The European Union's fruit import bill reached $77.42 billion in 2025, a 20% increase from 2024, according to a report by agricultural trade data firm Fluctuante.
Key Facts
- Up 9% from 2024, fresh bananas led all categories at $7.65 billion, with Ecuador as top supplier.
- Fresh avocado imports rose 11% to $5.09 billion, led by top supplier Peru.
- Shelled almonds posted the sharpest growth of any category, up 47%, led by the United States.
Fluctuante is a trade data intelligence firm based in Peru. It tied the import growth to a consumer base of more than 440 million people who need a steady supply of fruit year-round.
Domestic production alone doesn't cover that demand.
The EU's size also raises the bar for suppliers. Exporters have to clear strict standards for food safety, traceability, and quality.
The Netherlands, Germany, and France work as the logistics hubs that move fruit on to the rest of the continent.
EU Fruit Imports Led by Bananas, Avocados, and Grapes
Fresh bananas topped the list at $7.65 billion, up 9% and equal to 10% of the bloc's total fruit import value. Close to 70% of that supply came from Latin America, and Ecuador led all suppliers.
Fresh avocados ranked second at $5.09 billion, up 11% and 7% of the total. Peru held the top supplier spot, a position it has kept on the strength of consistent volume and fruit quality.
Third place went to fresh grapes, which brought in $4.98 billion, up 16% from 2024 and equal to 6% of the bloc's total fruit import value.
Italy led the category, driven by demand for seedless varieties and by lower harvests elsewhere in southern Europe.
Chart: EU fruit import growth by category, 2025. Almonds posted the sharpest year-over-year increase of the top five categories at 47%, well ahead of blueberries at 22% and grapes at 16%. Bananas, the largest category by dollar value, grew the slowest of the five at 9%.
Health Trends Drive the Sharpest Growth in Almonds and Blueberries
Shelled almonds posted the fastest growth of any category tracked, up 47% to $3.19 billion.
The category is still just 4% of the bloc's total fruit import value, but the growth rate outpaced every other category by a wide margin. Demand for plant-based foods, healthy snacks, and baking ingredients drove the increase.
The United States remained the top supplier, led by California.
Fresh blueberries grew 22% to $3.91 billion, or 5% of the total. Peru again led all suppliers, backed by expanding growing regions in the north of the country and by the popularity of varieties like Ventura.
Even Smaller Categories Show the EU Still Needs Imports Year-Round
The rest of the bloc's top ten fruit imports came in well below the leaders:
- Oranges: $3.10 billion, the sixth-largest category
- Kiwifruit: $2.96 billion
- Apples: $2.74 billion
- Lemons: $2.62 billion
- Strawberries: $2.29 billion
Fluctuante's report did not include a year-over-year growth rate for any of the five.
