Molasses, a thick, dark syrup produced as a byproduct during the extraction of sugar from sugarcane and sugar beet, is chiefly produced in countries with large-scale sugar industries. Today, India, Brazil, and Thailand are among the top producers of molasses, owing to their vast sugarcane cultivation and processing capacities. The history of molasses production traces back to the early days of sugar refining in India and Southeast Asia, spreading to the Mediterranean and the Americas following the Columbian Exchange. During the colonial era, Caribbean islands became major molasses producers, as sugar plantations flourished under European control, fueling the infamous triangular trade involving sugar, rum (distilled from molasses), and enslaved people. Over time, technological advancements improved extraction efficiency, and global production shifted in tandem with the rise and fall of sugar industries in various regions. Today, molasses remains a valuable commodity, used in food, animal feed, and alcohol production, with its largest outputs still closely tied to the world’s leading sugar-producing nations.
| Rank | Country | Metric Tonnes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | 17,000,000 |
| 2 | India | 11,125,000 |
| 3 | China | 3,903,000 |
| 4 | Thailand | 3,389,000 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 2,340,000 |
| 6 | United States of America | 1,936,000 |
| 7 | Mexico | 1,900,000 |
| 8 | Russia | 1,225,000 |
| 9 | Indonesia | 1,185,000 |
| 10 | Philippines | 1,170,000 |
| 11 | Australia | 1,020,000 |
| 12 | Turkey | 950,000 |
| 13 | France | 924,378 |
| 14 | South Africa | 910,000 |
| 15 | Egypt | 880,000 |
| 16 | Germany | 749,949 |
| 17 | Guatemala | 671,800 |
| 18 | Iran | 620,000 |
| 19 | Argentina | 600,000 |
| 20 | Peru | 540,000 |
| 21 | Cuba | 480,000 |
| 22 | Ukraine | 435,908 |
| 23 | Vietnam | 425,000 |
| 24 | Poland | 413,316 |
| 25 | Sudan | 375,000 |
| 26 | Kenya | 355,000 |
| 27 | El Salvador | 317,000 |
| 28 | Nicaragua | 295,000 |
| 29 | Eswatini | 280,000 |
| 30 | Ethiopia | 255,000 |
| 31 | Netherlands | 229,238 |
| 32 | Uganda | 222,000 |
| 33 | United Kingdom | 215,000 |
| 34 | Dominican Republic | 210,000 |
| 35 | Costa Rica | 200,000 |
| 36 | Honduras | 195,000 |
| 37 | Belarus | 177,658 |
| 38 | Colombia | 175,875 |
| 39 | Belize | 166,632 |
| 40 | Morocco | 158,000 |
| 41.5 | Ecuador | 145,000 |
| 41.5 | Zambia | 145,000 |
| 43 | Belgium | 142,000 |
| 44 | Zimbabwe | 129,131 |
| 45 | Spain | 124,000 |
| 46 | Bolivia | 112,000 |
| 47 | Venezuela | 100,000 |
| 48 | Mozambique | 99,000 |
| 49 | Tanzania | 97,295 |
| 50 | Malawi | 96,126 |
| 51 | Cambodia | 88,000 |
| 52 | Mauritius | 85,000 |
| 53 | Austria | 84,000 |
| 54 | Fiji | 83,000 |
| 55 | Denmark | 75,000 |
| 56 | Italy | 74,681 |
| 57 | Serbia | 73,000 |
| 58 | Japan | 72,000 |
| 59 | Guyana | 70,000 |
| 60.5 | Cote d Ivoire | 65,000 |
| 60.5 | Panama | 65,000 |
| 62 | Switzerland | 57,000 |
| 63 | Czechia | 56,000 |
| 64 | Paraguay | 52,000 |
| 65.5 | Bangladesh | 50,000 |
| 65.5 | Romania | 50,000 |
| 67 | Croatia | 48,000 |
| 68.5 | Chile | 45,000 |
| 68.5 | Nepal | 45,000 |
| 70 | Slovakia | 44,000 |
| 71 | Sweden | 43,906 |
| 72 | Laos | 43,495 |
| 73 | Angola | 43,000 |
| 74 | Senegal | 42,000 |
| 75 | Cameroon | 41,000 |
| 76.5 | Madagascar | 35,000 |
| 76.5 | Congo | 35,000 |
| 78 | Lithuania | 33,000 |
| 79 | Congo | 28,000 |
| 80 | Hungary | 27,000 |
| 81 | Mali | 26,000 |
| 82 | Jamaica | 25,000 |
| 83 | Moldova | 21,500 |
| 84 | Sri Lanka | 21,303 |
| 85 | Nigeria | 20,000 |
| 86 | Kazakhstan | 18,693 |
| 87 | Azerbaijan | 18,000 |
| 88 | Finland | 17,263 |
| 89 | Kyrgyzstan | 16,624 |
| 90 | Papua New Guinea | 13,149 |
| 91 | Niger | 12,580 |
| 92 | Burkina Faso | 12,500 |
| 93 | Myanmar | 11,990 |
| 94 | Chad | 11,613 |
| 95 | Guinea | 10,204 |
| 96 | Syria | 10,000 |
| 97 | Haiti | 9,127 |
| 98 | Canada | 9,000 |
| 99.5 | Gabon | 8,000 |
| 99.5 | China Taiwan | 8,000 |
| 101.5 | Burundi | 6,000 |
| 101.5 | Somalia | 6,000 |
| 103.5 | Tunisia | 5,000 |
| 103.5 | Uruguay | 5,000 |
| 105 | Barbados | 4,247 |
| 106 | Greece | 4,000 |
| 107 | Central African Republic | 3,748 |
| 108 | Rwanda | 3,725 |
| 109 | Turkmenistan | 3,713 |
| 110 | Sierra Leone | 3,464 |
| 111 | Benin | 2,857 |
| 112 | Liberia | 2,222 |
| 113 | Armenia | 2,054 |
| 114 | Suriname | 1,048 |
| 115 | Albania | 1,025 |
Data from United Nations FAO Stat