Global blueberry production spanned 2.7 million harvested acres in 2022. The industry's value reached $9.6 billion the following year, driven by rising demand and precise cold-chain logistics.
Key Takeaways
- 2.7 million acres of blueberries were harvested globally (fresh and processing) in 2022
- Mexico produced 492 million pounds of blueberries in 2022
- Peru produced 444 million pounds of blueberries in 2022
- South Africa blueberry production increased to 26,000 metric tons in 2022
- Morocco blueberry production increased to 12,000 metric tons in 2022
- Egypt blueberry production increased to 80,000 metric tons in 2022
- 71% of respondents in a 2019 consumer study said they buy berries for health reasons
- In 2020, US households purchased blueberries in 18.4% of shopping trips (grocery)
- Blueberries provide 289 mg of anthocyanins per 100 grams (reported range in peer-reviewed summaries)
- Typical postharvest storage temperature for blueberries is 0°C to 1°C to maintain quality
- Blueberries are commonly stored at 90–95% relative humidity during cold storage
- In 2019, the average US wage for farmworkers was about $14.00 per hour (BLS series; impacts blueberry labor costs)
- US diesel fuel prices for farms averaged $4.20 per gallon in 2022 (USDA data series)
- US electricity prices for farms were $0.14 per kWh in 2022 (USDA data series)
Global blueberry production topped 2.7 million acres in 2022, with major growers like Mexico and Peru leading.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size20 stats
01
2.7 million acres of blueberries were harvested globally (fresh and processing) in 2022https://www.worldagriculture.org/articles/global-blueberry-production-facts-and-figures-2022
02
Mexico produced 492 million pounds of blueberries in 2022https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/
03
Peru produced 444 million pounds of blueberries in 2022https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/
04
Chile produced 355 million pounds of blueberries in 2022https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/
05
Canada produced 266 million pounds of blueberries in 2022https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/
06
Spain produced 276 million pounds of blueberries in 2022https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/
07
Poland produced 203 million pounds of blueberries in 2022https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/
08
Egypt produced 177 million pounds of blueberries in 2022https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/
09
China produced 226 million pounds of blueberries in 2022https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/
10
Germany imported 120,000 metric tons of blueberries in 2023https://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow/Import/277/826/0/2023
11
Netherlands imported 115,000 metric tons of blueberries in 2023https://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow/Import/277/528/0/2023
12
Belgium imported 62,000 metric tons of blueberries in 2023https://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow/Import/277/056/0/2023
13
France imported 74,000 metric tons of blueberries in 2023https://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow/Import/277/250/0/2023
14
UK imported 59,000 metric tons of blueberries in 2023https://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow/Import/277/826/0/2023
15
US blueberry exports totaled $589 million in 2023https://apps.bea.gov/iTable/?ReqID=70&step=2&isuri=1&ukey=44&F=1&filename=U.S.%20International%20Trade%20in%20Goods%20and%20Services%20by%20Commodity
16
US blueberry imports totaled $2.1 billion in 2023https://apps.bea.gov/iTable/?ReqID=70&step=2&isuri=1&ukey=44&F=1&filename=U.S.%20International%20Trade%20in%20Goods%20and%20Services%20by%20Commodity
17
Global blueberry market size was $9.6 billion in 2023 (fresh and frozen blueberries)https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/02/08/2817402/0/en/Blueberries-Market-Size-is-9-6-Billion-in-2023-and-is-Expected-to-Reach-15-1-Billion-by-2032.html
18
Global frozen blueberry market size was $7.1 billion in 2023https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/frozen-blueberries-market-173222669.html
19
Global blueberry consumption reached 1.6 million metric tons in 2022https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/
20
Spain’s blueberry exports totaled 95,000 metric tons in 2022https://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow/Export/277/724/0/2022
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
With global blueberry production reaching about 2.7 million acres harvested in 2022 and consumption hitting 1.6 million metric tons, the trade picture is also clearly expanding as US imports rose to $2.1 billion in 2023 while the global market grew to $9.6 billion and frozen alone reached $7.1 billion.
02 · Category
Industry Trends13 stats
01
South Africa blueberry production increased to 26,000 metric tons in 2022https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/
02
Morocco blueberry production increased to 12,000 metric tons in 2022https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/
03
Egypt blueberry production increased to 80,000 metric tons in 2022https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/
04
China blueberry production increased to 102,000 metric tons in 2022https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/
05
Turkey blueberry production increased to 15,000 metric tons in 2022https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/
06
Thailand blueberry production was 2,900 metric tons in 2022https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/
07
Philippines blueberry production was 3,100 metric tons in 2022https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/
08
Vietnam blueberry production was 1,200 metric tons in 2022https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/
09
Australia blueberry production reached 11,000 metric tons in 2022https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/
10
New Zealand blueberry production reached 4,500 metric tons in 2022https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/
11
In a 2018 study, blueberry polyphenols increased insulin sensitivity markers by 9% in adults with metabolic risk (study-reported outcome)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29603169/
12
In a 2016 randomized controlled trial, participants consumed 200 g of blueberries daily for 8 weeks and showed a 13% improvement in LDL particle size (study outcome)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27240274/
13
A 2012 meta-analysis found that berry consumption reduced systolic blood pressure by about 3–5 mmHg in some populations (study outcome range)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22503728/
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In 2022, Egypt led blueberry production with 80,000 metric tons and China followed at 102,000, and across related research blueberry intake has been linked with measurable health benefits such as a 9% rise in insulin sensitivity markers and a 3 to 5 mmHg drop in systolic blood pressure.
03 · Category
User Adoption2 stats
01
71% of respondents in a 2019 consumer study said they buy berries for health reasonshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6511790/
02
In 2020, US households purchased blueberries in 18.4% of shopping trips (grocery)https://www.statista.com/statistics/271979/households-that-buy-blueberries-in-the-us/
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
In a 2019 consumer study, 71% of respondents said they buy berries for health reasons, and that motivation appears to show up in 2020 when US households purchased blueberries in 18.4% of grocery shopping trips.
More related reading
04 · Category
Performance Metrics14 stats
01
Blueberries provide 289 mg of anthocyanins per 100 grams (reported range in peer-reviewed summaries)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4820222/
02
Typical postharvest storage temperature for blueberries is 0°C to 1°C to maintain qualityhttps://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/FNR/FNR-536-W.pdf
03
Blueberries are commonly stored at 90–95% relative humidity during cold storagehttps://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/FNR/FNR-536-W.pdf
04
Blueberry shelf life can be extended to about 7–14 days under commercial refrigeration (0–1°C)https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/FNR/FNR-536-W.pdf
05
Blueberry freezing protocols commonly use blast freezing to quickly reduce core temperature to -18°C or lowerhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK424006/
06
Blueberry firmness is often managed via cultivar selection; firmness is commonly measured in Newtons in postharvest studieshttps://journals.ashs.org/hortsci/view/journals/hortsci/51/10/article-p1436.xml
07
Blueberry total soluble solids typically fall in the range of 9–16° Brix at harvest across studieshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814619302178
08
Blueberries have water content around 84–88% by weighthttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814616301597
09
Blueberries have pH around 3.0–3.5 depending on maturityhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814619302178
10
Titratable acidity of blueberries is commonly reported around 0.6–1.2% (as citric acid) in harvest analyseshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814619302178
11
In blueberry postharvest research, controlled-atmosphere (CA) storage can extend marketable life by ~7 days vs. air under similar temperatures (study outcome)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814618300314
12
A CA approach for blueberries often uses reduced O2 (around 5 kPa) and elevated CO2 (around 10 kPa) in research protocolshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814614000474
13
Blueberry anthocyanin content is commonly measured in mg/100g; in cultivars like Duke it can be around 300 mg/100g (study-reported)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21966035/
14
In a shelf-life study, blueberries in MAP with 20% CO2 retained appearance quality for about 10 days at 0–1°Chttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814617300584
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
At typical cold storage of 0 to 1°C, blueberries can keep their quality for about 7 to 14 days, and studies suggest that controlled atmosphere conditions around 5 kPa O2 and 10 kPa CO2 can add roughly 7 more days while maintaining key compounds like 289 mg of anthocyanins per 100 grams.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis10 stats
01
In 2019, the average US wage for farmworkers was about $14.00per hour (BLS series; impacts blueberry labor costs)https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes450000.htm
02
US diesel fuel prices for farms averaged $4.20per gallon in 2022 (USDA data series)https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/commodity-costs-and-returns.aspx
03
US electricity prices for farms were $0.14per kWh in 2022 (USDA data series)https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/commodity-costs-and-returns/
04
Irrigation water for blueberries typically requires 1.5–2.5 acre-feet per acre per season depending on region and rainfallhttps://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B%201%2000%200%206
05
Cool storage for blueberries uses refrigeration setpoints near 0–1°C, which increases energy use and costshttps://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/FNR/FNR-536-W.pdf
06
Cold-chain logistics costs for exports depend on shipping; typical refrigerated container (reefer) freight charges vary by route but are often hundreds to thousands of USD per shipmenthttps://unctad.org/statistics/market-report-container-shipping
07
In a cold chain study, maintaining 0°C instead of 5°C reduced weight loss by about 30% for fresh berries during storage (study outcome)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814614000474
08
Waste and spoilage from poor refrigeration can increase costs due to downgrading; postharvest loss reduction improves economic outcome (study shows 20–40% less losses with proper cooling)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814618300314
09
A typical blueberry picking rate for workers can be about 4–6 pounds per hour depending on experience and berry size (field studies)https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.13031/2013.21018
10
Packout yields: percent of berries passing visual grade can exceed 85% with good harvest handlinghttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814619302178
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
With labor around $14.00 per hour in 2019 and farm energy costs of about $0.14 per kWh plus heavy cold storage demand, even small cooling differences matter, since keeping berries near 0°C rather than 5°C can cut weight loss by about 30% and reduce total losses by roughly 20% to 40%.
Reference
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APA
Marie Larsen. (2026, February 13). Blueberry Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/blueberry-industry-statistics
MLA
Marie Larsen. "Blueberry Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/blueberry-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Marie Larsen. 2026. "Blueberry Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/blueberry-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
31 datasets cited across this report
+14 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)