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Caustic soda and potash: top exporters and importers (2024)

In 2024, world trade in caustic soda and potash totaled $7.6 billion (22.6 million tonnes). The top exporters were the United States (20%), China (16%) and Germany (8%); the top importers were Australia (15%), Brazil (9%) and Indonesia (7%). Compared with 2019, the value rose 20%.

Summary

World trade
$7.6billion
Tonnes
22.6million tonnes
Price per tonne
$333
The largest flows between countries. Width: value; color: estimated transport mode.SeaAirLand

Top exporters

  1. United States$1.5 billion · 19.6%
  2. China$1.3 billion · 16.4%
  3. Germany$579 million · 7.6%
  4. Japan$468 million · 6.2%
  5. Belgium$464 million · 6.1%
    re-exports
  6. South Korea$419 million · 5.5%
  7. Netherlands$356 million · 4.7%
    re-exports
  8. Taiwan$345 million · 4.5%
  9. India$257 million · 3.4%
  10. France$240 million · 3.2%
  11. Norway$164 million · 2.2%
  12. Qatar$136 million · 1.8%
  13. Saudi Arabia$124 million · 1.6%
  14. Poland$106 million · 1.4%
  15. Hungary$97 million · 1.3%
  16. Italy$91 million · 1.2%
  17. Egypt$89 million · 1.2%
  18. Romania$87 million · 1.1%
  19. Russia$82 million · 1.1%
  20. Czechia$73 million · 0.96%

Top importers

  1. Australia$1.1 billion · 14.8%
  2. Brazil$679 million · 8.9%
  3. Indonesia$527 million · 6.9%
  4. United States$374 million · 4.9%
  5. Netherlands$278 million · 3.7%
    re-exports
  6. Canada$261 million · 3.4%
  7. Germany$237 million · 3.1%
  8. Finland$225 million · 3%
  9. France$219 million · 2.9%
  10. Italy$213 million · 2.8%
  11. Sweden$206 million · 2.7%
  12. Turkey$173 million · 2.3%
  13. Austria$167 million · 2.2%
  14. Belgium$138 million · 1.8%
    re-exports
  15. Spain$132 million · 1.7%
  16. Chile$114 million · 1.5%
  17. United Kingdom$96 million · 1.3%
  18. Malaysia$95 million · 1.2%
  19. Ireland$93 million · 1.2%
  20. Vietnam$89 million · 1.2%

Trend

Who sells it

The United States was the top exporter throughout the period

Value in USD billions. The five largest exporters in 2024.

  • United States 1.5
  • China 1.3
  • Germany 0.58
  • Japan 0.47
  • Belgium 0.46

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
Country19952024
United States0.431.5
China0.071.3
Germany0.250.58
Japan0.120.47
Belgium0.210.46

Price

Implied price

The price per tonne rose 84% since 1995

Current US dollars per tonne: value over the weight reported by BACI.

  • 2024: $333

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearUSD per tonne
1995$181
1996$164
1997$132
1998$139
1999$114
2000$116
2001$172
2002$126
2003$129
2004$135
2005$202
2006$211
2007$246
2008$305
2009$314
2010$217
2011$280
2012$310
2013$298
2014$271
2015$257
2016$270
2017$316
2018$367
2019$269
2020$248
2021$273
2022$563
2023$436
2024$333

What it includes

  • 2815 · Caustic soda and potash

Products in the same chapter

Sources and methodology

Sources and licenses

Methodology

Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), which reconciles what exporters and importers report: countries that stopped reporting (Russia since 2022) appear with their partners’ data. FOB values in current US dollars; tonnes when BACI reports them. The price per tonne is the value of the rows with a weight divided by that weight. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Data up to 2024.

Hong Kong, Singapore, the Netherlands and Belgium re-export goods from other countries: their figures include transit.

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