Fireworks Made in China

As we prepare to light up the skies on New Year's Eve, have you ever wondered where all those dazzling fireworks come from? Given the country’s status as the world’s leading exporter of pretty much anything, it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that most of our fireworks are also made in China. Add to that the fact that firecrackers and gunpowder originated in China and the answer is even more obvious.

According to UN Comtrade data, the country accounts for the vast majority of global pyrotechnic exports, fueling celebrations from Sydney to San Francisco. With more than 360,000 metric tons of fireworks worth roughly 1 billion exported from China in 2023, the country shipped roughly the same amount of pyrotechnics overseas than the next five largest exporters combined. That includes the Netherlands, Germany, Czechia, Poland and Cambodia, who exported roughly 37,000 metric tons combined in 2023.

The largest importer of fireworks by far is the United States. The country imported more than 120,000 metric tons of fireworks in 2023, 98 percent of which came from China.