant growth regulators
- Rodenticides
- Synergists
- Virucides
See also Top Soap Exporters by Country, Chemical Exports by Country, Top Fertilizers Exports by Country and Top Markets for Buying Imported Pharmaceutical Drugs
Research Sources:
Alan Wood, Classified lists of pesticides. Accessed on October 25, 2024
Alibaba, Supplier showroom for pesticides. Accessed on October 25, 2024
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on October 25, 2024
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on October 25, 2024
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on October 25, 2024
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on October 25, 2024