International sales from cork exports by country totaled US$2.07 billion in 2025.
That dollar amount results from a -8.8% decrease compared to the $2.3 billion in exported cork 5 years earlier during 2021.
Year over year, global sales of cork exports made a modest 1% gain from $2.05 billion starting from 2024.
An impermeable, buoyant, elastic and fire-retardant material, cork is made from bark tissue. Commercial uses of cork include wine stoppers, bulletin boards, wall or floor tiles and even spacecraft heat shields.
The world’s 3 biggest cork sellers are Portugal, Spain and France. Collectively, this trio of major suppliers generated 82.9% of the overall value of cork-related exports during 2025. Such a high percentage indicates a concentrated cohort of product exporters.
From a continental perspective, suppliers based in European countries furnished the highest dollar worth of exported cork during 2025 with shipments valued at $1.9 billion or 91.5% of the global total. Exporters located in Asia placed a distant second at 4.1% but ahead of shippers in North America (1.7%).
Even tinier percentages originated from providers in Africa (1.6%), Latin America (1.1%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania (0.1%) mostly Australia.
For research purposes, the 2-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 45. That code prefix encompasses both cork as a material and items made from cork.
Below are the 15 countries that sold the highest dollar value worth of exported cork during 2025.
- Portugal: US$1.2 billion (60% of total cork exports)
- Spain: $368.2 million (17.8%)
- France: $105.3 million (5.1%)
- Italy: $56 million (2.7%)
- mainland China: $53.1 million (2.6%)
- Germany: $29.9 million (1.4%)
- United States: $26.9 million (1.3%)
- Denmark: $20.3 million (1%)
- Chile: $19.7 million (1%)
- Poland: $18.2 million (0.9%)
- Algeria: $11.5 million (0.6%)
- Morocco: $10.9 million (0.5%)
- Tunisia: $8.8 million (0.4%)
- United Kingdom: $8.8 million (0.4%)
- Switzerland: $7.9 million (0.4%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 96.1% of all cork exported in 2025.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing exporters of cork since 2024 were: Italy (up 25.7%), Algeria (up 17.2%), Denmark (up 17%) and mainland China (up 16%).
Those countries that posted year-over-year declines in their international sales of cork were: Chile (down -21.9% from 2024), Morocco (down -14.8%), Spain (down -4.9%), Switzerland (down -2.5%) and Tunisia (down -1.7%).
The 104 exporters showcased in the following automated database were responsible for 100% of globally exported cork during 2025.
| Rank | Exporter | Cork Exports | 2024-5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portugal | $1,239,034,000 | +4.6% |
| 2 | Spain | $368,212,000 | -4.9% |
| 3 | France | $105,273,000 | +3.9% |
| 4 | Italy | $55,968,000 | +25.7% |
| 5 | mainland China | $53,083,000 | +16% |
| 6 | Germany | $29,907,000 | +8.5% |
| 7 | United States | $26,932,000 | +2.3% |
| 8 | Denmark | $20,302,000 | +17% |
| 9 | Chile | $19,746,000 | -21.9% |
| 10 | Poland | $18,154,000 | +0.4% |
| 11 | Algeria | $11,532,000 | +17.2% |
| 12 | Morocco | $10,930,000 | -14.8% |
| 13 | Tunisia | $8,797,000 | -1.7% |
| 14 | United Kingdom | $8,784,000 | +0.1% |
| 15 | Switzerland | $7,947,000 | -2.5% |
| 16 | Belgium | $7,851,000 | +13.4% |
| 17 | Netherlands | $7,131,000 | -29% |
| 18 | India | $6,432,000 | +34.2% |
| 19 | Türkiye | $5,747,000 | -20.1% |
| 20 | Canada | $5,349,000 | -6.2% |
| 21 | Austria | $5,267,000 | -7.7% |
| 22 | Taiwan | $3,965,000 | +33.1% |
| 23 | Vietnam | $3,903,000 | +98.9% |
| 24 | Bulgaria | $3,593,000 | -8.1% |
| 25 | Saudi Arabia | $2,990,000 | -75.3% |
| 26 | Japan | $2,833,000 | -10.6% |
| 27 | Mexico | $2,643,000 | +20.6% |
| 28 | Slovenia | $2,582,000 | +621.2% |
| 29 | Czech Republic | $2,342,000 | -2.5% |
| 30 | Ukraine | $1,995,000 | -12.4% |
| 31 | Sweden | $1,650,000 | +8.3% |
| 32 | Australia | $1,317,000 | +15.8% |
| 33 | South Africa | $1,289,000 | +59.3% |
| 34 | Malaysia | $1,053,000 | +26% |
| 35 | Philippines | $1,018,000 | +38.1% |
| 36 | Slovakia | $989,000 | +106.5% |
| 37 | Hungary | $750,000 | -51.7% |
| 38 | United Arab Emirates | $607,000 | -97.8% |
| 39 | Singapore | $597,000 | -27.8% |
| 40 | Romania | $580,000 | +4.7% |
| 41 | Greece | $458,000 | +100.9% |
| 42 | Azerbaijan | $444,000 | +806.1% |
| 43 | Croatia | $438,000 | +14.1% |
| 44 | South Korea | $433,000 | -9.4% |
| 45 | Russia | $432,000 | -52.7% |
| 46 | Kuwait | $424,000 | +91.9% |
| 47 | Brazil | $422,000 | +9.9% |
| 48 | Serbia | $379,000 | -10.6% |
| 49 | Lithuania | $297,000 | -20.6% |
| 50 | Georgia | $288,000 | +95.9% |
| 51 | Panama | $269,000 | -54.1% |
| 52 | Finland | $219,000 | +180.8% |
| 53 | Colombia | $219,000 | +19% |
| 54 | Norway | $209,000 | -7.1% |
| 55 | Hong Kong | $188,000 | +36.2% |
| 56 | Argentina | $176,000 | +70.9% |
| 57 | Latvia | $137,000 | +23.4% |
| 58 | Peru | $134,000 | +14.5% |
| 59 | Moldova | $97,000 | +106.4% |
| 60 | Ireland | $89,000 | +23.6% |
| 61 | Qatar | $78,000 | -61.8% |
| 62 | Suriname | $70,000 | 0% |
| 63 | Indonesia | $66,000 | -67.6% |
| 64 | Thailand | $64,000 | -94.7% |
| 65 | Jordan | $57,000 | +137.5% |
| 66 | Cambodia | $52,000 | +271.4% |
| 67 | Zambia | $52,000 | 0% |
| 68 | Luxembourg | $51,000 | +21.4% |
| 69 | New Zealand | $47,000 | +20.5% |
| 70 | Tanzania | $41,000 | +720% |
| 71 | Oman | $32,000 | -98.8% |
| 72 | Mauritius | $28,000 | +40% |
| 73 | Myanmar | $26,000 | 0% |
| 74 | Kazakhstan | $20,000 | +233.3% |
| 75 | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $19,000 | 0% |
| 76 | Estonia | $16,000 | -68.6% |
| 77 | Bangladesh | $15,000 | +66.7% |
| 78 | Nicaragua | $15,000 | -85.7% |
| 79 | Paraguay | $15,000 | 0% |
| 80 | Ghana | $12,000 | 0% |
| 81 | Aruba | $11,000 | -42.1% |
| 82 | Lebanon | $10,000 | -95.1% |
| 83 | North Macedonia | $10,000 | +400% |
| 84 | Venezuela | $9,000 | -50% |
| 85 | Dominican Republic | $6,000 | +200% |
| 86 | Costa Rica | $4,000 | -50% |
| 87 | Belarus | $4,000 | -94.1% |
| 88 | Albania | $4,000 | +33.3% |
| 89 | Armenia | $3,000 | -90.9% |
| 90 | Ecuador | $3,000 | 0% |
| 91 | Israel | $3,000 | -98.2% |
| 92 | US Minor Outlying Is | $3,000 | 0% |
| 93 | Trinidad/Tobago | $3,000 | 0% |
| 94 | Curaçao | $3,000 | 0% |
| 95 | Nigeria | $2,000 | 0% |
| 96 | Uruguay | $2,000 | 0% |
| 97 | Guatemala | $2,000 | -95.7% |
| 98 | Barbados | $2,000 | +100% |
| 99 | El Salvador | $1,000 | -85.7% |
| 100 | Burundi | $1,000 | 0% |
| 101 | Guyana | $1,000 | 0% |
| 102 | Ivory Coast | $1,000 | -95.5% |
| 103 | Kyrgyzstan | $1,000 | 0% |
| 104 | Micronesia | $1,000 | 0% |
| 105 | Senegal | $1,000 | 0% |
Overall, the fastest-growing exporters of cork were Azerbaijan (up 806.1% from 2024), Tanzania (up 720%), Slovenia (up 621.2%), North Macedonia (up 400%) and Cambodia (up 271.4%).
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 that 2025 data was unavailable.
Countries Generating Best Trade Surpluses from Cork
The following countries posted positive net exports for cork 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 cork and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- Portugal: US$1 billion (net export surplus up 7.6% since 2024)
- Spain: $170.8 million (down -9.9%)
- mainland China: $18.5 million (up 30.9%)
- Algeria: $11 million (up 21.2%)
- Morocco: $10.1 million (down -6.1%)
- Poland: $9.6 million (up 2.3%)
- Denmark: $9.4 million (down -11.2%)
- Tunisia: $8.2 million (down -3.3%)
- Taiwan: $357,000 (reversing a -$396,000 deficit)
- Suriname: $60,000 (reversing a -$68,000 deficit)
- Micronesia: $1,000 (2024 data unavailable)
- Burundi: $1,000 (no change)
World-leading cork exporter Portugal generated the highest surplus in the international trade of cork. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms Portgual’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Countries Causing Worst Trade Deficits from Cork
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for cork 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 cork purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- United States: -US$249.8 million (net export deficit down -6.9% since 2024)
- Italy: -$201.5 million (up 6.7%)
- France: -$195.9 million (down -6.9%)
- Germany: -$80.3 million (up 9.8%)
- Mexico: -$79.1 million (up 21.3%)
- United Kingdom: -$55.7 million (up 1.7%)
- Saudi Arabia: -$54.9 million (down -58.7%)
- Argentina: -$31.5 million (down -11.9%)
- Australia: -$27.5 million (up 26.4%)
- Netherlands: -$18 million (up 68.5%)
- Switzerland: -$15.8 million (down -0.9%)
- Chile: -$15.7 million (down -10%)
- Canada: -$15.2 million (up 5.2%)
- Brazil: -$13.8 million (up 29.9%)
- Vietnam: -$13 million (down -11%)
The United States of America incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of cork. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights America’s strong competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for cork-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand.
Cork Exporting Companies
According to global trading platform Alibaba, the following cork export companies are examples of suppliers for either cork materials or commercial items made from cork like wine stoppers or beverage coasters. The home-country location for each business is shown within parentheses.
- Bleile Bodenbelage Handel Und Dienstleistungen (Germany)
- Bunkado Printing Co, Ltd (Japan)
- Changzhou Huakang Cork Co, Ltd (China)
- dollaritemdirect.com Inc (United States)
- Eurotrading Collection SL (Spain)
- Fukutomi Technologies Pte Ltd (Singapore)
- Hanipole FH (Poland)
- ISO Cork (Algeria)
- Portugalia Cork SA (Portugal)
- Studio Assoiciato Miraglia & Mattia (Italy)
See also Plastic Item Exports by Country, Sawn Wood Exports by Country, Top Stainless Steel Exporters by Country, Top Glass and Glassware Exports by Country and Portugal’s Top 10 Exports
Research Sources:
Alibaba, Supplier information for cork. Accessed on July 30, 2026
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on July 30, 2026
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on July 30, 2026
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 30, 2026
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on July 30, 2026
Wikipedia, Cork (material). Accessed on July 30, 2026
