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12 Largest Honey-Producing Countries in the World

by Yohanes Tri Santosa

 

12 Largest Honey-Producing Countries in the World

 

12 Largest Honey-Producing Countries in the World– Honey is a nutritious and indispensable substance for humans. Maybe, it is a miraculous gift from honeybees to humans. By the way, based on data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2026, the United Nations (UN), there are 12 Largest Honey-Producing Countries in the World. They are the main producers of natural honey in the world.

Honey has a substantial source of nutrients for the human body and has been used in various parts of the earth as a healthy food/drink. Basically, its content can support our body to prevent disease and strengthen our antibodies. Moreover, various food and beverage products use honey as an additive to create a variety of products that are healthy for humans. Therefore, along with the importance of bees, many countries try to produce them.


12 Largest Honey-Producing Countries in the World



Biologically, in terms of natural honey production in the world, many honey farmers used some specific species of bee to produce better quality and quantity of honey. Some of the popular honeybee used by some farmers in the world are Apis mellifera (Western Honeybee), Apis cerana (Asian Honeybee), Apis dorsata (Giant Honeybee), Apis florea (Dwarf Honeybee), Meliponini (Stingless Bees).


Some Popular Honeybee Species for Honey Production in the world


In the year 2024, the World’s honey production reached 1.98 million tons. Basically, it has increased to around 1.3 million tons since 1961. The higher demand for human health needs may affect natural honey production from time to time.

 

World’s Production of Natural Honey From 19610 to 2024

Year

World's Production of Natural Honey

(Tons)

1961

678,751

1962

683,888

1963

744,238

1964

751,444

1965

710,715

1966

759,580

1967

753,386

1968

738,084

1969

754,679

1970

801,719

1971

771,144

1972

778,135

1973

838,263

1974

792,903

1975

772,279

1976

852,217

1977

810,406

1978

842,021

1979

905,761

1980

904,113

1981

934,505

1982

990,971

1983

1,054,418

1984

994,769

1985

1,001,997

1986

1,107,665

1987

1,150,411

1988

1,176,421

1989

1,146,014

1990

1,176,267

1991

1,241,151

1992

1,137,740

1993

1,155,297

1994

1,134,022

1995

1,164,984

1996

1,107,731

1997

1,161,080

1998

1,193,900

1999

1,244,898

2000

1,260,052

2001

1,241,501

2002

1,288,230

2003

1,336,934

2004

1,364,358

2005

1,416,551

2006

1,506,417

2007

1,453,528

2008

1,517,810

2009

1,505,357

2010

1,537,647

2011

1,610,687

2012

1,640,272

2013

1,688,386

2014

1,759,630

2015

1,821,380

2016

1,863,085

2017

1,878,689

2018

1,855,604

2019

1,903,048

2020

1,924,529

2021

1,890,700

2022

1,943,136

2023

1,959,431

2024

1,987,520

Source: FAOSTAT, 2026



Based on the Continent Regions, on FAOSTAT Database in 2024, Asia region still becomes the biggest producer with output of natural honey reached 925 thousand tons, followed by Americas with production around 343 thousand tons, Europe with production around 438 thousand tons, Africa with 155 thousand tons, and Oceania with 33 thousand tons.

 

The World’s Production of Natural Honey Based on Continental Region in 2024

Continental/ Region

Production of Natural Honey in 2024

(Tons)

Africa

251,112

Americas

343,233

Asia

925,174

Europe

438,433

Oceania

29,568

Source: FAOSTAT, 2026

 

 

By the way, here are some countries with the largest honey production in the world. Honey production data comes from the Food and Agriculture Organization Statistical Database (FAOSTAT) Data in 2026.

 

Table Ranking of the 12 Largest Honey-Producing Countries in the World in 2024 Based on Data from the FAO Statistical Database (FAOSTAT)

 

Rank

Countries

Total Production of Natural Honey in 2024

(Tons)

1

China, mainland

444,800

2

India

146,000

3

Türkiye

95,492

4

Ethiopia

85,960

5

Iran (Islamic Republic of)

80,249

6

Argentina

69,298

7

Brazil

67,314

8

Russian Federation

65,455

9

United States of America

60,960

10

Mexico

57,430

11

Ukraine

53,490

12

Canada

35,460

Source: FAOSTAT, 2026

 

 

 

Brief Description of The Largest Honey-Producing Countries in Honey Production


12 Biggest Honey-Producing Countries in the World


 

1.China     

China is the world’s largest honey producer. According to the type of bee, the honeybee species that are widely cultivated as honey producers are Apis mellifera and Apis cerana. Moreover, there are important provinces in China as centers of honey production. One of them is in Zhejiang Province. In this province, there are more than 1 million beehives spread over 15,000 beekeeper households. From the abundant honey production in China, honey production is for the world export market. According to data from Statista, China’s total honey exports in 2019 reached 120 thousand tons.

Collectively, this province, Zhejiang, accounts for one-seventh of the national honey production in Panda Country. Furthermore, statistically, based on data from FAO, the United Nations in 2026, China’s honey production reached 441,800 tons in 2024. Honey production in China is the largest one.

 

2. India      

In 2024, honey production from India reached 146,000 tons. In Mahatma Gandhi’s home country, honey production grew rapidly in the 1990s. Therefore, India started exporting its honey to several countries in Asia and Europe. In terms of bee species, there are several types of bees used for honey production, namely Apis dorsata, Apis cerana indica, Apis florea, Apis mellifera, and Tetragonula iridipennis. Furthermore, geographically, there are some main primary regions of honey production in India located in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh.

 

 

3.Turkiye

Turkiye is one of the countries in the European Union region that has the highest bee production in the world. In this country, bees are widely cultivated by farmers scattered in several provinces in Türkiye. Furthermore, some of the provinces in Türkiye that have the highest honey production are Mugla, Ordu, Adana, Aydin, Sivas, and Mersin. Nationally, beekeeping is one of the mainstay commodities of livestock products from Türkiye. In accumulation, there are 104,709 beekeepers with a total of 6 million beehives spread across Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s country.

In 2024, based on data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Türkiye’s honey production reached 95,492 tons. Some of the national bee production is for domestic consumption. In addition, Türkiye also exports its honey to several countries in the world, namely Germany, the United States, Jordan, Hungary, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Austria.


4. Ethiopia

Statistically, according to the FAO Statistical Corporate Database (FAOSTAT) in 2026, the production of natural honey from Ethiopia reached 85.6 thousand tons in 2024. Geographically, in terms of production areas, Oromia, Amhara, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples (SNNP), Tigray, Benishangul Gumuz, Gambella Region are some of the main region productions of natural Honey in Ethiopia. The Tigray regional state is one of the regions in Ethiopia that could be suitable for beekeeping. This region is endowed with diversified and favorable agro climatic conditions to sustain more than 300,000 honeybee colonies (Atsbha et al., 2025). Commonly, some honey produced in Ethiopia are Tigray white Honey (Wukro area), Lalibela honey, Masha Bonga honey, Yayu Forest honey, and Wonchi Volcanic honey.

 

5. Iran

Iran is the next honey producer from the Asian region. Furthermore, in 2024, Iran’s honey production reached 80,249 tons according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Statistically, there are several major honey production areas in Iran. The main regions of honey production in Iran are located in West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan and Ardabil (Khansaritoreh et al., 2021). Overall, in this country, there are about 6 million beehives spread across various provinces in the country.

 

6. Argentina

Based on data from the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations, Argentina is the country with the 6th largest honey production in the world. In 2024, Argentina’s honey production reached 69,298 tons. Statistically, as of July 2020, there are more than 13.7 thousand honey producers in Argentina, of which nearly 4.3 thousand are in the province of Buenos Aires. Entre Ríos ranks second, with a population of about 2.5 thousand honey producers.

 

7. Brazil

Brazil is the 7th biggest producer of Honey in 2024 with the production around 67,314. Geographically, in Brazil, natural honey usually comes from the Northeast region of the Atlantic rainforest in Brazil. Specifically, there are some primary regions of honey production in Brazil. Some of the main regions of honey included Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Parana, Sao Paulo, Mina Gerais, Piaui.

 

8.Russia

In 2024, Russia’s honey production reached 65,455 tons. With this production, this country is also able to export its honey to several countries in the world such as China, Belarus, and the United States. Geographically, there are some regions of honey production. The locations are located in the regions of Far East, Siberian, Ural, North Western, and Volga (Frunze et al., 2021).   

 

9. United States of America  

The United States is the next country with the largest honey production in the world. In 2024, honey production reached 60,960 tons. Moreover, regarding the area of honey production, there are several states in the United States which are the largest areas of honey production. These states include North Dakota, Montana, California, South Dakota, and Florida.

 

10. Mexico 

In 2024, Mexico’s natural honey production reached 57,430 tons. Geographically, the main regions in terms of honey production are located in the Yucatán Peninsula (Campeche, Yucatán, and Quintana Roo), Jalisco and Veracruz (Baena-Diaz et al., 2022).

 

11. Ukraine  

Ukraine is a country in the European region that has the largest honey production in the world. In 2024, Ukraine’s honey production reached 53,490 tons. In addition to meeting domestic needs, honey from Ukraine is also intended for the export market. As one of the mainstay sectors of Ukraine, the bee industry in this country has grown by involving 70 thousand Ukrainians or about 1% of the Ukrainian population involved in this sector.

 

12. Canada

Canada is a country in the Americas that has an abundance of honey. Furthermore, in 2024, Canada’s honey production reached 35.4 thousand tons, based on data from the United Nations FAO. The provinces of Ontario and British Columbia are the 2 main provinces that have the largest honey growers in the Canadian Territory. In the province of Ontario, it is estimated that there are about 3 thousand beekeepers. While in the province of British Columbia, the population of farmers is around 2 thousand people.

However, in terms of Canada’s national honey production, the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba are the main contributors to honey in Canada. In this country, honey production in Alberta Province reaches 34 thousand tons, Saskatchewan 16 thousand tons, and Manitoba at 14 thousand tons. In addition to meeting domestic needs, honey from Canada is also exported to various countries such as the United States, Japan, and China.

Table Rank of 10 World’s Largest Country Producer of Honey in 2024

 

 

Table Rank of 10 World’s Largest Country Producer of Honey in 2024

 

Histogram Rank of 10 World’s Largest Country Producer of Honey in 2024


Histogram Rank of 10 World’s Largest Country Producer of Honey in 2024

 

Reference Source 12 Largest Honey-Producing Countries in the World


Zheng, Huo-Qing & Wei, Wen-Ting & Hu, Fu-Liang. 2015. Beekeeping Industry in China. Bee World. 88: 41-44

Statista. 2021. Export volume of honey from China from 2009 to 2019. Accessed via https://www.statista.com/statistics/225197/export-volume-of-honey-from-china/ on 27 July 27th, 2021.

Duyum, S and S. Friedman. 2015.The Turkish Beekeeping and Honey Sector. Accessed via https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/report/downloadreportbyfilename?filename=The%20Turkish%20Beekeeping%20and%20Honey%20Sector_Ankara_Turkey_5-27-2015.pdf on July 20th, 2021.

Dehqan, S dan Farzam. 2018. Iran Honey Production up 10%. Accessed via https://www.pressreader.com/iran/iran-daily/20180719/281655370854573 on July 20th, 2021

WorldAtalas. 2020. Leading Honey-Producing States in the US Accessed via https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/leading-honey-producing-states-in-the-us.html on 21st July 2021.

Wikipedia. 2021. Beekeeping in Ukraine. Accessed via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beekeeping_in_Ukraine on July 26th, 2021.

Wikipedia. 2021. Beekeeping in India. Accessed via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beekeeping_in_India on July 21st, 2021.

Geo-Mexico. 2016. The geography of honey production in Mexico. Accessed via https://geo-mexico.com/?p=4672  on  July 26th, 2020.

Khansaritoreh, E., Salmaki, Y., Azirani, T. A., Henareh, F., Alizadeh, K., Ramezani, E., … & Behling, H. (2021). The sources and quality of Iranian honey. Heliyon, 7(4).

Baena-Díaz, F., Chévez, E., Ruiz de la Merced, F., & Porter-Bolland, L. (2022). Apis mellifera in Mexico: honey production, melliferous flora and pollination aspects. Review. Revista mexicana de ciencias pecuarias, 13(2), 525-548.

Frunze O, Brandorf A, Kang E-J, Choi Y-S. Beekeeping Genetic Resources and Retrieval of Honeybee Apis mellifera L. Stock in the Russian Federation: A Review. Insects. 2021; 12(8):684. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12080684.

 

Atsbha, T., Gidey, T., Gebremedhin, H., & Bezabh, G. (2025). Area exclosure improved honeybee flora diversity and regeneration: - the case of Southern Tigrai, northern Ethiopia. Forest Science and Technology, 21(2), 176–186. https://doi.org/10.1080/21580103.2025.2478890