M. Shahbandeh
Research expert covering agriculture & FMCG
Salt industry worldwide - statistics & facts
China, the United States, and India are the top three countries for salt production. Combined they produced about 125 million metric tons of salt, accounting for about half of the worldwide salt supply. The most prominent use for salt is as a feedstock for the production of industrial chemicals. The worldwide market for sea salt was estimated to value at over 0.5 billion U.S. dollars as of 2024.
The United States imported about 16 million metric tons of salt in 2023, a slight decrease from the year before. As of 2023, the price of vacuum and open pan salt in the United States was estimated to stand at 220 U.S. dollars per ton, while the price of rock salt amounted to approximately 61 U.S. dollars per ton during the same year.
International trade
India exports the most salt of any country, transporting over 13.7 billion kilograms in 2023. By value, however, the Netherlands with over 400 million U.S. dollars worth of exported salts was leading the market. The United States was the leading importer of salt worldwide that year, where it is used in industrial applications within sectors such as pharmaceuticals, agriculture and livestock, and chemical productions.The United States imported about 16 million metric tons of salt in 2023, a slight decrease from the year before. As of 2023, the price of vacuum and open pan salt in the United States was estimated to stand at 220 U.S. dollars per ton, while the price of rock salt amounted to approximately 61 U.S. dollars per ton during the same year.
Global salt consumption
Americans' have been eating less salt since 2014, when there was a peak of a reported 55.6 million metric tons. Consumers in the U.S. tend to limit their food intake based on artificial sweeteners, sugar, or artificial preservatives rather than salt. However, reports have shown that diets high in sodium do have some health risks, such as high blood pressure, stroke, or heart failure. Other countries have a higher reported per capita consumption of salt than the United States. The estimated average adult salt intake equivalent in China amounted to about 17.7 grams per day.
