Which Country Produces The Most Lemons In The World?

Growing up in Southern California, I was accustomed to seeing lemon trees everywhere. Almost all of the homes I spent time in — my own, my family's, my friend's — had at least one lemon tree growing in their yards. In my mind, no other place in the world could possibly grow as many lemons as the Golden State. As it turns out, the number of tart, yellow citrus fruits that come out of California positively pales in comparison to India, the country that produces the most lemons in the entire world.

In 2022, India grew 3.78 billion kilograms of lemons (over 8.3 billion pounds). For comparison's sake, in 2024, 1.6 billion pounds of lemons were harvested in the state of California. In fact, the United States ranks as the 7th highest producer of lemons on the globe. After India, Mexico, China, Argentina, and Brazil round out the top five lemon growers. Of course, India doesn't utilize all of its lemon haul, even as large as the country is. In 2023, the most populated country in the world exported nearly 11 million kilograms (24.25 million pounds) of lemons to outside countries, which mostly included Nepal, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bhutan, Kuwait, Qatar, and Iraq.

While many think of lemons strictly as culinary ingredients for recipes such as lemon mug cake, or for brightening up the flavor of chicken soup, let's not forget that the lovely lemon is used to make things like cosmetics and essential oils, as well as cleaning products and disinfectants.

Interestingly enough, some other countries in the world that are equated with lemons are not listed as top producers of the fruit on a global scale. For example, the sun-drenched Amalfi Coast and Sorrento, Italy, are famously equated with the lemons and the lemon products produced there (like limoncello, which doesn't spoil easily). Yet, Italy didn't make the top 10 list of growers. Lemons are a highly important flavoring ingredient in Greek cuisine, but the Mediterranean country also did not make the list.

The types of lemons grown in different countries can also greatly vary. In India, common lemon varietals include Nepali oblong, Nepali round, rough lemons, and Assam lemons. Eureka lemons, which are equated with California due to the fact that they were developed in Los Angeles, are also grown there. They are also plentiful in Mexico, the second largest lemon producer in the world. In addition, the Italian Genoa lemon is grown in India, as is the popular Meyer lemon, which was originally discovered in China, the world's third largest lemon grower.