12 World’s Largest Country Producers of Natural Rubber
12 World’s Largest Country Producers of Natural Rubber
12 World’s Largest Country
Producers of Natural Rubber- There are 12 World’s Largest
Country Producers of Natural Rubber in 2024 based on The Food and
Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database (FAOSTAT), Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) in the year of 2026.
So far, as we know, natural rubber is an important agricultural commodity in
the world. Its usage is remarkably diverse, especially as the main ingredient
for making tires (for vehicle transportation) and for some tools/products
(tools) that require flexibility.
Natural rubber comes from the sap of the para/rubber plant (Hevea brasiliensis) which comes from the Amazon Region, South America, and until now this plant has spread across many countries and has been cultivated massively. Rubber sap is obtained by tapping, namely by cutting the bark of the rubber tree so that the latex/sap comes out. More scientifically, rubber tapping is essentially an activity to cut/open latex vessels so that latex/sap drips out of the latex vessels.
Table Rank of 12 World’s Largest Country Producers of Natural Rubber in 2024 and 2023
|
Rank |
Country Producers |
Production of Natural Rubber in 2024 |
Production of Natural Rubber in 2023 |
|
(Tons) |
(Tons) |
||
|
1 |
Thailand |
4,789,042 |
4,810,350 |
|
2 |
Indonesia |
2,262,088 |
2,240,826 |
|
3 |
Côte
d'Ivoire |
1,686,599 |
1,624,824 |
|
4 |
Viet Nam |
1,327,473 |
1,270,299 |
|
5 |
China,
mainland |
877,600 |
897,323 |
|
6 |
India |
876,000 |
849,000 |
|
7 |
Cambodia |
527,200 |
511,800 |
|
8 |
Malaysia |
386,512 |
347,900 |
|
9 |
Philippines |
364,557 |
378,818 |
|
10 |
Lao
People's Democratic Republic |
350,300 |
317,400 |
|
11 |
Myanmar |
330,300 |
322,200 |
|
12 |
Brazil |
263,672 |
278,049 |
|
Source:
FAOSTAT, 2026 |
|||
The rubber plant (Hevea brasiliensis) is a plant originating from the Amazon forest region, South America-based countries i.e., Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, and Bolivia. Taxonomically, the rubber plant or Hevea brasiliensis belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family. These Plants that are included in this family come from several ornamental plants such as Kasturba (Euphorbia pulcherrima), Euphorbia esula, Triadica sebifera / tallow tree China / Chinese fat, cassava plants (Manihot esculenta), castor (Ricinus communis).
The Statistical Production of Natural Rubber Based on Continent in 2024
|
Continent |
Production of Natural Rubber in 2024 |
|
(Tons) |
|
|
Africa |
2,152,142 |
|
Americas |
487,735 |
|
Asia |
12,183,608 |
|
Oceania |
5,600 |
|
Source:
FAOSTAT, 2026 |
|
According to the FAOSTAT report, related to the specific continental production area, the main plantation area of rubber producer still located in Asian continent with a contribution of 88.4% of total world production and its output reaches 12.1 million tons, followed by the African continent with contribution of 6.8% of world’s natural rubber production or around 2.1 million tons, and America at 4.7% or around 487 thousand tons.
The World’s Harvested Area, World’s Production, and Yield of Natural Rubber From 1961 to 2024
|
Years |
World's Area Harvested of Rubber Plants |
World's Production of Natural Rubber |
Yield |
|
(Hectare (Ha)) |
(Tons) |
(Tons/ Hectare (T/ha) |
|
|
1961 |
3,879,860 |
2,120,070 |
0.55 |
|
1962 |
4,065,498 |
2,159,128 |
0.53 |
|
1963 |
4,175,782 |
2,223,002 |
0.53 |
|
1964 |
4,205,949 |
2,292,485 |
0.55 |
|
1965 |
4,396,958 |
2,383,817 |
0.54 |
|
1966 |
4,297,109 |
2,471,089 |
0.58 |
|
1967 |
4,280,446 |
2,473,498 |
0.58 |
|
1968 |
4,336,252 |
2,671,760 |
0.62 |
|
1969 |
4,654,764 |
2,919,332 |
0.63 |
|
1970 |
4,621,270 |
2,986,300 |
0.65 |
|
1971 |
4,921,659 |
3,036,401 |
0.62 |
|
1972 |
4,995,756 |
3,058,785 |
0.61 |
|
1973 |
5,305,485 |
3,404,407 |
0.64 |
|
1974 |
5,289,063 |
3,361,652 |
0.64 |
|
1975 |
5,187,221 |
3,269,255 |
0.63 |
|
1976 |
5,393,247 |
3,576,326 |
0.66 |
|
1977 |
5,364,701 |
3,606,015 |
0.67 |
|
1978 |
5,433,481 |
3,674,133 |
0.68 |
|
1979 |
5,623,976 |
3,800,000 |
0.68 |
|
1980 |
5,382,587 |
3,748,108 |
0.70 |
|
1981 |
5,388,271 |
3,754,740 |
0.70 |
|
1982 |
5,520,018 |
3,763,673 |
0.68 |
|
1983 |
5,536,149 |
4,035,568 |
0.73 |
|
1984 |
5,577,805 |
4,100,807 |
0.74 |
|
1985 |
5,932,797 |
4,247,001 |
0.72 |
|
1986 |
5,994,647 |
4,616,828 |
0.77 |
|
1987 |
6,202,752 |
4,824,452 |
0.78 |
|
1988 |
6,284,894 |
5,119,374 |
0.81 |
|
1989 |
6,455,238 |
5,143,902 |
0.80 |
|
1990 |
6,524,444 |
5,225,364 |
0.80 |
|
1991 |
6,505,774 |
5,181,724 |
0.80 |
|
1992 |
6,629,406 |
5,417,798 |
0.82 |
|
1993 |
6,824,095 |
5,605,260 |
0.82 |
|
1994 |
6,860,762 |
5,820,598 |
0.85 |
|
1995 |
7,068,143 |
6,077,753 |
0.86 |
|
1996 |
7,095,420 |
6,345,760 |
0.89 |
|
1997 |
7,215,984 |
6,512,854 |
0.90 |
|
1998 |
7,253,853 |
6,568,417 |
0.91 |
|
1999 |
7,296,365 |
6,732,481 |
0.92 |
|
2000 |
7,462,279 |
7,094,493 |
0.95 |
|
2001 |
7,702,246 |
7,483,208 |
0.97 |
|
2002 |
7,766,542 |
7,718,453 |
0.99 |
|
2003 |
7,899,821 |
8,410,303 |
1.06 |
|
2004 |
8,044,280 |
9,260,420 |
1.15 |
|
2005 |
8,816,352 |
9,523,352 |
1.08 |
|
2006 |
8,360,972 |
10,363,033 |
1.24 |
|
2007 |
8,567,278 |
10,590,459 |
1.24 |
|
2008 |
9,307,274 |
10,714,865 |
1.15 |
|
2009 |
9,154,077 |
10,218,468 |
1.12 |
|
2010 |
9,322,839 |
10,774,029 |
1.16 |
|
2011 |
9,481,170 |
11,548,783 |
1.22 |
|
2012 |
10,171,422 |
12,623,672 |
1.24 |
|
2013 |
10,664,597 |
13,033,300 |
1.22 |
|
2014 |
11,116,410 |
13,288,231 |
1.20 |
|
2015 |
11,304,994 |
13,265,318 |
1.17 |
|
2016 |
11,467,822 |
13,519,064 |
1.18 |
|
2017 |
11,663,369 |
13,812,910 |
1.18 |
|
2018 |
12,048,371 |
14,158,994 |
1.18 |
|
2019 |
12,430,089 |
14,448,474 |
1.16 |
|
2020 |
12,971,946 |
14,244,822 |
1.10 |
|
2021 |
13,254,339 |
14,687,912 |
1.11 |
|
2022 |
13,233,556 |
14,652,712 |
1.11 |
|
2023 |
13,229,172 |
14,631,998 |
1.11 |
|
2024 |
13,222,162 |
14,829,085 |
1.12 |
|
Source:
FAOSTAT, 2026 |
|||
Historically, the world’s statistical production
of natural rubber has increased from time to time along with the growing demand
in the rubber industry. In the year 1961, the world’s area harvested of Hevea
brasiliensis reached 3.87 million hectares (Ha) with total production
reaching 2.1 million tons. After more than 60 years, the area harvested and
world’s production of Hevea brasiliensis have increased
gradually. In 2024, the total production of natural rubber worldwide becomes
14.8 million tons with 13.2 million
hectares (ha) of the area harvested. In line with production and areas
harvested, the yield of natural rubber also increased gradually from 0.55 tons/
ha in 1961 into 1.12 tons/ ha in 2024.
Brief Description of 10 World’s Largest Country Producers of Natural Rubber in 2024
1.Thailand
Thailand still become the world’s largest rubber-producing country with natural
rubber production reaching 4.78 million tons
in 2024. Geographically, most of the rubber plantation area is in the southern
region. Surat Thani, Trang, Songkla, and Yala provinces are some of the
provinces with the largest cultivation area in Thailand. In 2019, Thai rubber
plants experienced many attacks by leaf fall disease caused by the fungal
pathogen Pestalotiopsis sp. More than 600 thousand hectares of
rubber plants have been damaged due to this disease.
In Thailand, rubber is greatly beneficial as raw
material for making tires for vehicles, gloves, and various other products. In
addition, in this country, many automotive industry companies use and need a
lot of rubber raw materials. Companies such as Bridgestone, Michelin, Yokohama,
and Durex are some of the main consumers for rubber customers in the country.
Apart from meeting domestic needs, Thai rubber is also
exported to many countries in the world such as China, Malaysia, South Korea,
and several countries in the world.
2. Indonesia
Indonesia is the 2nd world’s
largest rubber-producing country in the world. In 2024, the rubber produced
reached 2.26 million tons. Historically, in the beginning, rubber in Indonesia
was cultivated in North Sumatra in 1903 and in Java in 1906. The seeds came
from England and were sent to Bogor in 1876 which was collected by an explorer
from England, namely Henry Alexander Wickman from the area between the Tapajoz
and Madeira River in the middle of the Amazon Valley.
Until now, the area of rubber cultivation has spread to various provinces
in Indonesia. Data from the Director-General of Plantation, Ministry of
Agriculture noted that the total area of rubber plantations reached 3.7 million hectares, including state, farmers, and private companies. In Indonesia, rubber plantation
areas are still dominated by smallholder farmer plantations. Data records that
the area of smallholder
plantations reaches 3 million hectares, so that almost half of the total area
of Indonesian
rubber plantations is smallholder plantations.
Statistically, according to the Directorate of
Estate, Ministry of Agriculture, in 2024, geographically, there are some
provinces in Indonesia that has become the main rubber plantation. These provinces include Sumatera Selatan, Sumatera Utara, Riau, Jambi,
Kalimantan Barat, Kalimantan Tengah, Kalimantan Selatan, Bengkulu, and Lampung.
3. Côte d’Ivoire
Côte d’Ivoire is the 3rd world’s
biggest country producer of Natural Rubber in 2024. According to the FAO Statistical Corporate Database, the production of natural
rubber from Côte d’Ivoire reached 1.68 million tons. Statistically, Côte
d’Ivoire is Africa’s biggest rubber producer. Beside fulfilling the domestic
needs, Côte d’Ivoire also exported its rubber to foreign countries about 1
million tons in 2020. Genetically, some of the rubber clones developed in Ivory Coast are IRCA 111, IRCA 109, IRCA 130, IRCA 18, GT 1, PR 107.
Geographically, the concentration of rubber plantations in Côte d’Ivoire is
mainly located in the southern and southwestern regions of the country, where
climatic conditions are favorable for cultivation. Until 2023, With the support
of The Ivorian government, Rubber-growing areas in Côte d’Ivoire increased by
3%, from 701,481 hectares in 2019 to 722,502 hectares in 2023.
4. Vietnam
Vietnam is the 4th world’s largest
country producer of natural rubber. In 2024, Vietnam’s natural rubber
production reached 1.3 million tons. In this country, rubber was first planted
and cultivated in the 1900s during the French occupation of this country. Over
time, plants began to spread to various regions in the country of Vietnam and
became one of the main contributors in generating foreign exchange for this
country. In 2017, total foreign exchange from rubber plant products reached the
US $ 6 billion or around 3% of Vietnam’s total exports.
Until now, geographically, the southern part of
Vietnam is still the largest area for rubber cultivation. The total planted
area in this region reaches more than 500 thousand hectares. The provinces of
Giai Lai, Kon Tum, Dak Lak, Dak Nom, and Lam Dong are the centers of rubber
cultivation areas in the country. Giai Lai Province has an area of around 120 thousand hectares, Kon Tum around 80
thousand hectares, Dak Lak about 40 thousand hectares, Dak Nong about 30
thousand hectares, and Lam Dong about 25 thousand hectares. In this country,
control of rubber land is still managed by state-owned rubber companies that
control more than 80% of the entire rubber plantation area in the country. Most
of the rubber from Vietnam is for export. The export destination for Vietnamese
rubber is mainly China.
5.China
China was the world’s 5th largest
country producer of natural rubber in 2024. In that year, its total rubber
production reached 877 thousand tons. Most of which came from Yunnan Province.
In this country, many rubber plantations are cultivated by large plantations
such as Sinochem International Corporation, China Hainan Rubber Industry Group
Co., Ltd., Guangdong Guangken Rubber Group Co., Ltd., and Yunnan State Farms
Group Co., Ltd. Despite being the 5th largest rubber-producing country in the
world, China still imported natural rubber from other countries. Approximately
41% of the world’s total rubber needs are imported to this panda country.
6. India
India is the 6th world’s largest
country producer of natural rubber in 2024. In that year, its total rubber
production reached 876 thousand tons. In this country, the introduction of
rubber began in the late 1800s and was cultivated commercially in 1902. Until
now, rubber plants have developed and are widespread in several states.
Geographically, the Kerala, Tripura, Assam, and Tamil Nadu regions are the main centers of rubber cultivation in
India. Although domestic demand is increasing, India also exported its rubber
to several countries in the world.
In this country, many rubber plants are cultivated
by small-scale farmers with a planted area of under 10 hectares (ha). Total Small farmers Who
cultivated this commodity around 1.3 million. In India, the usage of rubber is
to meet industrial needs, especially in the transportation sector.
7. Cambodia
Cambodia is the 8th biggest
country producer of natural rubber in 2024. Statistically, the production of
rubber from Cambodia reached 527,200 tons. Geographically, in Cambodia, there
are some provinces of rubber plantations. These provinces include Kampong Cham,
Kratie, Kampong Thom, Ratanakiri, Mondulkiri, Battambang.
8. Malaysia
Malaysia is the 8th biggest
country producer of natural rubber in 2024. According to FAO Statistical
Corporate Database (FAOSTAT), the production of Natural Rubber from Malaysia
reached 386,512 tons. Historically, the rubber plantation was started in
Malaysia in 1877 and still developed until now. Geographically, Johor still of
Southern Malaysia still becomes the greatest contributor to Malaysia’s rubber
output.
9. Philippines
Philippines is the 9th biggest
country producer of natural rubber in 2024. According to FAO Statistical
Corporate Database (FAOSTAT), the production of Natural Rubber from the Philippines reached 364,557 tons. Geographically, there are some areas
of natural rubber production areas in the Philippines. As of 2021, the top rubber-producing province in the
country is Cotabato, Zamboanga Sibugay and Basilan.
10. Lao People's Democratic Republic
The
production of Natural Rubber in Lao People's Democratic Republic reached 350
thousand tons in 2024. Agronomically, Rubber plantations are one of the largest
plantation types, by area, in Laos, covering approximately 275,000 ha, or 58%
of the total area of planted forest. Geographically, in Laos, some natural
rubber plantations can be found in Luang Prabang Province, Luang Namtha
Province, Champasack Province, Savannakhet Province and Salavan Province (Smith
et al., 2020).
11.Myanmar
Myanmar is the 11th biggest
country producer of Natural rubber in 2024. Commonly, the production of
Myanmar’s rubber reached 330,300 tons. In Myanmar, geographically, there are
some states that have huge production of natural rubber. Mon State, Tanintharyi,
Kayin are some of the regions in Myanmar that have a huge population of rubber trees. This region still becomes
the center of Rubber in Myanmar.
12. Brazil
Historically, Brazil is the center of origin for the Hevea
genus with almost all species distributed in its vivid agro-climatic regions.
To date, Brazil also becomes one of the world’s
largest country producers of natural rubber in
2024. Statistically, the natural rubber production in Brazil reached 263
thousand tons in 2024. Geographically, in Brazil, the natural rubber plantation
in Brazil can be found in several states including São Paulo, Bahia, Mato
Grosso, Espírito Santo, and Acre. Of all states in Brazil, São Paulo still became the main natural rubber plantation area with an estimated
production of 53,000 tons, contributing approximately 50% of the rubber's
Brazilian production.
The Table Summary of 12 World’s Largest Country Producers of Natural Rubber in 2024
The Histogram Summary of 12 World’s Largest Country Producers of Natural Rubber in 2024
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