Mexico, home of maize, imports more of it than anyone
Maize (corn) imports, million tonnes, the eight largest importing countries in 2024, vs 2005.
- 1. Brazil has all but caught the US in farm exports
- 2. Brazil exports more chicken than the US and EU combined
- 3. India now ships over a third of world rice exports
- 4. Russia now exports twice as much wheat as the US
- 5. Egypt exports more fresh oranges than any other country
- 6. China buys three in ten of the world's beef imports
- 7. Farmed seafood now outweighs the wild catch
- 8. Spanish olive oil mill prices are back at 2021 levels
- 9. Ukraine sells a fifth less grain than before the war
- 10. Brazil overtook the US as the world's top cotton exporter
- 11. Laos now mines more potash than Israel or Jordan
- 12. India now grows more rice than China
- 13. Côte d'Ivoire grows more cashews than India
- 14. Indonesia set to use more palm oil than it exports
- 15. Mato Grosso grows more soy than China and India combined
- 16. Africa now has more hungry people than Asia
- 17. Vietnam now drinks more coffee than Russia
- 18. Nigeria now eats more rice than Japan
- 19. Ecuador is now the world's second-biggest cocoa bean exporter
- 20. Mexico, home of maize, imports more of it than anyone
Mexico's maize imports in 2024, four times the 5.7 Mt of 2005 and the most in its FAO record.
Mexico took back first place in 2024 as China's imports halved to 13.6 Mt; China had led in 2021–23.
Mexico's share of world maize imports in 2024. It bought abroad nearly as much maize as it grew (24.3 Mt).
the numbers & method
| Maize imports (Mt) | 2005 (grey bar) (Mt) | |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 23.9 | 5.7 |
| Japan | 15.3 | 16.7 |
| China | 13.6 | 0.0 |
| Republic of Korea | 11.3 | 8.5 |
| Spain | 9.4 | 4.3 |
| Viet Nam | 8.8 | 0.2 |
| Egypt | 7.9 | 5.1 |
| Italy | 7.4 | 1.3 |
Claim types Fact · Estimate · Interpretation
FAOSTAT TCL release of 24 July 2026 (latest year 2024), element 2610 import quantity, item 56 maize (corn), tonnes, calendar years. Read from the progrss vault, which loads FAO's own FAOSTAT API (faostatservices.fao.org). Million tonnes, 2024 (2005): Mexico 23.85 (5.74); Japan 15.28 (16.66); China, mainland 13.64 (0.004); Republic of Korea 11.34 (8.53); Spain 9.38 (4.27); Viet Nam 8.81 (0.24); Egypt 7.89 (5.09); Italy 7.39 (1.25). World 200.95 (88.11). Mexico's 2024 figure carries FAO flag I (imputed by a receiving agency) and Egypt's too, so they are estimates; the others are reported. Mexico ranked 3rd in 2005, 1st in 2017–2020, 2nd in 2021–23 behind China (28.35, 20.62, 26.24), and 1st again in 2024; 23.85 is Mexico's highest in the series (pre-2024 peak 18.50 in 2023). Derived by progrss: 23.85 ÷ 5.74 = 4.2×; share 23.85 ÷ 200.95 = 11.9%; China 2023→2024 −48%; ranks among countries (EU members counted separately). Cross-check, USDA FAS PSD (Corn, October 2026, July–June marketing years, a different period, not charted): Mexico 1st in 2022/23 (19.3 Mt), 2023/24 (24.2) and 2024/25 (25.9), with China 1.8 in 2024/25; USDA forecasts Mexico 26.2 in 2025/26 (Forecast). Mexico as the place maize was domesticated is established archaeological context, not a number in this source; Mexico's 2024 maize production, FAOSTAT QCL (element 2510, flag A): 24.33 Mt, so imports were 98% of the harvest (derived). 'China' on the chart is China, mainland; China including Taiwan (FAO area 'China (excluding Hong Kong & Macao)') imported 18.60 Mt in 2024, also below Mexico. The EU-27 aggregate (35.90 Mt) includes trade between members and is not a country. Licence: FAO Database Terms of Use, CC BY 4.0; not for the promotion of a commercial enterprise; cite FAO, year, database, access date, URL. USDA PSD: US government work, public domain (credit USDA).
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