Salt is an essential substance that every home in the world is without. It is a vital nutritional element for humans, and part of our daily diet, and its production dates back thousands of years.
In addition to its use in cooking, salt has wide-ranging uses in food preservation and disinfection. It is also used in the petroleum and chemical industries, as about two-thirds of the salt produced in the world is consumed in chemical industries.
It is an essential element in combating and melting ice, and plays an important role in international trade by keeping land transport corridors open during periods of icy weather.
The size of the salt market has grown in recent years to reach $41.91 billion in 2023, and is expected to reach $45.7 billion in 2024.
The salt market is expected to witness strong growth in the coming years, reaching $61.51 billion in 2028, at a compound annual growth rate of 7.7% due to the growth of the food industry, chemical industries, mining and other industries that depend on salt in their cycle, according to what the “Business Research” platform reported. company”.
The 10 largest salt producing countries in the world
China is the world’s largest salt-producing country, as the country produced 53 million metric tons of salt in 2023. In the same year, salt production in the United States, which is the second largest salt-producing country, reached 42 million metric tons, according to the Statista platform.
The following is a list of the 10 largest salt producing countries in the world in 2023, according to the Visual Capitalist platform.
1- China: 53 million metric tons.
2- United States: 42 million metric tons.
3- India: 30 million metric tons.
4- Germany: 15 million metric tons.
5- Australia: 14 million metric tons.
6- Canada: 12 million metric tons.
7- Chile: 9.2 million metric tons.
8- Mexico: 9 million metric tons.
9- Türkiye: 9 million metric tons.
10- Russia: 7 million metric tons.
The 10 largest salt exporting countries in the world, including an Arab country
The Netherlands tops the list of the largest exporters of salt in the world, followed by Germany, Canada, India, and the United States, respectively. This quintet exported 43.1% of the total international salt export, with a value amounting to $1.55 billion during the year 2022.
The following is a list of the 10 largest salt exporting countries in the world in 2022, valued in dollars, according to the “World’s Top Exports” platform.
Note that many of these countries, such as the Netherlands and Tunisia, are not among the largest salt producers in the world, but they are nonetheless major manufacturers and exporters.
Tunisian salt is considered one of the finest natural salts in the world. Tunisia produces about two million tons of high-quality salt every year, according to what the Tunisian newspaper Al-Sabah reported. It consumes about 100,000 tons of it, and exports the rest abroad.
List of the top 10 salt exporting countries in the world in 2022
1- Netherlands: $435.8 million (12.9% of total salt exports in the world).
2- Germany: $314.3 million (9.3%).
3- India: $311.7 million (9.2%).
4- United States: $205.3 million (6.1%).
5- Canada: $194.4 million (5.7%).
6- Chile: $183.6 million (5.4%).
7- Spain: $160 million (4.7%).
8- China: $143 million (4.2%).
9- Tunisia: $97 million (2.9%).
10- United Kingdom: $94.5 million (2.8%).
The 10 largest salt importing countries in the world
Although China and the United States are the two largest salt-producing countries in the world, they are also the two largest salt-importing countries in the world due to the huge demand in both countries, as salt is an essential part in many industries, especially the chemical and food industries.
The following is a list of the top 10 countries that import salt in the world in 2022, according to the “World’s Top Exports” platform.
1- The United States: $816.9 million (15.8% of total global salt imports).
2- China: $560.6 million (10.9%).
3- Japan: $347.8 million (6.7%).
4- Germany: $285.8 million (5.5%).
5- South Korea: $232.9 million (4.5%).
6- Belgium: $181 million (3.5%).
7- Canada: $152.2 million (3%).
8- Taiwan: $132.4 million (2.6%).
9- Indonesia: $124.5 million (2.4%).
10- France: $112.4 million (2.2%).
The top 5 countries in the world that consume salt at the individual level
The World Health Organization has raised serious concerns about sodium consumption (the main component of salt). It reveals that adults globally consume an average of about 4,310 milligrams of sodium per day, more than twice the limit recommended by the World Health Organization, which is less than two thousand milligrams.
High sodium intake is linked to various health problems, including high blood pressure, heart disease, stomach cancer, obesity, osteoporosis, kidney disorders, and others.
It is alarming that high sodium consumption leads to the death of 1.89 million people annually.
The Chinese are considered the most salt-consuming people in the world, with each individual consuming 17.7 grams of salt per day. Salt consumption patterns in China, which are closely linked to the growing problem of high blood pressure in the country, reflect deep-rooted dietary habits and limited public awareness of the need to reduce salt intake. .
The following is a list of the top 5 countries that consume salt on a per capita level in the world, according to what was reported by the “Insider Monkey” platform.
1- China: Average per capita consumption of salt is 17.7 grams/day.
2- Hungary: 14.3 grams/day.
3- Slovenia: 13 grams/day.
4- Czech Republic: 13 grams/day.
5- Romania: 12.9 grams/day.
Salt Wars… Facts you may not know about “white gold”
Salt has played a vital role in religious rituals in many cultures, and it symbolizes purity. There are more than 30 references to salt in the Holy Scriptures, including the famous expression “salt of the earth.” In many cultures, offering bread and salt to visitors is traditional etiquette.
– White Gold: In the Middle Ages, salt was so expensive that it was referred to as white gold.
– Salt Wars: Salt was one of the most valuable commodities, and many wars broke out over it throughout history. The oldest recorded war over access to salt supplies was for control of a salt lake in China, about 3,000 BC. In 2200 BC, Chinese Emperor Hsia-Yue declared that Shandong Province should supply salt to the imperial court.
