Sugar · ranking
Demand for sugar is spread across many industrial and populous economies. This page reads the ten leading importers and shows how to turn that into a buyer list.
| # | Market | Value | Volume | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | $7.2B | — | 2024 |
| 2 | China | $4.2B | — | 2024 |
| 3 | Indonesia | $3.6B | — | 2024 |
| 4 | Germany | $2.6B | — | 2024 |
| 5 | United Kingdom | $2.2B | — | 2024 |
| 6 | India | $1.9B | — | 2024 |
| 7 | Mexico | $1.9B | — | 2024 |
| 8 | Canada | $1.9B | — | 2024 |
| 9 | Italy | $1.7B | — | 2024 |
| 10 | Malaysia | $1.6B | — | 2024 |
Ranking is for the whole of HS chapter 17 (sugars and sugar confectionery), reporter-declared, latest year available per market. Source: UN Comtrade.
The United States is at the top with $7.2B, then China at $4.2B and Indonesia at $3.6B. Germany follows at $2.6B, the United Kingdom at $2.2B, India and Mexico both at $1.9B, Canada also at $1.9B, Italy at $1.7B and Malaysia at $1.6B.
The ten importers hold 45.1% of the ranked markets among 96, so purchasing is much more evenly distributed than selling. Where one seller dominates exports, buyers come from all regions, with no single one dictating the market.
Many of these economies have large beverage, bakery and confectionery industries, so sugar is often bought as an input for further processing. That points toward industrial buyers, refiners and packers as the likely consignees, rather than household-goods retailers. You can test this by looking at consignee names in shipment records.
Some countries on the list are themselves producers or exporters, so imports may fill gaps in quality, timing or supply. India and Mexico appear on both this table and the export ranking, which shows that a country can be a seller and a buyer at once.
The ranking uses HS chapter 17, which covers sugars and sugar confectionery. Heading 1701, cane or beet sugar and chemically pure sucrose in solid form, is only one part. A market with a large confectionery trade can look bigger than its bulk sugar demand.
Every row is a 2024 declaration, but declared values are still not prices or tonnages, and re-exports can blur which country is the final consumer. Check import rules, tariff-rate arrangements and any quota system directly with the destination customs authority, since sugar is a commonly regulated product.
Take a market from the table and search shipment records under the sugar heading. The consignee list will reveal refiners, food groups and trading companies, along with the origins they use and the declared values of each consignment.
Compare that with your own product: grade, packaging, delivery terms and currency. The free marketplace on the site is a place to publish an offer that these buyers, or their agents, can see.
The United States is first at $7.2B. This is a chapter 17 figure and includes sugar confectionery and other sugars in addition to cane or beet sugar.
Not heavily. The top ten importers hold 45.1% of the ranked markets in a dataset of 96, so a seller has many possible buyers outside the top ten.
Yes. India and Mexico appear in both the importing and exporting sugar rankings, which can reflect quality needs, seasonal gaps or processing and re-export activity.
Check current import rules and any quota or duty arrangements with the destination customs authority, the specification the buyer expects, the Incoterm, currency and payment terms.
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