Rice: Movement

How India came to sell a third of the world's rice

How India came to sell a third of the world's rice 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.

World exports of rice (HS 1006) were worth $34.6 billion in 2024. India supplied 33.6%, Thailand 18.6%, Pakistan 12.1%, the United States 7.0%, Cambodia 5.5% and Myanmar 3.9%. Imports are led by Indonesia (10.6%), the Philippines (9.9%), Saudi Arabia (7.9%), the United States (6.3%), Malaysia (4.3%) and Côte d'Ivoire (3.9%). Reported imports total only $25.5 billion, a reporting gap. Rice flows from South Asia and South-East Asia to the Gulf and West Africa; Thai rice became a staple in Nigeria (Blas & Farchy, pdf p. 223). India curbed exports in 2023 and eased them in 2024.

Main trade routes, 2024

Chart: World map of the largest trade flows

Exporter (size = share of world exports) Importer (share of world imports) Largest bilateral flows (width = value) Shipping chokepoint UN Comtrade 2024, reported exports by the top four exporters of each traded form to their partners (US$). Bubbles: shares of reported world exports and imports for the main traded form. Hover a line or circle for values.

Rice · HS 1006

World exports 2024 $34.6 bn sum of 40 reporting countries World imports 2024 $25.5 bn sum of 40 reporting countries Top exporters, share of value India 33.6% Thailand 18.6% Pakistan 12.1% United States 7% Cambodia 5.5% Myanmar 3.9% Top importers, share of value Indonesia 10.6% Philippines 9.9% Saudi Arabia 7.9% United States 6.3% Malaysia 4.3% Côte d'Ivoire 3.9% UN Comtrade, reporter declarations to the world, US$. Exports and imports are reported separately, so totals differ. Re-exporting hubs (Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland, UAE) can appear large.