Over the last decade total production of oils and fats has grown by 54%. Production of the major oils, derived from palm, soybean, rapeseed and sunflowerseed, grew by 73% and accounted for 93% of the increase in world output of all oils and fats.

Over this period, the production growth rates for the 17 major oils and fats varied considerably. Within the major vegetable oils, palm oil and palm kernel oil expanded by 117% and 99%, respectively, soybean oil by 54%, rapeseed by 63% and sunflower by 34%. Production of animal fats showed significantly lower growth at 12%, primarily due to their being by-products from processes serving other, slower-growing markets and marine oil production has reduced materially. The combined share of world production held by palm oil and palm kernel oil increased from 23% in 2000 to 30% in 2010.

Production of oils and fats totalled 172.1 million tonnes in calendar 2010 of which palm oil and soybean production were respectively 45.9 million tonnes and 40.2 tonnes, thus together accounting for 50% of the total. Production of palm oil has grown faster than that of any other oil or fat and overtook soybean as the most produced oil in 2005.

Oil palm, oilseed rape and sunflower are the vegetable oil crops grown for their oil content and production of these has responded more directly to the changes in world demand for oils and fats. For the other major vegetable oil crop, soybean, the oil is produced as a by-product to soybean meal, a product that is directed at the world protein market.