International trade
India exports the most salt of any country, transporting over 13 billion kilograms in 2022. The United States was the leading importer of salt worldwide that year, where it is used in industrial applications within sectors such as pharmaceuticals, agriculture and livestock, and chemical productions.The United States imported about 18 million metric tons of salt in 2022, a slight decrease from the year before. As of 2022, the price of vacuum and open pan salt in the United States was estimated to stand at 230 U.S. dollars per ton, while the price of solar salt amounted to approximately 130 U.S. dollars per ton during the same year.
Global salt consumption
Americans' have been eating less salt since 2014, when there was a peak of a reported 55.6 million metric tons. Consumers in the U.S. tend to limit their food intake based on artificial sweeteners, sugar, or artificial preservatives rather than salt. However, reports have shown that diets high in sodium do have some health risks, such as high blood pressure, stroke, or heart failure. Other countries have a higher reported per capita consumption of salt than the United States. The estimated average adult salt intake equivalent in China amounted to about 17.7 grams per day.
