Bananas: Movement

Why Rotterdam exports bananas it never grew

What this tab covers How it flows between countries: the largest bilateral trade routes drawn on a world map, 2024 UN Comtrade export and import values with the top exporters and importers by share, plus shipping routes, chokepoints and trade restrictions.

Comtrade records $13.2 billion of banana exports (HS 0803) in 2024. Ecuador leads with 26.7%, followed by the Philippines and Colombia (9.3% each), Costa Rica (9.1%) and Guatemala (8.9%). The Netherlands (6.9%) is a re-exporter through Rotterdam, not a grower. The United States imports 22.1%, ahead of Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, China and France. Fruit moves in reefer ships and containers from Latin American ports across the Atlantic or through the Panama Canal. The EU's long dispute over preferences for former colonies ended in a 2009 WTO settlement.

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. Bubbles: shares of reported world exports and imports for the main traded form. Country-to-country route lines are not available for this commodity yet. Hover a circle for values.

Bananas · HS 0803

World exports 2024 $13.2 bn sum of 40 reporting countries World imports 2024 $14.6 bn sum of 40 reporting countries Top exporters, share of value Ecuador 26.7% Philippines 9.3% Colombia 9.3% Costa Rica 9.1% Guatemala 8.9% Netherlands 6.9% Top importers, share of value United States 22.1% Germany 7.3% Japan 6.7% Netherlands 6.4% China 6.2% France 6% UN Comtrade, reporter declarations to the world, US$. Exports and imports are reported separately, so totals differ. Re-exporting hubs (Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland, UAE) can appear large.