Sunflower Oil Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2021-2031

The Global Sunflower Oil Market will grow from USD 24.06 Billion in 2025 to USD 35.42 Billion by 2031 at a 6.66% CAGR. This non-volatile oil, derived from Helianthus annuus seeds, is extensively employed in both industrial and culinary applications due to its unsaturated fatty acid composition, high smoke point, and subtle taste. Key factors stimulating this growth include the recovering hospitality (HORECA) sector, which sustains strong demand for versatile edible oils, and the food processing industry's growing need for stable frying mediums. Furthermore, rising global consciousness regarding cardiovascular health is prompting a consumer shift toward low-cholesterol cooking alternatives.

However, market progression faces a substantial hurdle regarding supply chain exposure to geopolitical unrest in major production areas, leading to unpredictable raw material availability and price fluctuations. Such volatility poses procurement difficulties for large-scale refiners and importers who depend on stable inputs. Data from FEDIOL illustrates these constraints, reporting that sunflower seed crushing volumes across the United Kingdom and the European Union reached approximately 3.2 million tons between January and September 2025, a figure that underscores the impact of regional supply limitations on processing outputs.

Market Drivers

The global landscape for sunflower oil is being fundamentally reshaped by rising disposable incomes and rapid urbanization within emerging economies, establishing a strong consumption center in developing regions. As purchasing power grows in Africa and Asia, consumers are transitioning from unbranded, loose fats to premium, packaged edible oils, favoring sunflower oil for its versatility and perceived quality. This trend is especially prominent in major import markets like India, where urban growth aligns with increased procurement of soft oils. Highlighting this surging demand, the Solvent Extractors' Association of India reported in October 2025 that total vegetable oil imports jumped by 51% year-on-year in September 2025, reaching 1.64 million tons.

Concurrently, the market is driven by a worldwide pivot toward low-cholesterol and heart-healthy edible oils, a preference that maintains demand even when prices fluctuate. Health-focused consumers are increasingly opting for sunflower oil over high-saturated fats due to its Vitamin E content and rich unsaturated fatty acid profile, prompting nations to secure imports to satisfy domestic nutritional needs. Reflecting this resilience, the United States Department of Agriculture revised its global sunflower oil import forecast for the 2025/26 marketing year upward to 12.17 million tons in September 2025. This robust demand has tightened the market, as evidenced by the Food and Agriculture Organization’s November 2025 report, which noted that the Vegetable Oil Price Index climbed to 169.4 points in October 2025, with sunflower oil prices rising for the fourth straight month.

Market Challenges

A major obstacle hindering the Global Sunflower Oil Market is the supply chain's vulnerability to geopolitical instability, which triggers significant fluctuations in the pricing and availability of raw materials. This unpredictability interferes with the procurement strategies of key refiners who require steady feedstock volumes to ensure operational efficiency. When conflict or political unrest disrupts essential production regions, the resulting shortage of sunflower seeds compels processors to either suspend production lines or pay inflated costs. As a result, industry stakeholders often prioritize securing supply over expanding their business, thereby curtailing investment in market penetration and new product development.

This volatile atmosphere limits the industry's capacity to consistently satisfy global requirements, with raw material shortages clearly reflected in recent production data. According to the European Federation of Vegetable Oil Producers (FEDIOL), the European Union's sunflower seed harvest in 2025 totaled just 8.6 million tons, a volume deemed critical amidst ongoing supply chain disturbances. Such deficiencies in primary raw materials directly restrict the sector's processing capabilities, subsequently stalling revenue growth across the broader market.

Market Trends

The industry is witnessing a significant shift in production priorities driven by the growing demand for High-Oleic Sunflower Oil, particularly from the food service sector which requires frying mediums with extended shelf life and superior oxidative stability. This preference is creating a distinct market segmentation where high-oleic varieties attract substantial price premiums compared to standard linoleic oils, motivating crushers to focus on quality-segregated supply chains despite raw material scarcity. According to a February 2025 report by GrainTrade, exports of high-oleic oil from Ukraine fell by 52% to 57,000 tons during the first four months of the 2024/25 season; this reduction in supply immediately precipitated a sharp rise in global premiums.

Simultaneously, the market is experiencing an accelerated move toward Cold-Pressed and Premium Oils, as retail consumers increasingly favor high-quality, branded bottled products over generic or loose alternatives. This transition toward value-added goods is encouraging major processors to shift away from a strictly volume-based bulk commodity model and invest significantly in brand differentiation and bottling infrastructure to secure higher margins in the B2C sector. This strategic pivot is highlighted by Kernel Holding S.A., which reported in its January 2025 operations update that sales of bottled sunflower oil reached 26,000 tons in the second quarter of FY2025, underscoring the focus on expanding consumer-packaged volumes during periods of processing volatility.

Key Players Profiled in the Sunflower Oil Market

• Archer Daniels Midland Company
• Bunge Global SA
• Cargill, Incorporated
• AVRIL SCA
• Kaissa Oil
• Agamahil Natural Products Pvt Ltd.
• Risoil S.A.
• Gustav Heess Oleochemische Erzeugnisse GmbH
• MWC Group
• Kevala International LLC

Report Scope

In this report, the Global Sunflower Oil Market has been segmented into the following categories:

Sunflower Oil Market, by Type:

• Linoleic Oil
• Mid-oleic Oil
• High-oleic Oil

Sunflower Oil Market, by Application:

• Food
• Biofuels
• Personal Care

Sunflower Oil Market, by Distribution Channel:

• Online
• Offline

Sunflower Oil Market, by Region:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia-Pacific
• South America
• Middle East & Africa

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Global Sunflower Oil Market.

Available Customization

The analyst offers customization according to your specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:

• Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five).

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