The world's biggest banana exporting countries

Over 81 percent of the total bananas exported globally come from 10 countries. The banana export trade is a huge industry, with exports totaling over $14 billion in the year 2014 alone, which saw an increase of 8.1% from the previous year.

 

Bananas are one of the most popular fruits in the world, and due to the fact that they do not require very specific conditions to be grown in, are grown all over the world, with plantations being present in at least 107 countries.

 

The primary use of bananas is, of course, consumption by people, as it is famous for its sweetness, while to a lesser extent, it is also used to make banana wine, banana beer, fiber and ornamental plants as well. In fact, bananas are mostly grown in tropical countries where they are considered to be an integral source of starch for the population living there. Not only is the inner part of the banana eatable, its skin can be consumed too.

 

Bananas are used in a variety of dishes worldwide, from being fried to being made into jams and also baked into pancakes. India, unsurprisingly, is the largest producer of bananas in the world, producing nearly a fifth of all the bananas produced in the world. However, it does not feature on this list as nearly all of the bananas produced are consumed locally. The second biggest produced or bananas is the Philippines which produces 7% of the global banana production. Some of the largest producers of bananas are also some of the largest exporters of bananas and are included in both lists, such as Colombia, Ecuador, and the Philippines.

 

Exports of bananas have dominated Central American history, along with the export of coffee as well. Some countries, such as Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama have been called banana republics due to the fact that their economies were significantly dependent on the export of bananas.

 

Most of the countries from South America tend to export their bananas to Europe. Since the European climate is not receptive to the growth of bananas, they have to import the fruit which is why you will only find 2 countries from Europe on this list.

 

In order to compile the list of 10 countries that export the most bananas in the world, insidermonkey.com consulted the WTEx which has the list of countries with the highest export of bananas in US dollars. 

 

Here is their ranking, starting from number 10: