Markets

Mānuka Honey: New Zealand’s Sweet Success in the Global Honey Trade

Published

1 year ago

March 9, 2024

Edit Gyenge

Featured Creator

Article/Editing:

Freny Fernandes

This infographic highlights Mānuka honey and global honey exports

Mānuka Honey and the Global Honey Trade

Did you know that the honey export industry today is worth billions?

Over the past two decades, the demand for this sought-after pantry staple has grown across industries ranging from skincare to medicine.

In this vibrant infographic, Edit Gyenge uses data from resourcetrade.earth to track the exponential growth in the global honey export industry from 2000 to 2020.

The Surge of Honey Money

Despite honey being harvested from beehives since antiquity, honey exports globally were only valued at $442 million in 2000. This number shot up to $2.3 billion in 2020.

Rank	Honey Exporting Country	Value (2020 USD)	Weight (2020 Tonnes)
1	🇳🇿 New Zealand	$333.34M	16,547.36
2	🇨🇳 China	$229.62M	127,132.51
3	🇦🇷 Argentina	$179.58M	72,920.54
4	🇩🇪 Germany	$155.26M	31,287.53
5	🇺🇦 Ukraine	$137.99M	78,983.95
6	🇪🇸 Spain	$109.19M	27,187.59
7	🇧🇷 Brazil	$100.27M	45,733.41
8	🇭🇺 Hungary	$94.85M	21,437.72
9	🇮🇳 India	$87.56M	53,288.02
10	🇻🇳 Vietnam	$71.13M	15,597.46
11	🇲🇽 Mexico	$68.72M	21,101.57
12	🇵🇱 Poland	$58.07M	23,472.43
13	🇷🇴 Romania	$49.99M	13,925.81
14	🇦🇺 Australia	$44.62M	6,287.35
15	🇧🇪 Belgium	$40.48M	10,709.40
16	🇧🇬 Bulgaria	$39.28M	13,373.22
17	🇨🇦 Canada	$35.09M	9,112.48
18	🇺🇾 Uruguay	$31.71M	15,842.94
19	🇫🇷 France	$29.83M	4,342.84
20	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	$27.24M	5,651.56
21	🇹🇷 Turkey	$25.53M	5,695.40
22	🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia	$25.24M	3,073.50
23	🇮🇹 Italy	$23.67M	3,743.44
24	🇺🇸 United States	$20.77M	6,002.50
25	🇬🇷 Greece	$20.09M	4,256.29
26	🇹🇭 Thailand	$18.38M	7,773.81
27	🇾🇪 Yemen	$17.11M	1,167.04
28	🇳🇱 Netherlands	$15.73M	3,057.09
29	🇨🇺 Cuba	$15.67M	7,452.37
30	🇩🇰 Denmark	$15.11M	3,158.17
31	🇷🇸 Serbia	$15.10M	2,693.89
32	🇵🇹 Portugal	$13.47M	7,293.22
33	🇵🇰 Pakistan	$12.44M	4,975.70
34	🇦🇹 Austria	$11.38M	1,890.84
35	🇲🇩 Moldova	$8.99M	3,416.76
36	🇱🇹 Lithuania	$8.49M	3,126.86
37	🇪🇬 Egypt	$7.78M	1,675.96
38	🇨🇱 Chile	$6.53M	2,075.44
39	🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates	$5.76M	2,371.64
40	🇷🇺 Russian Federation	$4.74M	2,255.93
41	🇮🇪 Ireland	$4.62M	758.02
42	🇨🇭 Switzerland	$4.07M	406.04
43	🇲🇲 Myanmar	$3.98M	3,160.46
44	🇬🇹 Guatemala	$3.87M	1,414.63
45	🇸🇰 Slovakia	$3.58M	921.78
46	🇨🇿 Czech Republic	$2.99M	715.84
47	🇿🇦 South Africa	$2.87M	753.00
48	🇸🇬 Singapore	$2.85M	542.15
49	🇿🇲 Zambia	$2.79M	951.16
50	🇸🇻 El Salvador	$2.10M	841.85
51	🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan	$1.95M	451.50
52	🇳🇮 Nicaragua	$1.95M	656.62
53	🇭🇰 China, Hong Kong SAR	$1.93M	484.14
54	🇭🇷 Croatia	$1.91M	401.69
55	🇸🇮 Slovenia	$1.77M	293.55
56	🇴🇲 Oman	$1.75M	454.27
57	🇸🇪 Sweden	$1.44M	227.90
58	🇲🇾 Malaysia	$1.37M	261.76
59	🇯🇵 Japan	$1.16M	118.28
60	🇩🇴 Dominican Republic	$1.16M	428.97
61	🇧🇦 Bosnia Herzegovina	$1.08M	87.38
62	🇹🇿 Tanzania	$0.98M	465.90
63	🇱🇻 Latvia	$0.97M	256.66
64	🇰🇼 Kuwait	$0.86M	93.03
65	🇳🇴 Norway	$0.86M	175.08
66	🇮🇷 Iran	$0.86M	357.86
67	🇱🇧 Lebanon	$0.85M	111.91
68	🇮🇩 Indonesia	$0.77M	238.68
69	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	$0.73M	178.98
70	🇪🇪 Estonia	$0.73M	292.60
71	🇲🇰 North Macedonia	$0.64M	132.12
72	🇮🇱 Israel	$0.61M	170.94
73	🇰🇿 Kazakhstan	$0.52M	195.46
74	🇰🇪 Kenya	$0.50M	97.58
75	🇧🇾 Belarus	$0.46M	104.69
76	🇧🇩 Bangladesh	$0.38M	178.15
77	🇲🇬 Madagascar	$0.35M	80.65
78	🇱🇰 Sri Lanka	$0.31M	28.10
79	🇸🇱 Sierra Leone	$0.29M	96.19
80	🇵🇸 State of Palestine	$0.28M	69.73
81	🇯🇴 Jordan	$0.27M	44.21
82	🇸🇩 Sudan	$0.25M	56.45
83	🇬🇪 Georgia	$0.25M	65.61
84	🇲🇦 Morocco	$0.21M	32.90
85	🇱🇺 Luxembourg	$0.19M	26.71
86	🇱🇾 Libya	$0.18M	25.45
87	🇦🇲 Armenia	$0.14M	20.79
88	🇰🇷 Korea, Republic	$0.13M	21.99
89	🇫🇮 Finland	$0.12M	13.29
90	🇸🇾 Syria	$0.11M	38.27
91	🇸🇷 Suriname	$0.10M	37.96
92	🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	$0.08M	37.11
93	🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda	$0.07M	27.77
94	🇨🇾 Cyprus	$0.06M	12.99
95	🇧🇯 Benin	$0.06M	49.29
96	🇦🇱 Albania	$0.05M	7.10
97	🇧🇳 Brunei Darussalam	$0.05M	19.22
98	🇨🇴 Colombia	$0.05M	13.97
99	🇶🇦 Qatar	$0.05M	7.62
100	🇺🇬 Uganda	$0.04M	10.70
101	🇼🇸 Samoa	$0.03M	19.46
102	🇧🇫 Burkina Faso	$0.03M	4.24
103	🇯🇲 Jamaica	$0.03M	3.91
104	🇳🇵 Nepal	$0.03M	7.50
105	🇲🇱 Mali	$0.03M	75.58
106	🇹🇯 Tajikistan	$0.03M	7.33
107	🇵🇭 Philippines	$0.03M	4.27
108	🇲🇺 Mauritius	$0.03M	1.99
109	🇧🇼 Botswana	$0.02M	3.86
110	🇲🇿 Mozambique	$0.02M	12.26
111	🇸🇿 Eswatini	$0.02M	2.29
112	🇸🇳 Senegal	$0.02M	22.56
113	🇵🇪 Peru	$0.02M	2.80
114	🇮🇸 Iceland	$0.01M	13.57
115	🇪🇨 Ecuador	$0.01M	1.22
116	🇨🇲 Cameroon	$0.01M	7.01
117	🇧🇭 Bahrain	$0.01M	0.34
118	🇦🇿 Azerbaijan	$0.01M	0.30
119	🇲🇴 China, Macao SAR	$0.01M	0.81
120	🇭🇳 Honduras	$0.01M	4.15
121	🇳🇨 New Caledonia	<$0.01M	0.70
122	🇬🇭 Ghana	<$0.01M	0.55
123	🇦🇫 Afghanistan	<$0.01M	1.45
124	🇳🇬 Nigeria	<$0.01M	1.77
125	🇬🇾 Guyana	<$0.01M	1.66
126	🇲🇹 Malta	<$0.01M	0.59
127	🇬🇳 Guinea	<$0.01M	0.29
128	🇵🇳 Pitcairn	<$0.01M	0.09
129	🇨🇮 Cote d'Ivoire	<$0.01M	3.78
130	🇰🇭 Cambodia	<$0.01M	0.58
131	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	<$0.01M	0.07
132	🇨🇨 Cocos Islands	<$0.01M	0.10
133	🇱🇨 Saint Lucia	<$0.01M	0.17
134	🇷🇼 Rwanda	<$0.01M	0.28
135	🇬🇩 Grenada	<$0.01M	0.15
136	🇧🇮 Burundi	<$0.01M	0.13
137	🇲🇳 Mongolia	<$0.01M	0.11
138	🇦🇩 Andorra	<$0.01M	0.06
139	🇧🇹 Bhutan	<$0.01M	0.44
140	🇦🇼 Aruba	<$0.01M	0.05
141	🇹🇳 Tunisia	<$0.01M	0.20
142	🇵🇫 French Polynesia	<$0.01M	0.04
143	🇲🇪 Montenegro	<$0.01M	0.07
144	🇱🇸 Lesotho	<$0.01M	0.02
145	🇩🇿 Algeria	<$0.01M	0.01
146	🇧🇲 Bermuda	<$0.01M	0.04
147	🇩🇯 Djibouti	<$0.01M	0.07
148	🇸🇸 South Sudan	<$0.01M	0.44
149	🇵🇦 Panama	<$0.01M	0.01
150	🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea	<$0.01M	0.05
151	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<$0.01M	0.01
152	🇫🇯 Fiji	<$0.01M	0.01
153	🇹🇩 Chad	<$0.01M	0.04
154	🇹🇱 Timor-Leste	<$0.01M	0.05
155	🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea	<$0.01M	0.01
156	🇸🇴 Somalia	<$0.01M	0.02
157	🇱🇦 Lao PDR	<$0.01M	0.01
158	🇨🇬 Congo, Republic	<$0.01M	0.01
159	🇲🇼 Malawi	<$0.01M	0.03
160	🇨🇩 Congo, Democratic Republic	<$0.01M	0.00
161	🇮🇶 Iraq	<$0.01M	0.00
162	🇵🇾 Paraguay	<$0.01M	0.01
163	🇨🇫 Central African Republic	<$0.01M	0.08
164	🇬🇲 Gambia	<$0.01M	0.00
165	🇳🇦 Namibia	<$0.01M	0.00
166	🇹🇬 Togo	<$0.01M	0.00
167	🇲🇻 Maldives	<$0.01M	0.00

In the span between 2000 and 2020, agricultural powerhouses such as China, Argentina, and Ukraine consistently maintained their position as the top honey producers in the world. These nations exported thousands of tonnes of honey globally.

In fact, China continued to hold the position of the number one honey producer in pure volume terms in 2020.

However, New Zealand’s sought-after and expensive Mānuka honey put it far ahead of China and other countries in export value, despite not being anywhere near the largest exporter by volume.

What is Mānuka Honey?

Mānuka honey is produced by bees that collect nectar from Mānuka trees found only in New Zealand and some parts of Australia.

Known for its unique antibacterial and tissue regeneration properties, Mānuka honey has become highly coveted. In some countries it can sell for up to $400 per kilogram.

In 2020, New Zealand earned over $333 million through its honey exports. Most of this honey was imported by Asian nations including Singapore, China, Japan, Indonesia, and Hong Kong.

A Sticky Future for Honey Trade

The production of honey worldwide relies on the bees and the trees, both of which are under threat as the climate changes.

While floods devastated bee colonies in some parts of the world, bushfires and disease are affecting honeybee habitats in others, posing a major threat to the future of honey production.

This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.

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Markets

Ranked: Top Countries by Stock Market Ownership

Where will people feel the most effects of financial markets turmoil? We rank countries by their stock market ownership rate.

Published

1 day ago

April 28, 2025

Pallavi Rao

This cropped graphic tracks the stock market ownership rate for 33 select countries, as well as the number of shareholders in each country.

Ranked: Top Countries by Stock Market Ownership

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Key Takeaways

55% of the American population is invested in the financial markets.
They are the top country by stock market ownership, followed by Canada (49%).

The rise of no-fee investment platforms have pushed people into the stock market, particularly those under the age of 35.

But some countries have a mature investment landscape, with a higher share of the population already holding invested assets.

We rank the stock ownership rate for 32 countries using data from HelloSafe, a financial services comparison website. They used the latest available figures available at the World Bank from 2023–2024.

This data includes direct shareholding as well as exposure via life insurance and pension funds.

Which Countries Are Most Invested in the Stock Market?

More than half of the American population (55%) is invested in the stock market, the highest for any country in this dataset.

Rank	Country	Region	% of shareholding population	# of shareholders
1	🇺🇸 U.S.	Americas	55%	185.4M
2	🇨🇦 Canada	Americas	49%	19.1M
3	🇦🇺 Australia	Oceania	37%	9.6M
4	🇬🇧 UK	Europe	33%	22.1M
5	🇳🇿 New Zealand	Oceania	31%	1.6M
6	🇸🇪 Sweden	Europe	22%	2.3M
7	🇷🇺 Russia	Europe	21%	30.5M
8	🇫🇮 Finland	Europe	19%	1.0M
9	🇨🇭 Switzerland	Europe	18%	1.5M
10	🇮🇪 Ireland	Europe	17%	901K
11	🇻🇳 Vietnam	Asia	16%	16.2M
12	🇯🇵 Japan	Asia	15%	18.7M
13	🇫🇷 France	Europe	15%	10.3M
14	🇵🇹 Portugal	Europe	15%	1.5M
15	🇩🇪 Germany	Europe	14%	11.8M
16	🇳🇱 Netherlands	Europe	14%	2.5M
17	🇿🇦 South Africa	Africa	14%	8.5M
18	🇭🇰 Hong Kong	Asia	14%	1.0M
19	🇹🇼 Taiwan	Asia	13%	2.9M
20	🇪🇸 Spain	Europe	13%	5.9M
21	🇸🇬 Singapore	Asia	8%	473K
22	🇧🇷 Brazil	Americas	8%	17.1M
23	🇮🇹 Italy	Europe	7%	4.1M
24	🇨🇳 China	Asia	7%	98.7M
25	🇮🇳 India	Asia	6%	85.8M
26	🇦🇹 Austria	Europe	6%	510K
27	🇧🇪 Belgium	Europe	5%	590K
28	🇵🇱 Poland	Europe	5%	1.8M
29	🇦🇷 Argentina	Americas	5%	2.3M
30	🇵🇭 Philippines	Asia	2%	1.8M
31	🇲🇽 Mexico	Americas	1%	1.5M
32	🇲🇦 Morocco	Africa	1%	190K

Ranked second, 49% of all Canadians are invested, and the two North American countries are far ahead of the rest of the world.

Many of the top 10 countries have public pension funds linked to markets, which may help increase their ownership rates.

Interestingly, the two most populous countries in the world, India and China both have single-digit stock market ownership rates at 6% and 7% respectively.

However even these small shares are large shareholding communities, numbering nearly 100 million each.

Ticket to Turbulence

The first four months of the new Trump presidency has been the single-worst start to a term for financial markets.

Before the newest pause on tariffs, the S&P 500 had lost 15% of its value since January, the most for a new term since the index started in 1957.

However, as the White House reinstated yet another pause on its earlier announced tariffs, markets regained some of its lost ground. (It’s still down 7% YTD as of writing this post).

With more than half of the American population invested, this turbulent ride is being widely felt.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

The S&P 500 has outperformed every other stock exchange in the world since 2015. Check out: Top Countries by Stock Market Returns Since 2015 to see where other top exchanges like the DAX and FTSE rank.