M. Shahbandeh
Research expert covering agriculture & FMCG
Sugar Industry - statistics & facts
India is the top sugar loving nation worldwide consuming double the amount sugar intake in China. The Europen Union follows India as the second largest sugar consumer with an estimated 16.8 million metric tons of consumption in 2023/2024. Globally sugar consumption is also increasing continousely exceeded 178 million metric tons by 2024/2025.
Global overview
Currently, the global production of sugar is about 186 million metric tons annually. Brazil dominated the global market in terms of production. The United States was also ranked among the top producers, generating just under 8.3 million metric tons in 2023/24. Sugar is almost completely extracted from two crops – sugar cane and sugar beet. Some two billion metric tons of sugar cane were produced worldwide in 2022, of which more than 724 million metric tons came from Brazil alone. India, China, Thailand, and Pakistan rounded off the five leading sugar cane producing countries. In comparison, approximately 260 million metric tons of sugar beets were produced worldwide in that year, with Russia, France, and U.S. producing the largest amount.International trade and consumption
In context of international trade, Brazil topped the list of sugar exporting countries in 2023/24 with an export amount greater than 36 million metric tons. During that period, the total sugar exports amounted to approximately 68 million metric tons worldwide. On the import side, Indonesia, China, and the United States were ranked as the leading sugar importing countries.
