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This statistic presents the main exporting countries of wheat, wheat flour, and wheat products worldwide from 2014 to 2025/2026. Russia was the largest wheat exporter in the world in 2025/2026, exporting ** million tons. The European Union, with ** million tons, was the second-largest global exporter, just ahead of Australia. The United States ranked fourth. Ukraine was the sixth-largest wheat exporter, exporting nearly ** million tons in 2025/2026.
The countries listed in this ranking export their wheat to countries that consume a large amount of wheat but do not produce enough themselves for various reasons.

The main wheat producers and consumers in the world

It is important to note that the countries exporting the largest quantities of wheat are not those that produce the most. Indeed, the three largest wheat producers in the world in 2021/2022 were China and the European Union, each producing more than *** million tons of wheat, as well as India, which produced more than 100 million tons. However, China was also the largest wheat consumer in the world; with a consumption of nearly *** million tons in 2021/2022, it consumed its entire production and was even forced to import the missing ** million tons. Similarly, India consumed its entire production. The European Union, meanwhile, consumed a little over 100 million tons of wheat, allowing it to export the surplus ** million tons.

Russia consumed about ** million tons of wheat, while producing almost twice that amount, and Ukraine consumed less than nine of the ** million tons it produced. This is what allowed Russia and Ukraine to be among the main wheat exporting countries in the world.
Turkey and Egypt, each consuming about ** million tons of wheat, were the two countries importing the largest quantities of wheat in the world in 2021/2022, with ** million tons for Egypt and ** million tons for Turkey. Being the largest wheat importer in the world gives Egypt considerable power in the wheat market but also makes the country dependent on imports. Egyptian wheat reserves are not sufficiently glutenous to produce bread, a staple food in the Egyptian diet. Local stocks are therefore mixed with imported wheat to produce flour. Like Egypt, many countries depend on wheat imports to feed their populations. However, the current geopolitical situation is disrupting trade.

The effects of the war in Ukraine on the wheat market

Wheat is an important commercial product due to its durability, longevity, and use as flour. Consequently, wheat is one of the most produced cereals worldwide. Each year, more than *** million tons of wheat are produced globally.

The war between Ukraine and Russia has led to immediate consequences such as the deaths of many soldiers and civilians on the ground, but it also has political and economic effects, the full extent of which will only be measurable in the longer term. In particular, the war in Ukraine has partially interrupted the country’s wheat production and export. This especially affects the main countries to which Ukraine exports its goods, notably Turkey and Egypt. However, Turkey and Egypt depend on wheat imports to feed their populations, while both countries were already ranked 12th and 14th respectively among the countries with the highest number of people with insufficient food consumption.

At the end of July 2022, Ukraine cautiously resumed its exports after the blockade imposed by the Russian army related to the war in Ukraine. It is now the rise in inflation that risks penalizing countries dependent on wheat imports.