globaltraffic.earth

Water: top exporters and importers (2024)

In 2024, world trade in water totaled $5.6 billion (136.1 million tonnes). The top exporters were France (28%), Italy (20%) and China (13%); the top importers were the United States (20%), Hong Kong (12%) and Belgium (8%). Compared with 2019, the value rose 35%.

Summary

World trade
$5.6billion
Tonnes
136.1million tonnes
Price per tonne
$41
The largest flows between countries. Width: value; color: estimated transport mode.SeaAirLand

Top exporters

  1. France$1.6 billion · 28.1%
  2. Italy$1.1 billion · 19.7%
  3. China$735 million · 13%
  4. Fiji$247 million · 4.4%
  5. United States$203 million · 3.6%
  6. Mexico$191 million · 3.4%
  7. Georgia$162 million · 2.9%
  8. Belgium$144 million · 2.6%
    re-exports
  9. Germany$144 million · 2.5%
  10. Turkey$80 million · 1.4%
  11. Norway$63 million · 1.1%
  12. Thailand$60 million · 1.1%
  13. Spain$53 million · 0.94%
  14. United Kingdom$51 million · 0.89%
  15. Netherlands$48 million · 0.85%
    re-exports
  16. Serbia$45 million · 0.8%
  17. Malaysia$39 million · 0.7%
  18. United Arab Emirates$38 million · 0.67%
  19. Iceland$37 million · 0.65%
  20. Romania$28 million · 0.49%

Top importers

  1. United States$1.2 billion · 20.4%
  2. Hong Kong$652 million · 11.5%
    re-exports
  3. Belgium$437 million · 7.7%
    re-exports
  4. France$329 million · 5.8%
  5. United Kingdom$315 million · 5.6%
  6. Germany$277 million · 4.9%
  7. Netherlands$229 million · 4.1%
    re-exports
  8. China$176 million · 3.1%
  9. United Arab Emirates$159 million · 2.8%
  10. Switzerland$117 million · 2.1%
  11. Russia$113 million · 2%
  12. Japan$96 million · 1.7%
  13. Canada$88 million · 1.6%
  14. Kuwait$73 million · 1.3%
  15. South Korea$70 million · 1.2%
  16. Mexico$69 million · 1.2%
  17. Singapore$59 million · 1.1%
    re-exports
  18. Macao$56 million · 0.99%
  19. Spain$48 million · 0.85%
  20. Saudi Arabia$46 million · 0.81%

Trend

Who sells it

France was the top exporter throughout the period

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

  • France 1.6
  • Italy 1.1
  • China 0.74
  • Fiji 0.25
  • United States 0.2

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
Country19952024
France0.541.6
Italy0.081.1
China0.180.74
Fiji00.25
United States0.020.2

Price

Implied price

The price per tonne rose 2,575% since 1995

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

  • 2024: $41

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearUSD per tonne
1995$2
1996$2
1997$2
1998$18
1999$19
2000$15
2001$11
2002$7
2003$9
2004$13
2005$25
2006$26
2007$30
2008$5
2009$10
2010$4
2011$28
2012$4
2013$5
2014$12
2015$14
2016$16
2017$17
2018$31
2019$27
2020$29
2021$31
2022$34
2023$6
2024$41

What it includes

  • 2201 · Water

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.

See all products