Gingerbreads are a Polish export hit in Europe and the world. Poland ranks 3rd in the world (after Canada and Germany) on the list of the world’s largest exporters of gingerbread and similar ingredients, reports the Polish Economic Institute (PIE).

According to ITC data, in 2022 Poland made up 11 % of the world’s gingerbread exports. According to the Central Statistical Office, in 2022 gingerbread made up around 1.8 % of the value of Polish exports of bakery and pastry products. Poland exported 14,200 tonnes of gingerbread worth nearly €44 million. In volume terms, this was over 8% more than a year earlier, while in value terms, it was 24.5% more on an annual basis.

Like other bakery and confectionery products, gingerbread also proved to be resilient to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Compared to 2019, there was a 31 % increase in the volume of sales of these products abroad, and in value terms by as much as 55 %.

In the ten months of 2023, exports of these baked goods were lower compared to the same period last year. The value of exports amounted to €30.6 million and was 12.2 % lower than a year earlier, while the export volume amounted to 7.2 thousand tonnes, down by around 35 % year-on-year.

Between January and October 2023, Polish gingerbread was purchased by customers from more than 50 countries. The most important markets were European Union (EU) countries, including Germany (as much as 57.2 % share in the value of Polish exports of this type of products). It was followed by the Czech Republic (5.3 %), Hungary (4.3 %) and Slovakia (4 %).

Outside the EU, the largest recipients were Russia (8.6 %), the UK (2.1 %) and the USA (2 %). Some Asian and Middle Eastern countries were also among the buyers.

PIE is a state-owned economic think tank. Its research areas are mainly macroeconomics, energy and climate, foreign trade, economic foresight, digital economy and behavioural economics.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński