Avocados: Scooping out the numbers

The avocado, both nutrient dense and delicious, has long been a popular fruit. Whether they’re smashed up and spread onto toast, mixed into that perfect guacamole recipe (please share it with us!), or perhaps enjoyed on their own with a bit of salt and pepper, it seems Canadians can’t get enough of them.

Before we get too hungry, let’s scoop out the data.

Record imports in 2023 and trending higher for 2024

In 2023, Canada imported 110.3 million kilograms of avocados (fresh or dried), an all-time high since we started tracking the current data series in 1988. Most of them came from Mexico (94.8%), the world’s top exporter, while Peru (2.4%) and the Dominican Republic (0.9%) accounted for most of the remainder.

The 2023 haul was valued at $327.5 million, down from $351.6 million in 2022—a year which saw increased consumer inflation in Canada and around the world, as well as global supply-chain disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Canada imported far fewer avocados in 2022 (98.5 million kilograms), amid a smaller global export market driven downward by weather-related supply shortages in Mexico. In contrast, the Mexican supply recovered in 2023, pushing global exports back up.

In 2021, Canada imported 109.6 million kilograms of avocados, valued at $315.5 million. The 106.7 million kilograms of avocados imported in 2020 were nearly triple the amount imported a decade earlier (35.6 million kilograms).

From January to October 2024, imports stood at just under 94 million kilograms, which would be on pace to possibly break last year’s record. The import value so far this year is $355.1 million, on track to be considerably higher than in 2022 and set a new all-time high.