Discover the 10 Countries That Produce the Most Honey

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Honey bees spend their entire lives creating honey, a sweet liquid substance enjoyed by people all over the world. Across the world, honey has been used for years as a natural sweetener. However, honey also has ancient origins as a medicinal substance. In addition, many countries produce large quantities of honey as a major part of their economy. In 2021, all the countries of the world produce a total of 1,771,944 tons of natural honey. The biggest output was Asia, but remains closely followed by the Americas. Learn more about the 10 countries that produce the most honey in the world below.

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China produces a quarter of all global honey, close to 500,000 tons every year, according to Reuters. More than 100,000 tons of its honey is exported to Europe and the United States. Many of China’s beekeepers are nomadic. They take their hives to pollinate various crops and orchards throughout China. Most of China’s honey is produced in the Zhejiang Province, which also plays a major role in the silk industry.

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In Turkey, favorable conditions have supported the development of a robust apiculture industry. Honey production in Turkey has been an important aspect of agriculture for thousands of years. Turkey also benefits from a diverse population of bees, with 20% of the world’s bee sub-species found in the country, according to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service.

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Production of honey is spread across several regions of Iran. West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan, and Ardabil are the three provinces with the largest production of honey in Iran. The overall success of agriculture in Iran remains highly impacted by the development of the honey industry. Honey bees support the pollination of cherries, grapes, pears, tomatoes, bell peppers, saffron, and more.

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With a little over 70,000 tons produced in 2021, Argentina ranks as the 4th largest producer of honey in the world. Argentina is a top producer of honey, but local consumption of honey is fairly low, although this trend is showing signs of changing. Most of the local honey produced in Argentina is exported to other countries.

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Ukraine produces honey for domestic consumption, as well as export. A big sector in Ukraine’s economy, 70,000 people work in apiculture, or 1% of the total population. Some of the best natural honey produced in the world comes from honey produced in Ukraine. Because of Ukraine’s importance in the global agriculture industry, it is no surprise that they raise so many honey bees to produce all that honey!

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Honey is an important, but relatively untapped industry, in India. There is the potential for 200 million colonies of honey bees, compared to the 3.4 million colonies currently cultivated in the country. Honey bees play a big role in the entire agricultural sector of India, beyond its production of honey. Honey bees pollinate fruits, vegetables, pulses, oilseeds, and fiber plants.

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Russia sits in the top 10 honey producers with a share of 3.5%. Every year, Russia typically produces enough honey to remain self-sufficient. Some of the most popular and well-known honey types exported from Russia include Far Eastern, Altai, and Bashkir honey. Russian citizens most often purchase honey directly from beekeepers during the height of the honey harvest season.

Beekeeping is a large and vital part of the Mexican economy. In Mexico, there are 41,000 honey producers raising 2 million hives and receiving profits of around $56 million per year, according to UN University. Many indigenous communities in Mexico practice traditional forms of beekeeping using methods from pre-Columbian times.

The honey bee is not native to the United States, but European colonization brought both honey bees and apiculture to the North American continent. Surprisingly, the cold northern state of North Dakota ranks as the top honey-producing state in the United States, followed by states like South Dakota, California, Florida, and Texas. Honey generates a large amount of money every year in the United States, making $339 million in 2019.

The production of honey is growing in Brazil, especially in the state of Piauí. Total honey production in Brazil was 55,828 tons in 2021, with 7,000 tons expected in Piauí in 2023. Comparatively, Brazilians do not consume a lot of honey on their own, but Brazil is moving to extend its exports of honey in the future.

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