Which Country Imports the Most Natural Phosphates in the World?

In 2016, the amount of phosphate imported worldwide stood at 23M tonnes, falling by -11.9% against the previous year figure. In general, phosphate imports continue to indicate a mild setback. The most prominent rate of growth was recorded in 2011, when import increased by 12% y-o-y. Over the period under review, global phosphate imports attained its maximum volume of 29M tonnes in 2008; however, from 2009 to 2016, it stood at a somewhat lower level.

In value terms, phosphate imports stood at $2.8B in 2016. Overall, phosphate imports continue to indicate a moderate growth. In that year, global phosphate imports reached its maximum level of $6.3B. From 2009 to 2016, growth of global phosphate imports stood at a somewhat lower level.

Top Phosphate Importing Countries in the World

1. India (784.9 million USD)

2. Indonesia (193.5 million USD)

3. Lithuania (178.8 million USD)

4. Brazil (152.5 million USD)

5. Belgium (151.0 million USD)

6. Poland (114.4 million USD)

7. Turkey (102.2 million USD)

8. New Zealand (87.2 million USD)

9. Mexico (77.7 million USD)

10. South Korea (70.9 million USD)

11. Serbia (59.4 million USD)

12. Bulgaria (46.8 million USD)

Phosphate Imports By Country

India (7.5M tonnes) was the major importing country with an import of about 7.5M tonnes, which accounted for 32% of total imports. Brazil (1.7M tonnes) ranks second globally in phosphate imports with a 7% share, following Indonesia (7%), Poland (6%), Lithuania (5%), and Turkey (5%). Belgium (864K tonnes), Mexico (731K tonnes), South Korea (601K tonnes), New Zealand (569K tonnes), Serbia (532K tonnes), and Bulgaria (481K tonnes) followed a long way behind this figure.

From 2007 to 2016, average annual rates of growth with regard to phosphate imports into India stood at +4.5%. At the same time, Serbia (+20.1%), Indonesia (+6.7%), and Turkey (+3.4%) displayed positive paces of growth. Moreover, Serbia emerged as the fastest growing importer/exporter in the world, with a CAGR of +20.1% from 2007-2016. Lithuania, Bulgaria, and Brazil experienced a relatively flat trend pattern. By contrast, Mexico (-2.6%), Poland (-2.8%), New Zealand (-4.0%), Belgium (-6.0%), and South Korea (-6.8%) illustrated a downward trend over the same period. Belgium (3%), South Korea (2%), and Poland (2%) significantly strengthened its position in terms of the global imports, while Serbia, Indonesia, and India saw its share reduced by -1.8%, -3.2%, and -10.4% from 2007 to 2016, respectively. The shares of the other countries remained relatively stable throughout the analyzed period.

In value terms, India ($785M) constitutes the largest market for imported phosphate worldwide, making up 28% of global imports. The second position in the ranking was occupied by Indonesia ($194M), with the share of 7% of global imports. It was followed by Lithuania, with the share of 6%.

In India, phosphate imports stood at an average annual rate of +7.1% over the period from 2007-2016. In the other countries, the average annual rates were as follows: Indonesia (+12.4% per year) and Lithuania (+6.3% per year).

Phosphate Import Prices By Country

In 2016, the average import price for phosphate amounted to $119 per tonne, going down by -7.0% against the previous year. Overall, phosphate import price continues to indicate a prominent increase. The pace of growth appeared the most rapid in 2008, an increase of 179% y-o-y. In that year, average phosphate import price reached its maximum level of $218 per tonne. From 2009 to 2016, growth of average phosphate import price failed to regain its strength.

There were significant differences in the average import prices amongst major importing countries. In 2016, the country with the highest import prices was Belgium ($175 per tonne), while Poland ($87 per tonne) was among the lowest.

From 2007 to 2016, the most notable growth rate of phosphate import prices was attained by Belgium (+7.8% per year), while the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

Do you want to know more about global phosphate market? Get the latest trends and insight from our report. It includes a wide range of statistics on

• phosphate market share
• phosphate prices
• phosphate industry
• phosphate sales
• phosphate import
• phosphate export
• phosphate market forecast
• phosphate price forecast
• key phosphate producers

All data provided in this article covers the following product: HS Code 2510 - Natural calcium phosphates; natural aluminium calcium phosphates and phosphatic chalk.

Source: World: Natural Phosphates (P2O5 Content) - Market Report. Analysis and Forecast to 2025