The 2023 cut flower export market was led by the Netherlands, Colombia, Ecuador and Kenya. In the World Bank WITS presentation of UN Comtrade annual exports for HS 060310, the Netherlands recorded $4,646,724.31 thousand in fresh cut flowers and buds, while Colombia recorded $2,061,002.14 thousand. The figures below cover exports from each reporting country to the world and keep trade value separate from reported physical quantity.
Table of contents
- Leading exporters by trade value
- How to read these statistics
- Asia-Pacific exporters
- European exporters
- African exporters
- American exporters
Leading exporters by trade value
The leading group is unusually concentrated in a small number of reporting countries. The Netherlands exported $4,646,724.31 thousand and reported 642,215,000 kg in 2023. Colombia exported $2,061,002.14 thousand and reported 306,044,000 kg. Ecuador exported $965,764.48 thousand; the WITS table shows no quantity for Ecuador, so no weight is stated here.
Kenya ranked below those three by reported value, with $660,847.75 thousand and 179,470,000 kg. Ethiopia, excluding Eritrea, exported $231,235.86 thousand and reported 50,094,100 kg. China exported $134,896.02 thousand and reported 47,774,300 kg.
The next exporters in this broad leading set were Italy, with $115,012.13 thousand and 10,583,600 kg; Canada, with $108,752.35 thousand and 13,881,200 kg; and Malaysia, with $72,483.61 thousand and 21,831,500 kg.
| Exporter | 2023 export value (US$ thousand) | Reported quantity (kg) |
|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 4,646,724.31 | 642,215,000 |
| Colombia | 2,061,002.14 | 306,044,000 |
| Ecuador | 965,764.48 | Not reported |
| Kenya | 660,847.75 | 179,470,000 |
| Ethiopia, excluding Eritrea | 231,235.86 | 50,094,100 |
| China | 134,896.02 | 47,774,300 |
| Italy | 115,012.13 | 10,583,600 |
| Canada | 108,752.35 | 13,881,200 |
| Malaysia | 72,483.61 | 21,831,500 |
Source for all figures in this section: Fresh cut flowers and buds exports by country | 2023, World Bank WITS presentation of UN Comtrade.
How to read these statistics
These are annual 2023 exports under HS 060310, described as fresh cut flowers and buds. The reporter is the exporting country, and the partner is World. Values are displayed in thousand US dollars exactly as reported by WITS; quantities are kilograms where a quantity is present.
Trade value and weight answer different questions. Value indicates the reported dollar value of the exported product, while kilograms indicate the physical quantity recorded by the reporting system. A country can therefore appear relatively high in value without having the largest reported weight. Missing quantity should remain missing: Ecuador’s blank quantity is a source limitation, not a zero shipment.
The comparison also excludes the European Union aggregate and the WITS residual group Other Asia, nes. Keeping the view at country level avoids combining an aggregate with individual country reporters. The country names below follow the source presentation, including Ethiopia, excluding Eritrea, and the Republic of Korea.
Asia-Pacific exporters
Beyond China and Malaysia, the Asia-Pacific figures show a wide range of export values and reported weights. Vietnam exported $71,690.96 thousand and reported 11,553,400 kg in 2023. Thailand exported $63,775.49 thousand and reported 21,245,800 kg. Türkiye exported $48,503.21 thousand and reported 15,571,600 kg.
India recorded $11,575.99 thousand and 4,634,740 kg. Japan recorded $10,789.78 thousand and 465,888 kg, while New Zealand recorded $8,594.96 thousand and 704,802 kg. Indonesia reported $3,512.31 thousand and 1,262,830 kg.
The lower-value reporters in this group were Kazakhstan, the Republic of Korea, Australia and Singapore. Kazakhstan exported $2,656.68 thousand and reported 633,788 kg. The Republic of Korea exported $2,241.66 thousand and reported 412,870 kg. Australia exported $2,098.60 thousand and reported 198,354 kg, and Singapore exported $1,646.17 thousand and reported 390,868 kg.
These figures show why regional comparisons should retain both measures. Thailand’s reported quantity was higher than Vietnam’s even though its reported value was lower. Japan’s reported value was close to India’s, but its recorded weight was much smaller. The figures describe reported trade in one product classification and year; they do not by themselves identify varieties, destinations within the world total, or end-market prices.
Source for all figures in this section: Fresh cut flowers and buds exports by country | 2023, World Bank WITS presentation of UN Comtrade.
European exporters
The Netherlands dominates the European country figures, but the rest of the region includes a substantial range of exporters. Germany exported $57,128.49 thousand and reported 10,743,900 kg in 2023. Spain exported $37,014.88 thousand and reported 13,046,900 kg. Latvia exported $33,188.22 thousand and reported 4,715,590 kg.
Belgium exported $26,358.52 thousand and reported 4,631,480 kg, while the United Kingdom exported $25,397.70 thousand and reported 5,434,510 kg. Lithuania recorded $23,521.07 thousand and 3,117,690 kg. France recorded $21,665.93 thousand and 1,917,220 kg.
Poland exported $19,738.98 thousand and reported 3,034,670 kg. Portugal exported $12,417.65 thousand and reported 1,772,220 kg. The Czech Republic exported $6,252.91 thousand and reported 1,509,680 kg, and Denmark exported $6,038.63 thousand and reported 400,841 kg.
At the smaller end of the supplied European country figures, Ireland exported $4,142.90 thousand and reported 606,024 kg. The Slovak Republic exported $4,109.35 thousand and reported 1,241,710 kg. Austria exported $4,032.52 thousand and reported 334,706 kg. Hungary exported $1,675.03 thousand and reported 257,934 kg.
The country-level spread is important for interpreting the Netherlands figure. A European aggregate would mix the Netherlands with these other reporters and obscure the individual values. Here, each number refers to a national reporter’s exports to World during 2023.
Source for all figures in this section: Fresh cut flowers and buds exports by country | 2023, World Bank WITS presentation of UN Comtrade.
African exporters
Kenya was the largest African exporter in the supplied 2023 figures, with $660,847.75 thousand in trade value and 179,470,000 kg. South Africa followed with $56,505.57 thousand and 7,165,400 kg. Ethiopia, excluding Eritrea, recorded $231,235.86 thousand and 50,094,100 kg, placing it above South Africa by reported value in this dataset.
Morocco exported $7,564.99 thousand and reported 1,649,960 kg. Tanzania exported $7,347.24 thousand and reported 962,756 kg. Zambia exported $6,441.76 thousand and reported 1,788,220 kg. Uganda recorded $3,818.03 thousand and 620,097 kg.
Zimbabwe exported $3,552.53 thousand and reported 2,115,130 kg. Ghana exported $1,997.00 thousand and reported 3,951,410 kg. Mauritius recorded $1,545.60 thousand and 58,547 kg, while Egypt recorded $1,435.71 thousand and 209,770 kg.
The African figures also illustrate the limits of using value alone as a proxy for volume. Ghana’s reported quantity was 3,951,410 kg against $1,997.00 thousand in value, while Mauritius reported 58,547 kg against $1,545.60 thousand. Those observations are descriptive comparisons of the source’s reported value and weight, not quality or price estimates.
Source for all figures in this section: Fresh cut flowers and buds exports by country | 2023, World Bank WITS presentation of UN Comtrade.
American exporters
The American country figures are led by Costa Rica and Guatemala in reported value and by Guatemala and Mexico in reported quantity. Costa Rica exported $29,156.29 thousand and reported 4,193,990 kg in 2023. Guatemala exported $27,611.41 thousand and reported 19,296,100 kg. Mexico exported $24,270.83 thousand and reported 13,981,800 kg.
The United States exported $19,500.02 thousand and reported 2,094,790 kg. Chile exported $11,796.26 thousand and reported 467,449 kg, while Peru exported $9,161.72 thousand and reported 1,077,730 kg.
| Exporter | 2023 export value (US$ thousand) | Reported quantity (kg) |
|---|---|---|
| Costa Rica | 29,156.29 | 4,193,990 |
| Guatemala | 27,611.41 | 19,296,100 |
| Mexico | 24,270.83 | 13,981,800 |
| United States | 19,500.02 | 2,094,790 |
| Chile | 11,796.26 | 467,449 |
| Peru | 9,161.72 | 1,077,730 |
Within this group, Guatemala’s reported weight was higher than Costa Rica’s and Mexico’s, although its reported value was below Costa Rica’s. Chile’s reported value exceeded Peru’s while its reported quantity was lower. These contrasts are why a cut flower export profile is clearer when trade value and reported kilograms are shown together.
Source for all figures in this section: Fresh cut flowers and buds exports by country | 2023, World Bank WITS presentation of UN Comtrade.