Sugar is a sweetener commonly added to tea or coffee, breakfast cereals and is a key ingredient for baking and making desserts.

Research shows that consuming sugar affects people’s brains in ways that resemble certain drugs. A study cited in the journal Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews concluded that sugar impacts the chemistry of the human limbic system, a part of brain associated with emotional control.

Sugar imports were worth US$25,4 billion in 2020. That dollar amount reflects a -9.1% drop from $28 billion for 2016. In contrast, the value of globally exported sugar accelerated by 15.3% from 2019 to 2020.

The 5 most lucrative consumer markets for importing sugar generated well over one quarter (28.9%) of total global purchases of sugar bought on international markets in 2020. The strongest revenues from buying imported sugar came from: United States (8.2% of the world total), Indonesia (7.6%), China (7.1%), Italy (3%) and Malaysia (also 3%).

Among these 5 key import markets for sugar, the strongest buying increase was the 60.7% gain generated by importers in mainland China. The People’s Republic is also the country exhibiting the third-greatest demand for imported sugar. In contrast, imports of sugar into Italy increased by a more modest 9.7% year over year while Malaysia’s purchases of imported sugar increased by an above-average 21.2% since 2019.

In most countries, sugar is readily available at many outlets from fast-food restaurants, vast grocery chains, tiny corner stores and even smaller cafeterias at schools or workplaces.

By comparing changes in consumer demand for imported sugar by buyer country highlighted in this article, researchers can uncover the most compelling opportunities for selling sugar and related products and services on international markets.

Sugar is a Consumer Convenience Product

Sugar satisfies the criteria of a consumer good (also called an end product) created for consumers to buy in its final form to satisfy their taste buds, often as a condiment. In contrast, products like turbojets are usually purchased by companies or government entities rather than individuals.

Economists classify sugar as convenience products, a technical classification for goods that are easily accessed and purchased relatively often. Many shoppers buy sugar on weekly trips to their local grocery shops or as daily sweeteners at coffee shops.

According to EatByDate.com, sugar can last indefinitely especially if stored in their original packages or in air-tight containers.

Imported Sugar by Country

The pre-sorted list below showcases marketing intelligence for the top 100 buyers of sugar, ranked in descending order starting with the greatest annual sales amount at the 4-digit Harmonized System (HS) code level. For sugar, the HS code prefix is 1701.

Also shown is each import country’s percentage change worldwide imported sugar purchases from 2019 to 2020.

United States: US$2,091,587,000 (up 26.2% from 2019)
Indonesia: $1,935,927,000 (up 41.7%)
China: $1,801,965,000 (up 60.7%)
Italy: $764,660,000 (up 9.7%)
Malaysia: $763,579,000 (up 21.2%)
Bangladesh: $725,187,000 (up 13.2%)
Nigeria: $703,228,000 (up 51.8%)
Algeria: $669,899,000 (up 3.9%)
South Korea: $646,064,000 (up 2.6%)
India: $641,639,000 (up 110.3%)
Vietnam: $637,692,000 (up 469.3%)
Spain: $523,634,000 (down -23.7%)
Saudi Arabia: $489,957,000 (up 15.2%)
Morocco: $468,964,000 (up 13.9%)
Canada: $440,611,000 (up 6.7%)
UAE: $414,890,000 (up 36%)
Sudan: $404,226,000 (down -19.8%)
Japan: $400,046,000 (down -5.7%)
Iran: $395,489,000 (down -11.6%)
Germany: $357,398,000 (up 17%)
Iraq: $348,824,000 (up 25.7%)
Ethiopia: $337,645,000 (up 83.2%)
United Kingdom: $325,311,000 (down -17%)
Yemen: $302,927,000 (up 33.5%)
South Africa: $282,604,000 (down -6.8%)
Sri Lanka: $264,876,000 (up 41.1%)
Somalia: $260,996,000 (down -0.6%)
Uzbekistan: $240,033,000 (down -9.7%)
Kenya: $232,654,000 (down -24.3%)
Taiwan: $229,913,000 (up 0.5%)
France: $226,551,000 (up 7.4%)
Belgium: $218,072,000 (up 4.9%)
Afghanistan: $198,850,000 (down -7.7%)
Chile: $194,583,000 (up 13.4%)
Kazakhstan: $180,770,000 (up 15.6%)
Venezuela: $179,836,000 (up 130.6%)
Mauritania: $171,097,000 (up 191.7%)
Jordan: $163,041,000 (up 38.2%)
Portugal: $162,759,000 (up 5.1%)
Romania: $160,186,000 (down -15.9%)
Israel: $160,056,000 (up 4.4%)
Netherlands: $155,288,000 (up 1.4%)
Greece: $154,708,000 (up 12.9%)
Ghana: $150,682,000 (up 8.7%)
Austria: $141,559,000 (up 75.6%)
Peru: $140,777,000 (up 61.7%)
Pakistan: $129,526,000 (up 3372%)
Colombia: $120,354,000 (up 11.7%)
Djibouti: $120,268,000 (up 9%)
Singapore: $115,773,000 (down -6.7%)
Turkey: $108,012,000 (up 53.2%)
Bulgaria: $107,747,000 (up 3.4%)
Togo: $107,535,000 (no data)
Egypt: $104,072,000 (down -71.8%)
Azerbaijan: $103,102,000 (down -18.6%)
Hungary: $102,893,000 (up 17.4%)
Syrian Arab Republic: $101,309,000 (down -13.5%)
Lebanon: $96,192,000 (up 32.4%)
Senegal: $90,623,000 (up 98.5%)
Poland: $89,706,000 (up 1.1%)
Tunisia: $89,300,000 (down -44.6%)
Hong Kong: $86,036,000 (down -19.2%)
Tanzania: $85,311,000 (down -15.8%)
Guinea: $85,262,000 (up 20.8%)
New Zealand: $82,580,000 (down -1%)
Ivory Coast: $81,066,000 (up 366.4%)
Ireland: $78,004,000 (up 4.2%)
Angola: $77,583,000 (down -65.6%)
Haiti: $75,335,000 (up 0.6%)
Russia: $70,876,000 (down -28.9%)
Philippines: $69,049,000 (down -38.5%)
Uganda: $67,998,000 (down -12.5%)
Norway: $65,909,000 (up 8.2%)
Nepal: $65,887,000 (up 840.2%)
Czech Republic: $64,016,000 (up 19.6%)
Niger: $63,961,000 (up 49.2%)
Namibia: $62,009,000 (up 8.7%)
Madagascar: $57,902,000 (down -2.9%)
Tajikistan: $57,119,000 (down -21.4%)
Switzerland: $55,797,000 (up 23.4%)
Mexico: $53,789,000 (up 50.9%)
Libya: $51,281,000 (up 157.6%)
Georgia: $51,207,000 (up 1.7%)
Cameroon: $48,168,000 (up 82.1%)
Myanmar: $46,633,000 (down -17.7%)
Botswana: $46,440,000 (down -24.4%)
Bosnia/Herzegovina: $45,489,000 (up 13.6%)
Finland: $43,892,000 (down -3.4%)
Laos: $42,673,000 (down -51.8%)
Democr. Rep. Congo: $40,692,000 (up 105.2%)
Uruguay: $38,019,000 (up 13.5%)
Slovakia: $36,610,000 (down -10.2%)
Sweden: $35,700,000 (down -17.9%)
South Sudan: $35,224,000 (up 2707%)
Turkmenistan: $34,533,000 (up 0.5%)
North Korea: $34,493,000 (down -35.8%)
Thailand: $34,365,000 (up 6913%)
Slovenia: $34,124,000 (down -25.9%)
Benin: $33,353,000 (down -31.6%)
Kuwait: $32,553,000 (down -33.8%)

Among the 100 strongest global markets, 65 countries increased their spending on imported sugar. The 7 greatest percentage gains year over year were posted by Thailand (up 6,913%), Pakistan (up 3,372%), South Sudan (up 2,707%), Nepal (up 840.2%), Vietnam (up 469.3%), Ivory Coast (up 366.4%) and Mauritania (up 191.7%).

Leading percentage declines for the remaining 35 sugar-importing countries was Egypt via a -71.8% annual drop.

Significant reductions in sugar imported by value were also experienced by Angola (down -65.6%), Laos (down -51.8%), Tunisia (down -44.6%), Philippines (down -38.5%), North Korea (down -35.8%) and Kuwait (down -33.8%).

Richest Global Markets for Imported Sugar

Illustrated below is the market demand for sugar imported during 2020 by 30 of world’s richest countries in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per person, according to RichestCountryReports.com.

Countries are listed in descending order starting with the wealthiest economy in terms of GDP per capita.

Luxembourg: US$5.6 million (Up 13.1%)
Singapore: $115.8 million (Down -6.7%)
Ireland: $78 million (Up 4.2%)
Qatar: $30 million (Up 28.2%)
Macao: $4.3 million (Down -23.6%)
Switzerland: $55.8 million (Up 23.4%)
Norway: $65.9 million (Up 8.2%)
United States: $2.1 billion (Up 26.2%)
Brunei Darussalam: $4.7 million (Up 27%)
Hong Kong: $86 million (Down -19.2%)
Denmark: $31.4 million (Down -8.6%)
Netherlands: $155.3 million (Up 1.4%)
United Arab Emirates: $414.9 million (Up 36%)
Taiwan: $229.9 million (Up 0.5%)
Iceland: $4.6 million (Down -4.3%)
Austria: $141.6 million (Up 75.6%)
Germany: $357.4 million (Up 17%)
Sweden: $35.7 million (Down -17.9%)
Australia: $9.9 million (Down -18.8%)
Belgium: $218.1 million (Up 4.9%)
Finland: $43.9 million (Down -3.4%)
Canada: $440.6 million (Up 6.7%)
Bahrain: $26.7 million (Down -20.2%)
France: $226.6 million (Up 7.4%)
Saudi Arabia: $490 million (Up 15.2%)
United Kingdom: $325.3 million (Down -17%)
South Korea: $646.1 million (Up 2.6%)
Malta: $11.3 million (Up 0.7%)
Japan: $400 million (Down -5.7%)
New Zealand: $82.6 million (Down -1%)

Among the above wealthiest economies per capita, 18 spent more on imported sugar in 2020 compared to 2019. The leading gainers were Austria (up 75.6%), United Arab Emirates (up 36%), Qatar (up 28.2%), Brunei Darussalam (up 27%) and the United States (up 26.2%).

Registering double-digit declines in their annual purchases of imported sugar were: Macao (down -23.6%), Bahrain (down -20.2%), Hong Kong (down -19.2%), Australia (down -18.8%), Sweden (down -17.9%) and the United Kingdom (down -17%).

US Demand for Imported Sugar

In 2020, the United States of America retained its place as the world’s number 1 market for imported sugar sales as measured by total purchases worth $2.1 billion in US dollars.

America’s 5 biggest sugar suppliers (Mexico, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Guatemala) furnished roughly two-thirds (67.3%) of total US purchases of sugar from international markets.

The following 15 countries benefited the most from selling imported sugar to customers in the United States during 2020.

Mexico: US$743.4 million (35.5% of US total)
Brazil: $337.3 million (16.1%)
Dominican Republic: $117.9 million (5.6%)
Colombia: $108.9 million (5.2%)
Guatemala: $100.1 million (4.8%)
Australia: $73.5 million (3.5%)
Philippines: $64 million (3.1%)
Argentina: $62.5 million (3%)
El Salvador: $59.1 million (2.8%)
United Kingdom: $45.9 million (2.2%)
Peru: $35 million (1.7%)
Paraguay: $34 million (1.6%)
Nicaragua: $28.7 million (1.4%)
Costa Rica: $25.9 million (1.2%)
Panama: $23.7 million (1.1%)

The above 15 international providers sold 88.9% of the $2.1 billion worth of imported sugar delivered to the United States during 2020.

Year over year, the fastest-growing suppliers of sugar to American buyers from 2019 to 2020 were the United Kingdom (up 241,290%), Brazil (up 88.4%), Philippines (up 59.1%), Paraguay (up 32.8%) and Mexico (up 30.4%).

Key American State for Buying Imported Sugar

Maryland is the sole American state for which sugar placed among an individual state’s top 25 imported products. In dollar terms, Maryland spent $236.6 million on imported sugar during 2020.

That dollar amount represents Maryland’s -15.8% slowdown in import spending for sugar on global markets from 2019 to 2020.

Unit Costs by Major US Sugar Suppliers

The United States of America paid a wide range of unit costs per ton of imported sugar in 2020, depending on the sugar shipper’s country of origin.

Below, you will find the average unit price that American importers paid to 15 of the top suppliers of sugar to the US in 2020. They are presented in descending order starting with the nations that supplied the highest total dollar value worth of sugar that the US bought on international markets.

Mexico: US$644 per ton (up 11.6% from 2019)
Brazil: $507 (down -18.9%)
Dominican Republic: $557 (up 1.6%)
Colombia: $704 (down -8.9%)
Guatemala: $511 (up 11.8%)
Australia: $557 (up 5.5%)
Philippines: $585 (up 31.5%)
Argentina: $547 (down -13.2%)
El Salvador: $484 (down -7.3%)
United Kingdom: $1,228 (down -61.2%)
Peru: $586 (down -1.7%)
Paraguay: $759 (down -10.2%)
Nicaragua: $546 (up 28.5%)
Costa Rica: $613 (up 21.1%)
Panama: $601 (up 4%)

The lowest unit costs per ton of sugar imported into the United States belongs to suppliers in El Salvador, Brazil and Guatemala.

America pays the highest unit price per ton of sugar to suppliers in the United Kingdom, Paraguay, Colombia, Mexico and Costa Rica.

The fastest growth in unit cost per ton for sugar suppliers to America belongs to the Philippines (up 31.5% from 2019), Nicaragua (up 28.5%) and Costa Rica (up 21.1%).

World’s Biggest Sugar Makers

The following 10 largest multinationals sell sugar both domestically and on international markets. They also produce other products which are also behind the market capitalizations shown.

Savola Group (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia): US$6.052 billion
Cosan (Sao Paulo, Brazil): $4.118 billion
Cofco Tunhe Sugar Co. (Xinjiang Uygur, China): $3.169 billion
Südzucker (Mannheim, Germany): $2.902 billion
Ros Agro (Moscow, Russia): $1.638 billion
DCM Shriram (New Delhi, India): $845 million
E.I.D. Parry (Chennai, India): $834 million
Balrampur Chini Mills (Kolkata, India): $493 million
Mitsui Sugar (Tokyo, Japan): $453 million
Kaset Thai International Sugar (Bangkok, Thailand): $371 million

Not one of the above sugar behemoths is located in North America.

References

Independent insights and analysis presented in this article are based on researched facts and statistics sourced from the following educational portals.

BoyceWire, Consumer Goods Definition.

Eat By Date, How Long Does Sugar Last?.

Forbes, The Forbes Global 2000 List.

Healthline, Sugar Is a “Drug” and Here’s How We’re Hooked.

International Trade Centre, Trade Map.

Investopedia, Consumer Goods, Consumer Staples Definition, Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG).

Richest Country Reports, Top 50 Richest Countries by GDP per Capita.

United States Census Bureau, Foreign Trade State Data.

USITC DataWeb, US Merchandise Trade: Imports for Consumption.

Value Today, World Top Sugar Companies List by Market Cap.

Virta, Secret Sugars: The 56 Different Names for Sugar.

Wikipedia, Sugar.