This Country Produces The Most Pomegranates In The World

Pomegranates are a seriously underrated fruit. This ruby red gem is delicious and tart — tasting great by itself, in drinks like Ina Garten's festive holiday batch cocktail, and even in savory dishes.

Whether you like to eat pomegranates as is or use them in cooking, you can thank one country for producing mass amounts of pomegranates: India. India single-handedly leads pomegranate production, producing 2.4 million metric tons of pomegranates each year. In comparison to other countries, India produces nearly double the amount of pomegranates than any other country in the world.

India has been a consistent leader in pomegranate production thanks to its hot climate, which has proven to be ideal for producing not only pomegranates but other fruits, too. India also happens to be the country that produces the most bananas for similar reasons. As such, this means that the pomegranates you grab from the store are more than likely exported from India's crop.

Part of what makes India's pomegranate production so high is the fact that the fruit is grown year-round, making the exports continuous. Most of the pomegranates from India are produced in a state known as Maharashtra, which makes a majority of India's exported pomegranates. Several varieties of pomegranates are grown here and throughout India, such as Ganesh and Arakta pomegranates.

Outside of India, pomegranates are also grown in other countries throughout the Middle East and Asia. Major pomegranate-producing countries include Egypt, China, Iran, and more. There is also some production in Europe from Spain and Turkey, as well as some additional production in countries outside of Eurasia, like Peru and Israel. These do not contribute nearly as heavily as the countries located in Asia and the Middle East.

Out of all of these countries, China and Iran are the only countries besides India to produce more than a million metric tons of pomegranates per year. China produces roughly 1.6 million tons of pomegranates annually, with Iran following closely behind with 1.1 million metric tons. From there, production drastically drops to 559,000 metric tons and 380,000 metric tons from Turkey and Egypt, respectively.