Sugar: Movement
How Brazil came to ship half the world's sugar
How Brazil came to ship half the world's sugar 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.UN Comtrade data for raw and refined sugar (HS 1701) put world exports at $36.2 billion in 2024. Brazil alone supplied 51.4% by value, far ahead of Thailand (6.7%), India (6.1%) and France (4.4%), shipping raws from Santos and Paranaguá. Imports are spread more widely: Indonesia took 10.1%, the United States 8.8%, China 7.9% and India 5.9%, with Morocco and Malaysia also in the top six. Trade is heavily distorted: Geman records the WTO ruling against EU export subsidies in 2004, and India has repeatedly limited exports to protect domestic supply and ethanol blending.
Main trade routes, 2024
Chart: World map of the largest trade flows
Exporter (size = share of world exports) Importer (share of world imports) Largest bilateral flows (width = value) Shipping chokepoint UN Comtrade 2024, reported exports by the top four exporters of each traded form to their partners (US$). Bubbles: shares of reported world exports and imports for the main traded form. Hover a line or circle for values.