These countries are the world’s largest exporters of the most popular products

Do you know which country is the world’s leading exporter of chocolate? What about bananas, cosmetics, and coffee? Here’s the list of countries that are the world’s largest exporters of the most popular everyday products.

Each country has something to be proud of. Whether it is mobile phones, computers or large production of oranges, countries dominate the global market with different products.

But which countries in particular take pride in being the world’s biggest exporters of chocolate, cosmetics, clothing, and other the most important items in our daily life? Although sometimes we could have easily guessed the answer as everyone knows American soft drinks, toys made in China or German cars, in some cases it takes us completely by surprise.

Business Fondue reveals the countries that are the world’s largest exporters of products we can’t imagine our lives without.

Cosmetics

France. French beauty products are renowned worldwide. For decades, French skin care, cosmetics, and perfume brands have been synonymous with the quality and luxury to many customers around the globe. So it comes as no surprise that France is the world’s largest exporter of cosmetics.

According to FEBEA (French Federation for Beauty Companies), in 2017 French cosmetics sector remained the world’s leader with exports at $15.56 billion (€13.6 billion). Germany, the US, the UK, Spain, and Italy were the biggest markets for French cosmetics.

However, Asia is the fastest growing market with a 25% increase every year.

Skin care products account for 44% of all French cosmetics exports, while perfumes contribute 31%.

Chocolate

Germany. Switzerland and Belgium may pop up in your mind while thinking of the country of the chocolate, but, in fact, Germany is the one exporting the most. 782,000 tonnes of chocolate were shipped between January and November in 2017, according to Germany’s Federal Statistical Office.

The value of chocolate exports surpasses $4.8 billion (€4.2 billion) each year. Interestingly, France is the biggest market for chocolate made in Germany.

Large international chocolate corporations, such as Mondelēz International and Ferrero, contribute a lot to the fact that exports from Germany account to 17% of the total chocolate exports worldwide.

On the other hand, do you know which country is the largest importer of chocolate in the world? Yes, the US is the country with the biggest sweet tooth.

Pistachios

The US. When you think of the US exports, you probably think of computers, soft drinks, or pharmaceuticals. However, some of the American products that dominate the global market might surprise you.

The US is the world’s largest producer and exporter of pistachios. In 2017/2018, the US exported 195,044 tonnes of pistachio. They were shipped mainly to China, the European Union, and Hong Kong, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

However, Iran is on its heels. The world’s second-biggest pistachio exporter sold 140,613 tonnes of pistachios to outside customers in 2017/2018.

The good news is that pistachio consumption has been rising globally in recent years. In China alone, the largest consuming nation of pistachios, the consumption surged 182.4% between 2015-2017, according to a report released by the California State University, Fresno (CSUF) Department of Agricultural Business, Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology.

Rice

India. Many Asian countries compete for the title of the rice producing country, however, so far India is the largest rice supplier globally.

It shipped 12.7 million tonnes of rice in 2017/18, and it is 18 percent rise from a year ago mostly due to the bigger demand from Bangladesh, Benin, and Sri Lanka.

Thailand, the world’s second-biggest rice exporter, sold abroad 11 million tonnes of rice in 2018.

India is also the world’s leading exporter of buffalo meat and guar gum.

Watches

Switzerland. After leaving the plane in Geneva, Switzerland, the first thing you probably notice will be luxury watches ads displayed all over the airport.

Without any doubts, Switzerland is famous for its watches. And it’s not a coincidence that Patek-Philippe museum, that reveals the 500-year history of luxury watchmaking, is one of the most visited places in Geneva.

As you might have guessed, Switzerland also is the world’s largest exporter of watches.

With exports worth $19.9 billion (€17.43 billion) in 2017, Switzerland was miles ahead of the world’s second-leading exporter Hong Kong. Hong Kong shipped watches worth $8.4 billion (€7.3 billion) in 2017, according to Federation of Swiss watch industry. China came in third with the exports value of $5 billion (€4.36 billion).

Clothing

China. When it comes to producing and exporting clothing, China reign supreme in the world with its market share of 34.9 percent. In 2017, China exported apparel worth $158 billion (€138 billion), according to data from the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The second-largest garment items exporters lag far behind. Bangladesh accounts for 6.5 percent of the global market share with its clothing items exports worth $29 billion (€25.3 billion).

Vietnam sold $27 billion (€23.6 billion) worth apparel and with its almost 5.9 percent market share ranked third in 2017.

Salmon

Norway. Although China is the world’s largest exporter of seafood, nobody beats Norway when it comes to farmed salmon production and exports.

In 2018, Norway exported 1.1 million tonnes of salmon worth $8 billion (€7 billion), according to the Norwegian Seafood Council. Exports to EU account to 73 percent with Poland being the largest growing market.

Chile is the world’s second largest farmed salmon producer and exporter.

Wine

Spain. Ask anyone which country is synonymous with wine, and they’ll probably name France or Italy. However, Spain is the world’s largest exporter of wine.

According to the data released by the Spanish Observatory of Wine Markets, Spain exported 22.8 million hectolitres of wine in 2017, ahead of Italy (21 million hectolitres) and France (15 million hectolitres).

On the other hand, Spain sells its wine relatively cheap so France is the country which makes the most of this product. Spain exported wine worth over $3.26 billion (€2.85 billion), while France sold wine for $10.29 billion (€9 billion), and Italy made $6.86 billion (€6 billion) in exports revenues.

Among other products, Spain is also the largest exporter of melon and olive oil.

Bananas

Ecuador. If you ate a banana today, the highest chances would be it traveled to your table all the way from Ecuador.

With more than 6,7 million tonnes of bananas sold in 2018, Ecuador is the leading bananas exporter in the world.

It accounts to nearly 40 percent of global shipments in 2018, according to the preliminary results for 2018 of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Ecuador sells the most of its bananas to the EU, the US and Russia.

The Philippines is the world’s second largest bananas exporter, which sold 2.9 million tonnes abroad in 2018.

Coffee

Brazil. Brazil is a worldwide leader in exporting coffee. It shipped 35.2 million 132-pound (60-kilogram) bags of coffee with exports revenues reaching $5.1 billion (€4.45 billion) in 2018, according to the Coffee Exporters Council of Brazil (Cecafé).

The US, Germany, Italy, Japan, Belgium are among the main markets for Brazilian coffee.
In addition to exporting coffee, Brazil is the world’s leading exporter of soybeans and sugar.