PlainTariff

FAO FAOSTAT Trade Data · Commodity · Code 236

Soya beans

Global agricultural trade data from FAO FAOSTAT. Cumulative 2018–2023 values for the top 50 trading nations.

$443.6B
exports, 2018–2023
$490.7B
imports, 2018–2023
47.5%
of trade is exports
#1 of 100
by cumulative trade value

Heavy cumulative trade book

Soya beans in the heavy-trade third

$934.3B cumulative 2018–2023 trade puts Soya beans in the heaviest third of FAO commodities here (#1 of 100).

Cumulative 2018–2023 trade in Soya beans reached $934.3B across the top 50 trading nations - a heavy-third book where duty shifts move real volume. Brazil leads exports; China; mainland leads imports. Closely related US lines usually sit in HTS Chapter 12; map each shipment to the exact 8- or 10-digit subheading before quoting landed cost on a heavy book.

Dig deeper: HTS Chapter 12 rates. Source: FAO FAOSTAT Trade: Crops and Livestock (USD converted from 1000 USD units).

Trade Trend (2019–2023)

Year Total Exports (top 50 countries) Total Imports (top 50 countries)
2019 $52.2B $59.0B
2020 $60.7B $65.3B
2021 $73.2B $90.3B
2022 $90.0B $101.3B
2023 $88.5B $97.5B

Top Exporters (2023)

# Country Export Value
1 Brazil $53.2B
2 United States of America $28.0B
3 Canada $2.6B
4 Ukraine $1.3B
5 Argentina $1.0B
6 Russian Federation $665.2M
7 Netherlands (Kingdom of the) $475.2M
8 China; mainland $83.7M
9 Türkiye $52.3M
10 Germany $22.3M

Top Importers (2023)

# Country Import Value
1 China; mainland $59.4B
2 Argentina $5.6B
3 Mexico $3.6B
4 Japan $2.2B
5 Netherlands (Kingdom of the) $2.1B
6 Thailand $2.0B
7 Germany $1.9B
8 Spain $1.9B
9 Egypt $1.7B
10 Türkiye $1.6B

Frequently Asked Questions

Which countries export the most Soya beans?
Brazil is the largest exporter of Soya beans by value on this heavy-third book. Rank order matters for duty-shock exposure because absolute volumes are large.
Which countries import the most Soya beans?
China; mainland is the largest importer of Soya beans. On an import-led book, buyer concentration in that table is the first place to pressure-test landed cost.
How has global trade in Soya beans changed over time?
The trend table shows year-over-year export and import totals for Soya beans from FAO FAOSTAT TCL (top 50 nations, 2018–2023).
What tariffs apply to importing Soya beans into the US?
US duties follow the HTS. Lines related to Soya beans usually sit in Chapter 12; the exact 8- or 10-digit subheading sets the rate. Open the chapter page on PlainTariff to read the published schedule.
Where does the trade data come from?
All figures on this Soya beans page come from FAO FAOSTAT Trade: Crops and Livestock (TCL). Values are USD converted from FAO 1000 USD units; years cover 2018–2023.
Where does Soya beans rank among agricultural commodities tracked on PlainTariff?
By cumulative 2018–2023 global trade value, Soya beans ranks #1 of 100 among FAO-tracked agricultural commodities on PlainTariff (highest total trade value = #1). That heavy-third placement is why duty and FTA shifts on this line move measurable volume.

Nationwide commodities with similar trade scale

Two FAO FAOSTAT peer sets for Soya beans, each excluding this commodity (country tables above stay the bilateral path).

Sources: U.S. International Trade Commission Harmonized Tariff Schedule (2026 Basic Edition) and FAO FAOSTAT Trade: Crops and Livestock. See our methodology for how figures are computed.

Every figure on PlainTariff is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.