A medium pear (about 178 grams) contains roughly 17 grams of sugar and 101 calories. That puts it in the same range as a large orange (17.2 grams) and slightly above a banana (15.4 grams). If you’re slicing your pear into a cup instead of eating it whole, you’ll get about 16 grams of sugar.
What Types of Sugar Are in a Pear
Not all fruit sugars are identical, and pears have an unusual profile. The dominant sugar in a ripe pear is fructose, which accounts for roughly half or more of the total sugar content. Glucose is present in smaller amounts, and sucrose (table sugar) appears only in trace levels. Pears also contain sorbitol, a sugar alcohol that occurs naturally in the fruit and contributes a mild sweetness. Sorbitol is the reason pears can sometimes cause bloating or digestive discomfort if you eat several at once, particularly for people sensitive to sugar alcohols.
The high fructose-to-glucose ratio is worth knowing if you have fructose malabsorption. Fruits with roughly equal fructose and glucose tend to be better tolerated, while “excess fructose” fruits like pears can trigger gas or cramping in sensitive individuals.
Why 17 Grams of Sugar Isn’t the Whole Story
A medium pear packs 6 grams of dietary fiber, one of the highest fiber counts among common fruits. That fiber changes how your body processes the sugar. Instead of a rapid spike in blood glucose, the fiber slows digestion and creates a more gradual rise.
This shows up clearly in glycemic measurements. A raw pear has a glycemic index of 38, which falls in the low category (anything under 55 is considered low). Its glycemic load, a more practical measure that factors in actual serving size, is just 4. For comparison, a glycemic load under 10 is considered low, so a pear sits comfortably in that range. Low-glycemic foods produce smaller, more sustained increases in blood sugar and place less demand on insulin production.
Research from Oregon State University’s Linus Pauling Institute has found that fiber content can be a better predictor of how a food actually affects blood sugar than published glycemic index values alone. In other words, pears’ generous fiber does real, measurable work in blunting the effect of those 17 grams of sugar.
Pears Compared to Other Fruits
Pears land in the middle of the pack for sugar content among popular fruits. Here’s how they compare:
- Banana: 15.4 grams of sugar
- Pear (medium): 17 grams of sugar
- Orange (large): 17.2 grams of sugar
- Apple (large): 25.1 grams of sugar
Apples often get a health halo, but a large apple actually contains about 8 more grams of sugar than a medium pear. Both fruits offer substantial fiber that helps moderate blood sugar response, but pears deliver their sweetness with a lighter sugar load per serving. Bananas come in slightly lower on sugar, though they have less fiber and a higher glycemic index than pears.
Sugar Varies by Size and Variety
The 17-gram figure is based on a standard medium pear. A small pear will have closer to 13 or 14 grams, while a large Anjou or Comice pear can push past 20. Bartlett pears tend to be the sweetest common variety, while Bosc pears are firmer with a slightly more subdued sweetness, though actual sugar content across varieties doesn’t differ dramatically.
Ripeness matters too. As a pear ripens, its starch converts to sugar and its fructose levels climb. A rock-hard pear pulled straight from cold storage will taste less sweet and contain slightly less available sugar than one that’s been sitting on your counter for a few days. The total carbohydrate content doesn’t change much, but the proportion that registers as sugar on a nutrition label increases as the fruit softens.
Canned pears are a different situation entirely. Pears packed in heavy syrup can contain 30 grams of sugar or more per serving, nearly double the amount in a fresh pear. If you buy canned, choosing pears packed in water or their own juice keeps the sugar content closer to fresh.