M. Shahbandeh
Research expert covering agriculture & FMCG
Fruit date market - statistics & facts
For thousands of years, dates have been collected for their sweet fruit and remain a staple food for many places around the Mediterranean and worldwide. Dates are the most valuable product in the worldwide market for dried fruits. Over a million metric tons of dates were produced in 2022/2023, just behind raisins in terms of overall quantity produced. Iraq, Algeria, and Iran harvest the most date fruits worldwide. These dried fruits are used as a honey replacement, a ceremonial delicacy, and in sweet and savory dishes.
Date trade
India imports the most dates, spending approximately 231 million U.S. dollars on over 475 million metric tons of imports. Israel is a leading exporter and shipped over 330 million U.S. dollars' worth of dates in 2022. Saudi Arabia, however, exported the highest volume of dates that year, accounting for 18 percent of global exports. The warm climates of these countries makes them ideal for growing dates.Dried fruit consumption
Per capita consumption of dates worldwide has remained fairly constant for several years, staying between about 0.1 and 0.2 kilograms. Within the United States, consumption of table dates increased by over 75 percent since 2012, exceeding 28 thousand metric tons in 2021. Dried fruits, including dates, are the most valuable segments of the United States' fruit and vegetable market. On average, the per capita consumption of dried fruit, aside from raisins was about one pound since 2018/2019 in the U.S.
