That dollar amount results from a -64.6% reduction for all blood shippers from 5 years earlier in 2019 when global blood shipments were worth $8.6 billion.
Year over year, the value of blood exports shrank by -50.2% compared to $6.1 billion starting from 2022.
The 5 biggest exporters of human or animal blood are the United States of America, United Kingdom, France, Australia and Hungary. That quintet of major blood exporters approached three-quarters (73.5%) of blood exported in 2023. That percentage suggests a relatively concentrated cohort of blood exporting nations.
Among continents, suppliers in North America sold the highest dollar worth of exported blood during 2023 with shipments valued at $1.37 billion or 45.1% of worldwide blood exports. In second place were exporters located in Europe at 43.8% trailed by those in Asia at 5.3%.
Smaller percentages came from sellers in Oceania (4.5%) led by Australia and New Zealand, Latin America (1%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, and Africa (0.3%).
For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code is 300290 which covers both human blood and animal blood for therapeutic, prophylactic or diagnostic uses.
Top Blood Exporters by Country
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of blood during 2023.
- United States: US$1.3 billion (43.7% of total blood exports)
- United Kingdom: $518.8 million (17.1%)
- France: $172 million (5.7%)
- Australia: $111.2 million (3.7%)
- Hungary: $101.6 million (3.4%)
- Belgium: $101.55 million (3.4%)
- Ireland: $77.2 million (2.5%)
- Switzerland: $69.5 million (2.3%)
- Netherlands: $50.5 million (1.7%)
- South Korea: $47.4 million (1.6%)
- Poland: $42.7 million (1.4%)
- Denmark: $42.3 million (1.4%)
- India: $38.8 million (1.3%)
- Canada: $36.1 million (1.2%)
- Austria: $31.1 million (1%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 91.2% of blood exported in 2023.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing blood exporters since 2022 were Hungary (up 29.6%) and Australia (up 25.7%).
Those countries that posted declines in their exported blood sales were led by: Ireland (down -88.8% from 2022), Netherlands (down -80.6%), Denmark (down -79.9%), India (down -72.2%) and Austria (down -71.1%).
Countries Generating Best Surpluses from Global Blood Trade
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for blood during 2023. 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 blood and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- United States: US$455.4 million (net export surplus down -17.5% since 2022)
- United Kingdom: $122.8 million (down -30.1%)
- Hungary: $100.6 million (up 83.1%)
- Ireland: $40.7 million (reversing a -$30.8 million deficit)
- Poland: $36.8 million (up 300.9%)
- Switzerland: $29.9 million (down -79.1%)
- Denmark: $29.2 million (down -84.2%)
- Austria: $21.2 million (down -68.1%)
- South Korea: $11.9 million (down -55.5%)
- mainland China: $11.4 million (down -17.1%)
- Japan: $10.12 million (up 47.5%)
- New Zealand: $10.07 million (reversing an -$8.7 million deficit)
- Germany: $6.1 million (down -86.4%)
- Croatia: $3 million (reversing a -$3.5 million deficit)
- Cuba: $1.5 million (2022 data unavailable)
World-leading the United States of America generated the highest surplus in the international trade of blood. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms strong American competitive advantages for this specific product category.
Countries Causing Largest Deficits from Global Blood Trade
The following countries recorded the biggest negative net exports for blood during 2023. 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 blood purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- Sweden: -US$609.5 million (net export deficit up 2% since 2022)
- Canada: -$227.3 million (down -48.6%)
- Brunei Darussalam: -$119.1 million (up 4,408%)
- Brazil: -$74.9 million (down -48.7%)
- Guatemala: -$67.3 million (down -73.6%)
- Belgium: -$58.6 million (down -51.2%)
- Ecuador: -$54 million (down -3.8%)
- Hong Kong: -$51.8 million (up 219.2%)
- Dominican Republic: -$50.2 million (down -0.5%)
- Argentina: -$46.5 million (down -16.3%)
- Spain: -$46.4 million (down -41.9%)
- Thailand: -$40.6 million (up 5.1%)
- Taiwan: -$37.2 million (down -16.9%)
- India: -$35.9 million (down -56%)
- Vietnam: -$35.6 million (up 63.9%)
Sweden incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of blood. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights Sweden’s competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for blood-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful worldwide demand.
Blood-Equipment Exporting Companies
According to global trading platform Alibaba, the following suppliers are examples of export companies that engage in the international trade of blood giving equipment and supplies including blood transfusion sets.
- Alredwan International Trading (Turkey)
- Angi Plast Private Limited (India)
- Anhui Tiankang Medical Technology (China)
- Daddy D Pro (Pakistan)
- Medicfit Technology Sdn. BHD (Malaysia)
- Ultra for Medical Products Ultramed UMIC (Egypt)
The home-country location for each business is shown within parentheses.
See also Top Antibiotics Exporters by Country, Drugs and Medicine Exports by Country, Top Artificial Joints Exporters by Country and Top Toothpaste Exports by Country
Research Sources:
Alibaba, Suppliers for blood-giving sets. Accessed on September 27, 2024
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on September 27, 2024
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on September 27, 2024
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on September 27, 2024
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on September 27, 2024
Wikipedia, Blood. Accessed on September 27, 2024