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Top Vanilla Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices

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Vanilla flowers
Vanilla flowers
In 2023, exports of vanilla were worth a total US$538.2 million.

Exports of vanilla declined in value by an average -49.5% since 2019 when export sales for vanilla were $1.07 billion.

Year over year, overall export revenues from sales of the fragrant and tasty spice plummeted by -37.4% compared to $859.8 million during 2022.

Vanilla comes from special orchid flowers notably Mexican flat-leaved flower pods. Vanilla is widely used as a baking ingredient, as well as a flavor enhancement in the commercial production of food, beverages, perfumes, cosmetics and aromatherapy products.

By value, the top 5 biggest exporters of vanilla in 2023 were Madagascar, France, Germany, Uganda and Canada. Combined, that leading cohort sold about three-quarters (75.1%) of all vanilla exported during 2023.

Madagascar is an island country off the East African coast.

Applying a continental perspective, countries located in Africa supplied the highest dollar worth of exported vanilla during 2023 with shipments valued at $317.4 million or 59% of the global total. In second place were exporters in Europe (25.4%) trailed by those in North America (6.9%), Asia (5.1%), then Oceania (3.5%) led by Papua New Guinea. A tinier percentages originated from Latin America (0.2%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.

Shifting our focus to imports, the 5 leading importers of vanilla in 2023 were the United States of America, France, Germany, Netherlands and Canada. Combined, that quintet of top import countries bought under three-quarters (73.6%) of globally imported vanilla as measured by dollar value.

The above percentages suggest the total 75 exporters of vanilla (75.1% for the corresponding top 5 exporters) compares with 145 buying countries, islands and territories. The top 5 importers accounted for a slightly smaller portion of the corresponding world total at 73.6%.

As for global imports of vanilla by continent, over half (52.3%) of vanilla purchased on international markets was delivered to customers in North America. In second place were importers in North America (36.7%) then Asia (6.3%), Africa (3.6%), Oceania (1%) led by Australia and New Zealand, then buyers in Latin America (0.1%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.

Vanilla Price Insights

Like another high-priced spice saffron, vanilla is one of the world’s most valuable spices shipped on global markets.

We calculated the average unit price paid by importers of non-crushed and unground vanilla to be $148,785 per ton in 2023. That dollar amount is -8.4% lower than the average $162,413 for 2022.

Processed vanilla exports scored a lower unit price. For crushed or ground vanilla, the average unit price paid by importers was $28,533 per ton in 2023 up by 4.8% from the average tonnage rate of $27,219 for 2022. The lower average price is driven more by the geography of supplying countries rather than labor and other processing expenses.

For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 090510 for vanilla that is neither crushed nor ground, and 090520 for crushed or ground vanilla.

Drilling down by the type of vanilla, 91.6% of world vanilla exports by sales were for non-crushed and unground vanilla. The remaining 8.4% was collected for shipments of crushed or ground vanilla.

Top Vanilla Exports by Country

Below are the top 20 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of vanilla during 2023, regardless of whether the shipped vanilla was crushed or ground.

  1. Madagascar: US$273.3 million (50.8% of total vanilla exports)
  2. France: $51.2 million (9.5%)
  3. Germany: $29.4 million (5.5%)
  4. Uganda: $25.6 million (4.8%)
  5. Canada: $24.5 million (4.6%)
  6. Netherlands: $20.6 million (3.8%)
  7. Indonesia: $15.2 million (2.8%)
  8. United States: $12.5 million (2.3%)
  9. Mauritius: $12.5 million (2.3%)
  10. United Kingdom: $12.2 million (2.3%)
  11. Papua New Guinea: $10.9 million (2%)
  12. Poland: $7.6 million (1.4%)
  13. French Polynesia: $5 million (0.9%)
  14. Comoros: $4.2 million (0.8%)
  15. India: $3.7 million (0.7%)
  16. Belgium: $3.3 million (0.6%)
  17. Czech Republic: $3.04 million (0.6%)
  18. Switzerland: $3.03 million (0.6%)
  19. Singapore: $2.9 million (0.5%)
  20. Australia: $2 million (0.4%)

By value, the listed 20 countries shipped 97.1% of globally exported vanilla in 2023.

Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing vanilla exporters since 2022 were: Singapore (up 3,946%), Mauritius (up 2,779%), India (up 1,600%) and the United Kingdom (up 306.0%).

Those countries that posted declines in their exported vanilla sales were led by: Belgium (down -73.6% from 2022), Switzerland (down -61.8%), Papua New Guinea (down -51.6%), Madagascar (down -48.6%) and Comoros (down -46%).

Top Vanilla Imports by Country

The overall cost for imported vanilla plummeted by -44.5% over the 5-year period starting in 2019 and decreased by -36.9% year over year since 2022.

Below are the 20 best buying markets as measured by the highest dollar value worth of vanilla imported during 2023, for any vanilla regardless of whether crushed or ground.

  1. United States: US$194.4 million (32.6% of total vanilla imports)
  2. France: $132.2 million (22.2%)
  3. Germany: $49.6 million (8.3%)
  4. Netherlands: $38.6 million (6.5%)
  5. Canada: $24.4 million (4.1%)
  6. Mauritius: $17.1 million (2.9%)
  7. Belgium: $16.1 million (2.7%)
  8. United Kingdom: $14.6 million (2.4%)
  9. Switzerland: $13.5 million (2.3%)
  10. Italy: $10.9 million (1.8%)
  11. Japan: $10.4 million (1.8%)
  12. Denmark: $7.5 million (1.3%)
  13. Poland: $7 million (1.2%)
  14. Australia: $5 million (0.8%)
  15. Singapore: $4.6 million (0.8%)
  16. South Korea: $4.4 million (0.7%)
  17. India: $4.3 million (0.7%)
  18. Indonesia: $4.1 million (0.7%)
  19. Austria: $4 million (0.7%)
  20. Czech Republic: $3.9 million (0.7%)

By value, the listed 20 countries bought 95% of globally imported vanilla in 2023.

Among the top importers, the fastest-growing vanilla importers since 2022 were: India (up 19,600%), Singapore (up 579.9%), Mauritius (up 32%) and the Czech Republic (up 18.2%).

Those countries that posted declines in their imported vanilla purchases were led by: Canada (down -66.5% from 2022), Indonesia (down -54.8%), United States of America (down -44.6%), France (down -42.8%) and Germany (down -38.8%).

Imported Raw Vanilla: Lowest and Highest Unit Prices

In 2023, the world’s average unit price for imports of raw vanilla was US$148,785 per ton.

The average tonnage charge for the number one importer of non-crushed and unground vanilla, United States of America, was higher at $156,090.

Ranked in ascending order, listed below are the countries paying the lowest average unit prices for imported raw vanilla in 2023.

  1. Democratic Republic Congo: US$833 per ton (up 53.7% from 2022)
  2. Jamaica: $1,000 per ton (down -50%)
  3. Gabon: $1,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  4. Timor-Leste: $1,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  5. Turks/Caicos Islands: $1,500 per ton (up 50%)
  6. Nigeria: $2,371 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  7. Samoa: $2,385 per ton (up 2.2%)
  8. Cameroon: $3,500 per ton (up 250%)
  9. Cyprus: $5,000 per ton (down -80.8%)
  10. Fiji: $5,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  11. Bahamas: $6,083 per ton (up 17%)
  12. Barbados: $8,000 per ton (up 50%)
  13. Azerbaijan: $8,000 per ton (up 2.6%)
  14. Philippines: $8,250 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  15. Namibia: $9,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)

There was a pair of double-digit reductions in average unit price paid per ton for non-crushed and unground vanilla from 2022 to 2023. These were low-cost importers Cyprus (down -80.8%) and Jamaica (down -50.8%).

The following countries paid among the highest average unit prices for imported unprocessed vanilla.

  1. Mauritius: US$756,773 per ton (up 249.6% from 2022)
  2. Taiwan: $317,000 per ton (up 7.8%)
  3. Norway: $285,000 per ton (down -14.9%)
  4. Finland: $232,500 per ton (up 31%)
  5. Madagascar: $226,500 per ton (up 216.8%)
  6. Poland: $220,522 per ton (up 6.1%)
  7. Czech Republic: $212,643 per ton (down -9.8%)
  8. Japan: $210,159 per ton (up 3.8%)
  9. Netherlands: $199,652 per ton (up 2.4%)
  10. Brazil: $196,000 per ton (down -8.8%)
  11. France: $191,009 per ton (down -9.1%)
  12. Switzerland: $190,444 per ton (up 11.8%)
  13. South Korea: $178,042 per ton (down -8.5%)
  14. United Kingdom: $176,635 per ton (up 32.7%)
  15. Denmark: $174,556 per ton (down -32.9%)

The strongest accelerations in terms of higher average unit prices paid in 2023 compared to 2022 were recorded by buyers in Mauritius (up 249.6% from 2022), Madagascar (up 216.8%) and the United Kingdom (up 32.7%).

Imported Crushed or Ground Vanilla: Lowest and Highest Unit Prices

In 2023, the world’s average unit price for imports of crushed and ground vanilla was US$28,533 per ton. That average metric for processed vanilla falls is up by an average 4.8% from $27,219 for 2022.

The average tonnage charge for the number one importer of crushed and ground vanilla, France, was $51,862 higher than the global average for processed vanilla.

Ranked in ascending order, listed below are the countries paying the lowest average unit prices for imported crushed and ground vanilla in 2023.

  1. Democratic Republic Congo: US$273 per ton (up 27.6% from 2022)
  2. Niger: $313 per ton (up 11.8%)
  3. Tanzania: $500 per ton (up 74.8%)
  4. Fiji: $1,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  5. Timor-Leste: $1,000 per ton (down -50%)
  6. Namibia: $1,182 per ton (down -3.6%)
  7. Cameroon: $1,250 per ton (up 66.7%)
  8. Gabon: $1,400 per ton (up 109.9%)
  9. Kazakhstan: $1,600 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  10. Curaçao: $1,818 per ton (up 15.7%)
  11. Turks/Caicos Islands: $2,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  12. Tajikistan: $2,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  13. Syria: $2,143 per ton (up 8.3%)
  14. Nigeria: $2,250 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
  15. Angola: $2,333 per ton (up 133.3%)

There was a pair of reductions in average unit price paid per ton for crushed and ground vanilla from 2022 to 2023. These were low-cost importers Timor-Leste (down -50%) and Namibia (down -3.6%).

The following countries paid among the highest average unit prices for imported crushed or ground vanilla.

  1. Norway: US$250,000 per ton (up 44.9% from 2022)
  2. Czech Republic: $186,400 per ton (up 4.6%)
  3. Mauritius: $178,611 per ton (down -13.3%)
  4. Japan: $170,571 per ton (up 16.6%)
  5. mainland China: $161,000 per ton (down -20.3%)
  6. Finland: $148,667 per ton (down -3.3%)
  7. Sweden: $146,417 per ton (down -13.5%)
  8. Switzerland: $139,457 per ton (down -12.3%)
  9. Luxembourg: $135,000 per ton (up 22.7%)
  10. Taiwan: $121,000 per ton (down -23.4%)
  11. Bahrain: $121,000 per ton (up 668.3%)
  12. Poland: $113,118 per ton (down -37.2%)
  13. Austria: $108,667 per ton (down -39.9%)
  14. Hungary: $97,500 per ton (up 279.9%)
  15. Slovenia: $91,000 per ton (up 23%)

The 3 greatest accelerations in terms of higher average unit prices in 2023 compared to 2022 were paid by importers of crushed or ground vanilla in Bahrain (up 668.3%), Hungary (up 279.9%) and Norway (up 44.9%).

See also Top Exported Spices by Sales, Weight and Unit Value, Cinnamon Exports by Country, Top Garlic Exports by Country and Top Cloves Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices

Research Sources:
Alibaba, Vanilla Showroom. Accessed on October 2, 2024

Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on October 2, 2024

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on October 2, 2024

Wikipedia, Vanilla. Accessed on October 2, 2024