In 2023, the European Union imported 339,800 tonnes of spices from non-EU countries. China was the main supplier of spices, accounting for 39% of all spice imports to the EU, according to Eurostat.

The most imported spice in 2023 was ginger with 114 thousand tons, followed by paprika (110,600 tons) and pepper (50,300 tons). China was the main country of origin for ginger (43%) and paprika (73%), while Vietnam was the main supplier of pepper (63%).

Turmeric (16,000 tonnes) ranked 4th, with over three-quarters of its imports coming from India (79%). Cinnamon (13,300 tonnes) ranked 5th among the most imported spices, with the majority of its imports coming from Vietnam (35%).

Compared to 2013, the quantity of spices imported from non-EU countries increased by 44%. EU imports of turmeric and ginger more than doubled (+140% and +112% respectively), recording the largest increases among the most traded spices. In contrast, imports of pepper decreased (-19%) since 2013.