# Vitamins: Movement

Why most vitamins cross at least one border

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/movement/

What this tab covers How it moves between countries: share of output traded, physical form and transport, the largest exporters and importers, main routes, India's trade, and handling rules in transit.

#### Trade in 2024 UN Comtrade, HS 2936
 World exports $8.49 bn 111 reporting exporters · about 679k t Largest exporter China 40.6% of world exports Largest importer United States 17.2% of world imports India imports $228.5 m
exports $267.9 m #10 importer · #8 exporter

#### Where it is exported from and imported to, 2024

Chart: World map of the largest trade flows
 Exporter (size = share of world exports) Importer (share of world imports) Shipping chokepoint UN Comtrade 2024, HS 2936: shares of reported world exports and imports by value. Country-to-country route lines are not available for this commodity yet. Hover a circle for values.

#### HS 2936: largest exporters

| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **China** | 40.6% | $3.45 bn | 408k |
| **United States** | 12.2% | $1.04 bn | 37k |
| **Netherlands** | 11.5% | $975.0 m | 70k |
| **Germany** | 5.2% | $440.7 m | 27k |
| **Australia** | 4.2% | $358.5 m | 9,955 |
| **France** | 3.7% | $315.1 m | 19k |
| **Switzerland** | 3.2% | $275.5 m | 16k |
| **India** | 3.2% | $267.9 m | 23k |

#### HS 2936: largest importers

| Country | Share | Value (US$) | Tonnes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **United States** | 17.2% | $1.43 bn | 121k |
| **Netherlands** | 11% | $908.8 m | 79k |
| **Germany** | 7% | $578.1 m | 56k |
| **France** | 4% | $332.6 m | 28k |
| **Spain** | 3.5% | $291.3 m | – |
| **Brazil** | 3.4% | $283.7 m | 30k |
| **Canada** | 3.1% | $253.6 m | 15k |
| **South Korea** | 2.8% | $232.0 m | 16k |

 UN Comtrade 2024, reported by each country (exports by exporters, imports by importers), all partners. Some countries (for example Russia and Iran) do not report, so their shares are missing. HS codes can be broader than the tile: check the code before reading a share as the whole market.

#### How it moves

| Measure | Figure |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Share traded** | very high: China exported 422,765 t in 2024, and most vitamins cross borders at least once (Faxian Gongchang) |  |  |
| **How it moves** | Powders and beadlets in fibre drums and bags by container, often under nitrogen; high value per kg, so air freight in shortages. |  |  |
| **Routes and chokepoints** | China to the US, Europe, Brazil, Southeast Asia and India; Europe to the world; India exports B12 and folic acid. |  |  |
| **India** | . India imports most A, E, C and D3 (indicative). HS 2936: India imported $229 million (2.8% of world imports, rank 10) and exported $268 million (3.2% of world exports, rank 8) (UN Comtrade 2024). |  |  |
| **Handling in transit** | Mostly not dangerous goods; some oils and intermediates are combustible. |  |  |

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/correlation/index.md)
- [Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/routes/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/production/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/trading/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/vitamins/links/index.md)