3.1. World Table Date Production
Table dates(*) are the most produced dried fruit worldwide after dried grapes. Their production totaled over 1 M MT in the 2022/23 season (Figure 15).
(*)u00a0Dates that have been packaged and presented for sale as such. They account for about 15% of global production of raw dates. Dates consumed in bulk and those destined for processing are not included.
Table dates are mainly produced in the Middle East and Northern Africa. Saudi Arabia was, on average, (2018/19-2022/23) the top producing country, followed by Iran, the UAE, Tunisia and Egypt (Figure 16).
