M. Shahbandeh
Research expert covering agriculture & FMCG
Honey market worldwide and in the U.S. - statistics & facts
The honey bee is one of the most important insects for humankind. Very few other species are as mutually beneficial to each other as humans and honey bees. Many of our favorite fruits and vegetables are pollinated by bees, and we in turn plant the crops that allow the bees to produce their main food source, honey. In 2021, there were about 101.6 million beehives in the world, up from about 80 million beehives in 2010. The global production volume of honey peaked in 2017 at about 1.88 million metric tons and has since decreased to about 1.77 million metric tons. The global honey market was valued at just over about eight billion U.S. dollars in 2021.
China is the leading country for production and also has the highest export value of natural honey at about 278 million U.S. dollars, consisting of 10.5 percent of the overall export value. The United States is the leading importer of honey worldwide, purchasing about 794 million U.S. dollars of honey from other countries in 2022.
Market leaders
As of 2021, India is the country with the highest number of beehives, at around 12.85 million, followed by mainland China and Turkey. In comparison, the United States only has about 2.7 million beehives. Despite the huge number of hives in India, China outstrips India in terms of production volume, producing about 473,000 metric tons of honey in that same year. Turkey, the next leading producer, produced only about a fifth of that volumeChina is the leading country for production and also has the highest export value of natural honey at about 278 million U.S. dollars, consisting of 10.5 percent of the overall export value. The United States is the leading importer of honey worldwide, purchasing about 794 million U.S. dollars of honey from other countries in 2022.
U.S. honey market
The value of honey production in the United States has seen some wide fluctuations since 2000 but has an overall positive trend. North Dakota is by far the top honey producing state, producing around 31 million pounds of honey in 2022, more than twice as much as the runner up, California. North Dakota also had the largest stock of honey of any U.S. state in that year. In 2021, the average price of honey in the U.S. was 2.96 U.S. dollars per pound, up from up 2.65 U.S. dollars per pound in the previous year.
