Sugar industry in the UK - statistics & facts

Sugar in the UK is produced from sugar beets. Only sugar beets and sugar cane have a sufficient amount of sucrose for industrial sugar production. The British accelerated the spread of the sugar beet in Europe by blocking sugar cane imports into Europe during the Napoleonic wars. In 2022, the UK produced over six million tons of sugar beets. Originally the Germans were the first to cultivate and grow the plant after discovering the sugar content in beets. The wider UK industry that manufactures sugar generates sales of 830 million British pounds. Wholesalers selling sugar, sugar confectionery, and chocolate in the UK made over 8.5 billion British pounds in sales.

Sugar production

The United Kingdom has historically been one of the largest sugar beet producers in the world. Fields in the country were tied with fields in France in past years for the third highest yield of sugar beets per hectare in Europe. The sugar beets that the UK produced were worth 223 million British pounds in 2022 and was turned into just under a million metric tons of sugar in the previous year.

Sugar consumption

Sugar is almost always consumed as an ingredient in food products where it is used as a sweetener. Consumers in the UK spent 13.41 billion British pounds on sugar, sugar confectionery and ice cream in 2022. Average weekly spending on sugar and preserves amounted to an all-time high of 25 pence in 2020/21. This comes as no surprise, as the prices of sugar and confectionary products have been increasing over the past years. As of March 2023, the consumer index value of sugar and confectionery was measured at a record high of 124.4 points.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Emma Bedford, Dec 20, 2023

Key insights

Sales from the manufacture of sugar
840m GBP
Annual turnover of sugar, chocolate, and sugar confectionery wholesalers
8.52bn GBP
Gross value added of sugar, chocolate, and sugar confectionery wholesalers
1.3bn GBP
Get more insights

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Leading sugar beet producers worldwide in 2022, based on production volume (in million metric tons)

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Consumer spending on sugar, confectionery and ice-cream in the United Kingdom from 2011 to 2022 (in million GBP)*

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Sugar, confectionery and ice-cream: Expenditure in the United Kingdom 2011-2022

Average purchase per person per week of sugar and preserves in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2006 to 2018/19 (in grams)

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United Kingdom: Weekly UK household consumption of sugar and preserves 2006-2018/19

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