The world’s most valuable importer of rice back in 2022, the People’s Republic of China placed fourth in 2025 behind international rice-demand leaders the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and the United States of America.
Total rice imports by country cost China a total US$1.44 billion via international purchases from its 10 rice-supplying trade partners during 2025.
That dollar amount results from a -34.3% drop from $2.19 billion five years earlier during 2021.
Year over year, the overall cost of rice imported into China accelerated by 56.2% compared to $920.7 million in 2024.
Most of China’s rice imports originate from fellow Asian countries. The only exception among the leading suppliers in 2025 was Italy, albeit even that provider accounts for a relatively tiny percentage.
Top Providers of Chinese Imported Rice
Below are the countries that supplied 100% of the rice imported by China as a buyer entity during 2025.
- Myanmar: US$400,490,000 (27.9% of China’s total rice imports)
- Vietnam: $362,857,000 (25.2%)
- Thailand: $358,878,000 (25%)
- Cambodia: $119,048,000 (8.3%)
- India: $114,049,000 (7.9%)
- Pakistan: $62,265,000 (4.3%)
- Laos: $19,147,000 (1.33%)
- South Korea: $400,000 (0.03%)
- Japan: $297,000 (0.021%)
- Italy: $276,000 (0.019%)
Three of mainland China’s leading rice suppliers (Myanmar sometimes called Burma, Vietnam and Thailand), collected more than three-quarters (78.1%) of overall Chinese spending on imported rice for 2025.
The top 5 rice providers supplied 94.3% of Chinese imports of the staple food grain.
Those percentages also support the high concentration for China’s Asian cohort of rice suppliers.
Fastest-Growing Suppliers of China’s Rice Imports Versus Decliners
Increasing at the strongest pace were Chinese purchases of rice from India (up 279.6% from 2024), Vietnam (up 119.7%), Cambodia (up 85.6%), Italy (up 59.5%) and Myanmar (up 49.8%).
- India: Up 279.6% since 2024)
- Vietnam: Up 119.7%
- Cambodia: Up 85.6%
- Italy: Up 59.5%
- Myanmar: Up 49.8%
- Thailand: Up 21.8%
- South Korea: Up 21.6%
There was a trio of year-over-year declining suppliers namely Japan (down -47%), Laos (down -22.4%) and Pakistan (down -15.5%).
See also Rice Exports by Country, Rice Imports by Country, China’s Top 10 Exports and China’s Top Trading Partners
Research Sources
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on October 14, 2026
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on October 14, 2026
Wikipedia, Rice. Accessed on October 14, 2026
