Pickled cucumbers (Pixabay)

Sweet, sour, hot or dill, pickled cucumbers are one of the world’s most popular condiments. Globally, exports of pickles were worth a total US$974.9 million in 2024.

That dollar metric results from a 36.7% increase in value from five years earlier in 2020 when exported pickles amounted to $713.3 million.

Year over year, worldwide sales of pickle exports accelerated 10.9% compared to $878.8 million starting from 2023.

The 5 biggest exporters of pickles are Germany, India, Türkiye, United States of America, and the Netherlands. Collectively, that quintet of leading suppliers accounted for nearly three-quarters (74.2%) of globally exported pickles.

Among continents, suppliers in Asian countries generated the highest dollar worth of exported pickles during 2024 with shipments valued at $425.2 million or 43.6% of the world total. Close behind in second place were exporters in Europe at 42.9% while another 12.3% of worldwide shipments of pickles originated from North America.

Smaller percentages came from suppliers in Africa (0.9%), Latin America (0.2%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania (0.1%) mostly Australia and New Zealand.

For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix for pickles is 200110. Technically, the product is described as cucumbers and gherkins prepared or preserved by vinegar or acetic acid.

Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of pickles during 2024.

1. Germany: US$194.5 million (20% of total exported pickles)
2. India: $189.1 million (19.4%)
3. Türkiye: $170.3 million (17.5%)
4. United States: $100.4 million (10.3%)
5. Netherlands: $69.2 million (7.1%)
6. Poland: $38.2 million (3.9%)
7. Vietnam: $24 million (2.5%)
8. Hungary: $13.8 million (1.4%)
9. Spain: $12.8 million (1.3%)
10. Canada: $10.9 million (1.1%)
11. France: $10.3 million (1.1%)
12. mainland China: $10.2 million (1%)
13. Serbia: $9.4 million (1%)
14. North Macedonia: $9.3 million (1%)
15. Mexico: $8.4 million (0.9%)

Countries Reaping Largest Trade Surpluses from Pickles

The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for pickles during 2024. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s exported pickles and its import purchases for that same commodity.

1. India: US$189 million (net export surplus up 20.6% since 2023)
2. Türkiye: $170.1 million (up 6.7%)
3. Germany: $89.3 million (up 13.9%)
4. Vietnam: $23.6 million (down -3.3%)
5. Poland: $15.1 million (up 3.3%)
6. Netherlands: $14.9 million (up 21.7%)
7. North Macedonia: $9.1 million (up 8.5%)
8. Sri Lanka: $7.7 million (down -1.8%)
9. Egypt: $6.8 million (down -4.8%)
10. Lebanon: $5.5 million (up 41.4%)
11. Hungary: $4.5 million (down -12.6%)
12. Syria: $3.8 million (down -5.2%)
13. Serbia: $3.7 million (up 158.6%)
14. Uzbekistan: $3.5 million (down -3%)
15. Mexico: $2.4 million (reversing a -$635,000 deficit)

India and Türkiye generated the highest surpluses in the international trade of pickles. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms their strong competitive advantages for this specific product category.

Countries Enduring Largest Trade Deficits from Pickles

The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for pickles during 2024. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s imported pickles purchases and its exports for that same commodity.

1. Canada: -US$85.4 million (net export deficit up 31.1% since 2023)
2. United Kingdom: -$63 million (up 8.7%)
3. France: -$35.7 million (down -11.3%)
4. Romania: -$21.9 million (up 11.1%)
5. Czech Republic: -$20.8 million (up 470.9%)
6. Belgium: -$20.7 million (up 44.1%)
7. Australia: -$20.4 million (up 19.6%)
8. Russia: -$17.9 million (down -18.6%)
9. Switzerland: -$17.8 million (up 6.3%)
10. Austria: -$14.6 million (up 5.9%)
11. Finland: -$11.8 million (down -4.2%)
12. Denmark: -$10.9 million (up 38%)
13. South Korea: -$10.1 million (up 3.8%)
14. Spain: -$9.8 million (up 9.2%)
15. Slovakia: -$9.2 million (up 17.9%)

Canada recorded the highest deficit in the international trade of pickles. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights Canada’s competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for pickles-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand from consumers.

Pickles Exporting Companies

According to global trading platform Alibaba, the following suppliers are examples of pickles exporting companies. The home-country location for each business is shown within parentheses.

• Diane Doux (France)
• Kalaycioglu Gida Pazarlama Sanayi (Turkey)
• Lunii Foods, LLC (United States)
• Marvino Trading Limited (Hong Kong)
• Orient Vietnam Company Limited (Vietnam)
• Riviana Foods Pvt Ltd (India)
• Yantai Reiyo Foods Co Ltd (China)