Worldwide sales for soap exported from all countries totaled US$17.1 billion in 2025.
The value of globally exported soap rose by an average 16.6% from five years earlier in 2021 when soap shipments were valued at $14.7 billion.
Year over year, the world’s soap exports grew by 4.8% compared to $16.3 billion starting from 2024.
The top 5 biggest soap exporters are mainland China, Germany, United States of America, Indonesia and France. Collectively, that cohort of major soap suppliers collected 36.9% of all revenues for worldwide soap exported during 2025.
Among continents, suppliers located in Europe generated the greatest revenue stream from exported soap during 2025 with shipments valued at $7.2 billion or 42.3% of the global total. In second place were exporters based in Asia at 37.9% while another 11.8% of international soap shipments originated from North America.
Smaller percentages came from soap suppliers in Latin America (3.7%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, Africa (3.6%) then Oceania (0.6%) led by Australia and New Zealand.
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 3401 for soap. That code prefix includes bar and liquid soaps, as well as organic surface-active products and preparations.
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of soap during 2025.
- mainland China: US$1.6 billion (9.6% of total soap exports)
- Germany: $1.3 billion (7.9%)
- United States: $1.2 billion (7%)
- Indonesia: $1.1 billion (6.3%)
- France: $1 billion (6.1%)
- Poland: $955.5 million (5.6%)
- Italy: $899.8 million (5.3%)
- Türkiye: $617 million (3.6%)
- Netherlands: $610.1 million (3.6%)
- South Korea: $598.5 million (3.5%)
- Malaysia: $520.8 million (3%)
- Japan: $496.1 million (2.9%)
- United Kingdom: $472.7 million (2.8%)
- Canada: $428.8 million (2.5%)
- Spain: $393.3 million (2.3%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 71.9% of globally exported soap in 2025.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing exporters of soap since 2024 were: South Korea (up 26.3%), Spain (up 24.1%), mainland China (up 15.6%) and Indonesia (up 13.3%).
Those countries that posted declines in their international sales of soap were led by: Malaysia (down -5.3% from 2024) and the United States of America (down -3.6%).
The 100 key exporters in the automated database below generated 99.8% of the total value of soap shipped via international markets in 2025.
| Rank | Exporter | Soap Exports | 2024-5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | mainland China | $1,647,951,000 | +15.6% |
| 2 | Germany | $1,344,269,000 | +1.6% |
| 3 | United States | $1,195,697,000 | -3.6% |
| 4 | Indonesia | $1,077,147,000 | +13.3% |
| 5 | France | $1,037,293,000 | +2.6% |
| 6 | Poland | $955,466,000 | +6% |
| 7 | Italy | $899,755,000 | +4.6% |
| 8 | Türkiye | $617,000,000 | +12.8% |
| 9 | Netherlands | $610,050,000 | +8.4% |
| 10 | South Korea | $598,530,000 | +26.3% |
| 11 | Malaysia | $520,848,000 | -5.3% |
| 12 | Japan | $496,122,000 | +12.7% |
| 13 | United Kingdom | $472,697,000 | +6.1% |
| 14 | Canada | $428,780,000 | +1.1% |
| 15 | Spain | $393,270,000 | +24.1% |
| 16 | Mexico | $384,037,000 | +1.8% |
| 17 | Thailand | $358,533,000 | +12.7% |
| 18 | Singapore | $312,300,000 | -7.1% |
| 19 | Belgium | $258,513,000 | +12.2% |
| 20 | Czech Republic | $236,907,000 | +7.2% |
| 21 | South Africa | $187,475,000 | -1.6% |
| 22 | India | $164,803,000 | +5.9% |
| 23 | Denmark | $163,217,000 | +54% |
| 24 | Sweden | $156,735,000 | +18.2% |
| 25 | Guatemala | $154,222,000 | +2.1% |
| 26 | Vietnam | $140,808,000 | +68% |
| 27 | Ivory Coast | $137,430,000 | +10.8% |
| 28 | Brazil | $137,228,000 | +20% |
| 29 | Hong Kong | $109,348,000 | +47.1% |
| 30 | Colombia | $108,453,000 | +12.2% |
| 31 | Greece | $107,805,000 | +10.3% |
| 32 | Kenya | $102,682,000 | +2.8% |
| 33 | United Arab Emirates | $100,227,000 | -71.5% |
| 34 | Israel | $95,777,000 | -5.8% |
| 35 | Saudi Arabia | $94,266,000 | -4.1% |
| 36 | Honduras | $93,798,000 | +1.9% |
| 37 | Switzerland | $86,126,000 | +3.4% |
| 38 | Australia | $85,711,000 | +14.3% |
| 39 | Austria | $71,017,000 | +8.8% |
| 40 | Egypt | $61,950,000 | -4.7% |
| 41 | Russia | $57,012,000 | -15.7% |
| 42 | Romania | $52,652,000 | +39.7% |
| 43 | Hungary | $52,105,000 | -8.7% |
| 44 | Slovakia | $40,112,000 | -23.9% |
| 45 | Portugal | $36,298,000 | -5.5% |
| 46 | Croatia | $35,242,000 | +17.4% |
| 47 | Bulgaria | $32,742,000 | +13.6% |
| 48 | Panama | $32,650,000 | +4% |
| 49 | Zambia | $32,071,000 | +43.5% |
| 50 | Dominican Republic | $26,335,000 | +15.2% |
| 51 | Uganda | $26,323,000 | -3.8% |
| 52 | Tanzania | $24,578,000 | +37.8% |
| 53 | Philippines | $22,998,000 | -35.4% |
| 54 | New Zealand | $20,413,000 | -4.2% |
| 55 | Jordan | $20,224,000 | +177.7% |
| 56 | Serbia | $19,574,000 | +4.1% |
| 57 | Taiwan | $19,515,000 | -10.7% |
| 58 | Pakistan | $19,301,000 | -20.9% |
| 59 | Ukraine | $19,053,000 | +18.5% |
| 60 | Luxembourg | $17,510,000 | -16.2% |
| 61 | Costa Rica | $14,851,000 | +109.2% |
| 62 | Paraguay | $14,599,000 | -2.9% |
| 63 | Argentina | $14,518,000 | +29.8% |
| 64 | Latvia | $14,422,000 | +0.8% |
| 65 | Kazakhstan | $13,505,000 | +41.5% |
| 66 | Lithuania | $10,926,000 | -23.8% |
| 67 | Peru | $10,922,000 | +11.7% |
| 68 | Rwanda | $10,828,000 | +41.7% |
| 69 | Norway | $10,763,000 | +36.3% |
| 70 | Bahrain | $10,440,000 | -75.7% |
| 71 | Slovenia | $10,246,000 | +1.2% |
| 72 | Oman | $10,161,000 | +9.1% |
| 73 | Morocco | $6,306,000 | -19% |
| 74 | Ireland | $6,263,000 | +15.1% |
| 75 | Estonia | $6,208,000 | +17.6% |
| 76 | Finland | $6,206,000 | +49.5% |
| 77 | Ecuador | $6,080,000 | -16.8% |
| 78 | Ghana | $5,839,000 | -72.3% |
| 79 | Syria | $5,345,000 | -16.1% |
| 80 | El Salvador | $4,871,000 | -1.2% |
| 81 | Uzbekistan | $4,519,000 | +4.9% |
| 82 | Burundi | $4,186,000 | +0.6% |
| 83 | Iran | $4,080,000 | -32.5% |
| 84 | Cambodia | $3,905,000 | +24.7% |
| 85 | Mauritius | $3,835,000 | +19.7% |
| 86 | North Macedonia | $3,607,000 | -41.2% |
| 87 | Chile | $3,025,000 | +28.1% |
| 88 | Senegal | $2,967,000 | +172% |
| 89 | Mozambique | $2,538,000 | +6.6% |
| 90 | Nigeria | $2,270,000 | -60% |
| 91 | Armenia | $2,095,000 | +114.9% |
| 92 | Angola | $1,981,000 | -62.7% |
| 93 | Albania | $1,973,000 | +88.6% |
| 94 | Dominica | $1,838,000 | -7.1% |
| 95 | Zimbabwe | $1,659,000 | -57.1% |
| 96 | Lebanon | $1,638,000 | -79.3% |
| 97 | Georgia | $1,607,000 | +94.1% |
| 98 | Macao | $1,565,000 | +56.8% |
| 99 | Fiji | $1,545,000 | -10% |
| 100 | Algeria | $1,525,000 | +165.7% |
Perusing the top 100 most valuable sellers of soap on international markets, the fastest growers are Jordan (up 177.7% from 2024), Senegal (up 172%), Algeria (up 165.7%), Armenia (up 114.9%) then Costa Rica (up 109.2%).
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of the above table’s columns. An entry of 0% in the right-most column means 2025 data was unavailable.
Countries Earning Best Trade Surpluses from Soap
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for soap during 2025. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s exported soap and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- Indonesia: US$971.9 million (net export surplus up 13.6% since 2024)
- mainland China: $661.9 million (up 113.9%)
- Poland: $612.1 million (up 6.6%)
- Italy: $607.3 million (up 1.1%)
- Türkiye: $454.2 million (up 12.8%)
- South Korea: $427.2 million (up 37.3%)
- France: $353.3 million (down -7.9%)
- Malaysia: $326.9 million (down -15.5%)
- Germany: $295.2 million (down -22.4%)
- Thailand: $250.3 million (up 13.3%)
- Japan: $161.7 million (up 41.9%)
- Ivory Coast: $128.6 million (up 11.3%)
- Spain: $124.2 million (up 29.5%)
- Mexico: $100.4 million (down -14.1%)
- Brazil: $98.7 million (up 20.9%)
Indonesia generated the highest surplus in the international trade of soap. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms Indonesia’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Countries Posting Largest Trade Deficits from Soap
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for soap during 2025. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s imported soap purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- United States: -US$756.6 million (net export deficit up 7.5% since 2024)
- Canada: -$309.9 million (down -1%)
- Australia: -$278.1 million (down -2.1%)
- United Kingdom: -$249.1 million (up 38.5%)
- United Arab Emirates: -$234.8 million (reversing an $8.9 million surplus)
- Philippines: -$192.4 million (up 7.3%)
- Taiwan: -$170.7 million (up 8.8%)
- Austria: -$146.5 million (up 6.6%)
- Iraq: -$135 million (down -21.9%)
- Peru: -$127.6 million (up 16.9%)
- Ireland: -$126.8 million (up 7.8%)
- Romania: -$125.3 million (down -10.7%)
- Portugal: -$111.2 million (up 28.8%)
- Russia: -$111.1 million (down -16.7%)
- Saudi Arabia: -$109.7 million (down -7.5%)
The United States of America incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of soap during 2025. In turn, these negative cashflows highlight America’s competitive disadvantages for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for soap-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful worldwide demand.
Soap Exporting Companies
Below are global soap manufacturers that represent established players engaged in the international soap trade. The home country for each is shown within parenthesis.
- Ach Brito & Ca. (Portugal)
- Caswell-Massey (United States)
- Colgate-Palmolive (United States)
- Deb Limited (United Kingdom)
- Defense Soap (United States)
- Doetsch Grether AG (Switzerland)
- Further Products (United States)
- Henkel (Germany)
- L’Amande (Italy)
- Nivea (Germany)
- Orkla Group (Norway)
- Proraso (Italy)
- PZ Cussons (United Kingdom)
- Sebapharma GmbH & Co (Germany)
- Unilever (Netherlands & United Kingdom)
See also Perfumes Exporters by Country, Beauty Cosmetics and Skincare Exports by sCountry, Top Human Hair Exporters by Country and Top Sunglasses Exporters by Country
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on August 6, 2026
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on August 6, 2026
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on August 6, 2026
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on August 6, 2026
Wikipedia, Category:Soap brands. Accessed on August 6, 2026
