As a crop, pumpkins are ubiquitous year-round, growing on every continent except for Antarctica. But the fleshy orange fruit is actually native to North America, originally growing in Mexico. Once small and bitter, they were selectively bred to achieve their sweeter taste and larger size. Their presence in the world of international trade is significant, as global pumpkin exports were valued at US$1.57bn in 2022, up 17.7% over the previous five years. Pumpkin exports are dominated by Spain and Mexico which account for almost two thirds of the global market share.
- Spain 535.9m (34.1% of global total)
- Mexico 458.8m (29.2%)
- Turkey 73m (4.6%)
- Netherlands 68.3m (4.3%)
- US 60.6m (3.9%)
The US is the biggest importer of pumpkins, responsible for over a quarter of global imports.
- US 481m (28.1% of global total)
- France 203.3m (11.9%)
- Germany 195.1m (11.4%)
- UK 106.5m (6.2%)
- Netherlands 99.3m (5.8%)
Source: export.org.uk