There are over 1,000 different varieties of bananas, but the long yellow banana that nearly all Americans are familiar with is the Cavendish variety. It is the world’s most popular banana variety by far, primarily due to its resistance to disease and higher yield per hectare. When you head to the produce section at your local grocery store, you are almost certainly buying Cavendish bananas. And these fruits are a wise purchase, indeed.

The banana is a super healthy berry (yes, it is actually a berry!). Healthline notes that one banana contains 26% of the recommended daily value (DV) of Vitamin B6, 12% of the DV of Vitamin C, 8% of the DV of magnesium, and 7% of the DV of potassium. Bananas also contain prebiotics which aid digestive health and they feature high levels of polyphenols and phytosterols, which are plant compounds that support overall health. Bananas are also low in calories and have no cholesterol, sodium, or fat.

Oh, and let’s not forget that bananas are quite tasty, too! It’s no wonder that, according to the International Fresh Produce Association, bananas are the most popular fruit in the U.S. The average American eats 27 pounds of bananas each year. By comparison, a typical American eats around 15 pounds of apples per year.

Bananas are grown in 135 different countries according to Michigan State University. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reports that 5,940,149 hectares worldwide were used in banana cultivation in 2022, producing a global total of 135,112,326,37 tons of bananas.

U.S. Bananas

Hawaii is the only state that grows bananas commercially in the United States, though there are independent banana farms in a handful of other states. The U.S. is barely within the world’s top 100 banana-producing countries. Obviously, this means almost all of the bananas that Americans gobble up each year are imported from other nations. In fact, bananas are the most exported fruit in the world.

Here is a look at the top ten countries for banana production. 24/7 Wall St. used production data provided by the FAO for this story. Economic and export data was provided by the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC).

The production, export, and economic numbers are all from 2022 as this is the most recent data available from both the FAO and OEC. The nations on this list are ranked from tenth to first place in terms of total banana production.

10. United Republic of Tanzania

• Annual Banana Production: 3,500,800.33 tons

Tanzanian Banana Exports

Tanzania exported $1.02M worth of bananas in 2022. The main destinations for Tanzanian banana exports were Zambia ($486k), Malawi ($371k), Germany ($46.5k), Kenya ($41.3k), and Burundi ($33.7k).

9. Angola

• Annual Banana Production: 4,589,099 tons

Angolan Banana Exports

In 2022, Angola exported $6.78M worth of bananas. Most of those Angolan banana exports were sent to Portugal ($6.22M), with far smaller amounts going to the Republic of the Congo ($457k), France ($35.5k), Panama ($25.2k), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo ($14.8k).

(Along with its impressive banana cultivation, Angola also has one of the most powerful militaries in Africa. Here is a look at the 38 strongest African militaries.)

8. Guatemala

• Annual Banana Production: 4,762,666.77 tons

Guatemalan Banana Exports

Guatemala exported $1.12B worth of bananas in 2022, the vast majority of which were shipped to the United States. The U.S. imports more bananas from Guatemala than any other nation, with an annual value of $1.01B. Other much smaller destinations for Guatemalan banana exports include Canada ($19.5M), the United Kingdom ($12.7M), Poland ($12.2M), and the Netherlands ($9.68M).

7. The Philippines

• Annual Banana Production: 5,899,704.79 tons

Filipino Banana Exports

In 2022, the Philippines exported $1.41B in Bananas. Most of those bananas were exported to Japan ($653M), China ($406M), South Korea ($197M), Saudi Arabia ($22.9M), and Hong Kong ($21.2M).

6. Ecuador

• Annual Banana Production: 6,078,788.71 tons

Ecuadoran Banana Exports

Ecuador is the sixth-largest banana producer in the world, but it is the largest exporter of the fruit. Ecuador exported $3.68B worth of bananas in 2022.

The main destinations for Ecuadoran bananas were Russia ($780M), the United States ($561M), the Netherlands ($263M), Turkey ($174M), and Argentina ($155M).

5. Brazil

• Annual Banana Production: 6,854,222 tons

Brazilian Banana Exports

Brazil exported $39.9M worth of bananas in 2022. The main destinations of Brazilian bananas were Argentina ($18.8M), Uruguay ($14.7M), the United Kingdom ($2.11M), Slovakia ($1.35M), and Germany ($1.12M).

4. Nigeria

• Annual Banana Production: 8,019,203.34 tons

Nigerian Banana Exports

Most Nigerian bananas are not exported. In 2022, the West African nation only exported $25.3k worth of bananas. Of the bananas that were sent out of the country, most were exported to the United Kingdom ($11.1k), Canada ($8.75k), Georgia ($2.33k), Niger ($1.46k), and the Bahamas ($981).

3. Indonesia

• Annual Banana Production: 9,245,427.05 tons

Indonesian Banana Exports

In 2022, Indonesia exported $8.83M worth of bananas. Most of those bananas were sent to Malaysia ($3.3M), Singapore ($1.97M), China ($1.61M), Japan ($1.48M), and Oman ($379k).

2. China

• Annual Banana Production: 11,776,800 tons

Chinese Banana Exports

China exported $23.4M worth of bananas in 2022. The majority of China’s exported bananas were shipped to Hong Kong ($16M), Macau ($2.05M), the United States ($1.77M), Mongolia ($1.55M), and Nigeria ($1.21M).

1. India

• Annual Banana Production: 34,528,000 tons

Indian Banana Exports

In 2022, India exported $170M worth of bananas. The main destinations for Indian banana exports were Iran ($43.9M), Iraq ($31.4M), the United Arab Emirates ($28M), Oman ($13.7M), and Kuwait ($12.6M). 

Bananas are deeply engrained in the Indian diet and culture. While many Americans only know the Cavendish variety of bananas, a wealth of different varieties are available in India. Bananas are so central to Indian life that nearly all of the nation’s bananas are consumed domestically. Only around one percent of India’s banana harvest is shipped out of the country. You will probably never see an Indian country-of-origin sticker on the bananas at your local supermarket in the U.S.

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