10 Largest Honey-Producing Countries in the World

10 Largest Honey-Producing Countries in the World

10 Largest Honey-Producing Countries in the World– Honey is a nutritious and indispensable substance for humans. Maybe, it’s one miraculous gift from the honeybees to humans. By the way, based on data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2021, the United Nations (UN), there are 10 Largest Honey-Producing Countries in the World. They are the main producers of natural honey in the world.

10 Largest Honey-Producing Countries in the World- Honey

Honey has a substantial source of nutrients for the human body and has been used in various parts of the earth as a healthy food/drink. Basically, Its content can support our body to prevent disease and strengthen our antibodies. Moreover, various food and beverage products use honey as an additive to create a variety of products that are healthy for humans. Therefore, along with the importance of bees, many countries try to produce them.

10 Largest Honey-Producing Countries in the World- Hioney2

In the year of 2021, the World’s honey production reached 1.7 million tons. Basically, it has increased to around 800 thousand tons since 1970. The higher demand for healthy may affect natural honey production from time to time.

World’s Production of Natural Honey From 1970 to 2021

YearsProduction of Natural Honey
(Tons)
1970801,719
1971771,144
1972778,135
1973838,263
1974792,903
1975772,279
1976852,217
1977810,406
1978842,021
1979905,761
1980904,113
1981934,505
1982990,971
19831,054,418
1984994,769
19851,001,997
19861,107,665
19871,150,411
19881,176,435
19891,146,050
19901,172,589
19911,241,151
19921,137,740
19931,154,958
19941,134,022
19951,164,984
19961,107,731
19971,161,080
19981,193,900
19991,244,898
20001,260,052
20011,241,501
20021,288,230
20031,336,934
20041,364,358
20051,416,551
20061,506,417
20071,453,528
20081,517,810
20091,505,357
20101,537,647
20111,610,687
20121,640,272
20131,688,386
20141,760,925
20151,821,403
20161,862,678
20171,878,308
20181,838,509
20191,757,124
20201,774,477
20211,771,944
Source : FAOSTAT

Based on the Continent Regions, on FAOSTAT Database in 2021, Asia region still become the biggest producer with output of natural honey reached 859 thousand tons, Followed by Americas with production around 345 thousand tons, Europe with production around 383 thousand tons, Africa with 151 thousand tons, and Oceania with 32 thousand tons.

10 Largest Honey-Producing Countries in the World- Statistic Production Basedn on Continent and Countries in 2021

By the way, here are some countries with the largest honey production in the world. Honey production data comes from the Food and Agriculture Organization Statistical Database (FAOStat) Data in 2021.

Table Ranking of the 10 Largest Honey-Producing Countries in the World in 2021 Based on Data from the FAO Statistical Database (FAO Stat)

RankCountries Total Production of Natural Honey in 2021
(Tons)
1China, mainland472,700
2Türkiye96,344
3Iran (Islamic Republic of)77,152
4Argentina71,318
5Ukraine68,558
6India66,278
7Russian Federation64,533
8Mexico62,080
9United States of America57,364
10Brazil55,828
Source : FAOSTAT, 2022


Brief Description of The Largest Honey-Producing Countries in Honey Production

10 Largest Honey-Producing Countries in the World- Honeybee

1.China     

China is the world’s largest honey producer. According to the type of bee, the honeybee species that are widely cultivated as honey producers are Apis mellifera and Apis cerana. Moreover, there are important provinces in China as centers of honey production. One of them is in Zhejiang Province. In this province, there are more than 1 million beehives spread over 15,000 beekeeper households. From the abundant honey production in China, honey production is for the world export market. According to data from Statista, China’s total honey exports in 2019 reached 120 thousand tons.

Collectively, this province, Zhejiang, accounts for one-seventh of the national honey production in Panda Country. Furthermore, statistically, based on data from FAO, the United Nations in 2021, China’s honey production reached 472,000 tons. Honey production in China is the largest one.


2.Turkey

Turkey is one of the countries in the European Union region that has the highest bee production in the world. In this country, bees are widely cultivated by farmers scattered in several provinces in Turkey. Furthermore, some of the provinces in Turkey that have the highest bee production are Mugla, Ordu, Adana, Aydin, Sivas, and Mersin. Nationally, beekeeping is one of the mainstay commodities of livestock products from Turkey. In accumulation, there are 104,709 beekeepers with a total of 6 million beehives spread across Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s country.

In 2021, based on data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Turkey’s honey production reached 96 thousand tons. Some of the national bee production is for domestic consumption. In addition, Turkey also exports its honey to several countries in the world, namely Germany, the United States, Jordan, Hungary, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Austria.


3.Iran

Iran is the next honey producer from the Asian region. Furthermore, In 2021, Argentina’s honey production reached 77 thousand tons according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Statistically, there are several major honey production areas in Iran. Some of these provinces are the Provinces of West Azarbaijan, Azandaran, and Ardabil. In this country, there are about 6 million beehives spread across various provinces in the country


4.Argentina

Based on data from the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations, Argentina is the country with the 4th largest honey production in the world. In 2021, Argentina’s honey production reached 71 thousand tons. Statistically, as of July 2020, there are more than 13.7 thousand honey producers in Argentina, of which nearly 4.3 thousand are in the province of Buenos Aires. Entre Ríos ranks second, with a population of about 2.5 thousand honey producers.


5.Ukraine  

Ukraine is a country in the European region that has the largest honey production in the world. In 2021, Ukraine’s honey production reached 68 thousand tons. In addition to meeting domestic needs, honey from Ukraine is also intended for the export market. As one of the mainstay sectors of Ukraine, the bee industry in this country has grown by involving 70 thousand Ukrainians or about 1% of the Ukrainian population involved in this sector.


6.India      

In 2021, honey production in India reached 66 thousand tons. In this Mahatma Gandhi’s home country, honey production grew rapidly in the 1990s. Therefore, India started exporting its honey to several countries in Asia and Europe. In terms of bee species, there are several types of bees used for honey production, namely Apis dorsata, Apis cerana indica, Apis florea, Apis mellifera, and Tetragonula iridipennis.


7.Russia

In 2021, Russia’s honey production reached 64 thousand tons. With this production, this country is also able to export its honey to several countries in the world such as China, Belarus, and the United States.


8.Mexico 

In 2021, Mexico’s honey production reached 62,000 tons. Mexico’s honey production area is spread across several states such as Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo, Jalisco, Chiapas, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Puebla, and Michoacán.


9.United States of America  

The United States is the next country with the largest honey production in the world. In 2021, honey production reached 57 thousand tons. Moreover, regarding the area of honey production, there are several states in the United States which are the largest areas of honey production. These states include North Dakota, Montana, California, South Dakota, and Florida.


10. Brazil

Brazil is the 10th biggest producer of Honey in 2021. Geograhpically, in Brazil, natural honey ussually comes from the Northeast region of the Atlantic rainforest in Brazil.


11.Canada

Canada is a country in the Americas that has an abundance of honey. Furthermore, In 2019, Canada’s honey production reached 80 thousand tons, based on data from the United Nations FAO. The provinces of Ontario and British Columbia are the 2 main provinces that have the largest honey growers in the Canadian Territory. In the province of Ontario, it is estimated that there are about 3 thousand beekeepers. While in the province of British Columbia, the population of farmers is around 2 thousand people.

However, in terms of Canada’s national honey production, the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba are the main contributors to honey in Canada. In this country, honey production in Alberta Province reaches 34 thousand tons, Saskatchewan 16 thousand tons, and Manitoba at 14 thousand tons. In addition to meeting domestic needs, honey from Canada is also exported to various countries such as the United States, Japan, and China.




Reference Source 10 Largest Honey-Producing Countries in the World

Zheng, Huo-Qing & Wei, Wen-Ting & Hu, Fu-Liang. 2015. Beekeeping Industry in China. Bee World. 88: 41-44

Statista. 2021. Export volume of honey from China from 2009 to 2019. Accessed via https://www.statista.com/statistics/225197/export-volume-of-honey-from-china/ on 27 July 27th, 2021

Duyum, S and S. Friedman. 2015.The Turkish Beekeeping and Honey Sector. Accessed via https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/report/downloadreportbyfilename?filename=The%20Turkish%20Beekeeping%20and%20Honey%20Sector_Ankara_Turkey_5-27-2015.pdf on July 20th, 2021

Dehqan, S dan Farzam. 2018. Iran Honey Production up 10%. Accessed via https://www.pressreader.com/iran/iran-daily/20180719/281655370854573 on July 20th, 2021

WorldAtalas. 2020. Leading Honey-Producing States in the US Accessed via https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/leading-honey-producing-states-in-the-us.html on 21st July 2021.

Wikipedia. 2021. Beekeeping in Ukraine. Accessed via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beekeeping_in_Ukraine on July 26th, 2021.

Wikipedia. 2021. Beekeping in India. Accessed via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beekeeping_in_India on July 21st, 2021.

Geo-Mexico. 2016. The geography of honey production in Mexico. Accessed via https://geo-mexico.com/?p=4672  on  July 26th, 2020.

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