Overall, the value of globally exported butter increased by an average 16% for all exporting countries since 2018 when butter shipments were valued at $8.2 billion.
Year over year, the value of exported butter accelerated by 24.1% compared to $7.67 billion during 2021.
The top 5 most lucrative exporters of this food spread are Ireland, New Zealand, Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Collectively, that cohort of major dairy product exporters sold over two-thirds (67.9%) of the world’s exported butter during 2022.
Among continents, suppliers in Europe sold the highest dollar worth of exported butter during 2022 with shipments valued at $7.13 billion or three-quarters (75%) of the global total. In second place was Oceania mostly New Zealand and Australia at 17.4%.
Smaller percentages originated from shippers in Asia (3.2%), North America (2.5%), Latin America (1.7%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Africa (0.2%).
For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix for butter is 040510. That code prefix excludes dehydrated butter and ghee. The term ghee means clarified butter (fat) made from the milk of a buffalo or cow and is commonly used in South Asian cooking.
Butter Exports by Country
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of butter during 2022.
- Ireland: US$1.7 billion (17.9% of total butter exports)
- New Zealand: $1.6 billion (16.8%)
- Netherlands: $1.56 billion (16.4%)
- Belgium: $810.9 million (8.5%)
- Germany: $782 million (8.2%)
- France: $606.7 million (6.4%)
- Poland: $485.5 million (5.1%)
- Denmark: $346.7 million (3.6%)
- United States: $241.2 million (2.5%)
- United Kingdom: $207.4 million (2.2%)
- Finland: $171.9 million (1.8%)
- Uruguay: $90.1 million (0.9%)
- Italy: $87.8 million (0.9%)
- India: $87.5 million (0.9%)
- Ukraine: $73.6 million (0.8%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 93.1% of worldwide butter exports in 2022.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing exporters of butter since 2021 were: India (up 145.4%), Poland (up 107.3%), Uruguay (up 83.7%) and Ukraine (up 69.3%).
Italy was the only major supplier to record a decline in its international sales of butter via a -1.1% drop compared to 2021.
Countries Earning Best Trade Surpluses from Butter
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for butter during 2022. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s exported butter and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- Ireland: US$1.7 billion (net export surplus up 40% since 2021)
- New Zealand: $1.6 billion (up 37%)
- Netherlands: $712.4 million (up 32%)
- Poland: $361.8 million (up 156.1%)
- Denmark: $273 million (up 14.2%)
- Belgium: $215.7 million (up 34.4%)
- Finland: $169.3 million (up 18.8%)
- India: $86.5 million (up 150.7%)
- Uruguay: $83.5 million (up 80.9%)
- Ukraine: $68.3 million (up 572.3%)
- Türkiye: $59.2 million (up 666.4%)
- Argentina: $49 million (down -22.1%)
- Iran: $36.5 million (up 171.3%)
- Belarus: $25.6 million (down -93.6%)
- Portugal: $23.6 million (down -57.9%)
Ireland and New Zealand generated billion-dollar surpluses in the international trade of butter. In turn, these positive cashflows confirm both countries’ strong competitive advantages for this specific product category.
Countries Incurring Worst Trade Deficits from Butter
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for butter during 2022. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s imported butter purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- France: -US$757.2 million (net export deficit up 96.4% since 2021)
- mainland China: -$655.1 million (up 34.6%)
- United States of America: -$201.9 million (up 18.3%)
- Saudi Arabia: -$200.2 million (up 52.6%)
- Canada: -$163.9 million (up 62.1%)
- South Korea: -$160.1 million (up 35.3%)
- Italy: -$142 million (up 69.5%)
- Indonesia: -$134.5 million (up 75.9%)
- Australia: -$134 million (up 190.1%)
- Bahrain: -$132.4 million (up 157.6%)
- Russia: -$128 million (down -75.2%)
- Czech Republic: -$125.7 million (up 15.7%)
- Taiwan: -$125.4 million (up 31.4%)
- Spain: -$106.1 million (up 72.2%)
- Romania: -$100.7 million (up 23.5%)
France and mainland China incurred the highest deficits in the international trade of butter. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights both countries’ competitive disadvantages for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for butter-supplying countries to help satisfy the powerful demand.
Butter Exporting Companies
Below are global butter-producing cooperatives and multi-national dairy companies. Shown within parenthesis is the city and country where the headquarters for each business is located.
- Arla Foods (Viby, Denmark)
- Fonterra (Auckland, New Zealand)
- Lactalis (Laval, France)
- Müller (Fischach, Germany)
- Parmalat (Collecchio, Italy)
- Zott (Mertingen,Germany)
Searchable List of Butter Exporting Countries in 2022
The 100 countries showcased in the automated database below accounted for 99.999% of all butter exported during 2022.
Rank | Exporter | Butter Exports | 2021-2 |
---|---|---|---|
1. | Ireland | $1,702,318,000 | +35.8% |
2. | New Zealand | $1,602,201,000 | +37% |
3. | Netherlands | $1,558,450,000 | +24.1% |
4. | Belgium | $810,902,000 | +29.1% |
5. | Germany | $782,015,000 | +22.4% |
6. | France | $606,694,000 | +20% |
7. | Poland | $485,476,000 | +107.3% |
8. | Denmark | $346,659,000 | +16.7% |
9. | United States | $241,200,000 | +36.5% |
10. | United Kingdom | $207,386,000 | +26.5% |
11. | Finland | $171,864,000 | +18.8% |
12. | Uruguay | $90,087,000 | +83.7% |
13. | Italy | $87,836,000 | -1.1% |
14. | India | $87,460,000 | +145.4% |
15. | Ukraine | $73,552,000 | +69.3% |
16. | Türkiye | $67,647,000 | +319.7% |
17. | Spain | $55,135,000 | +16.6% |
18. | Australia | $52,425,000 | -44% |
19. | Argentina | $50,596,000 | -20.2% |
20. | Portugal | $49,944,000 | -33% |
21. | Iran | $36,535,000 | +127.1% |
22. | Austria | $33,488,000 | +24.6% |
23. | Lithuania | $26,960,000 | +11.1% |
24. | Kazakhstan | $25,622,000 | +39.2% |
25. | Belarus | $25,554,000 | -93.6% |
26. | Czech Republic | $23,074,000 | +87.8% |
27. | Luxembourg | $18,409,000 | +72.4% |
28. | Armenia | $17,611,000 | +2058% |
29. | Kyrgyzstan | $15,946,000 | +1.5% |
30. | Sweden | $12,651,000 | +4.7% |
31. | Azerbaijan | $9,430,000 | +632.1% |
32. | Singapore | $9,120,000 | +24.7% |
33. | South Africa | $8,486,000 | +11.1% |
34. | Russia | $8,291,000 | -35.8% |
35. | Slovakia | $7,761,000 | +16.5% |
36. | Costa Rica | $7,378,000 | -12.5% |
37. | Estonia | $7,236,000 | +67.5% |
38. | China | $6,309,000 | +35.7% |
39. | Malaysia | $6,306,000 | -17% |
40. | Paraguay | $6,236,000 | +1762% |
41. | Norway | $6,079,000 | +202533% |
42. | Saudi Arabia | $5,973,000 | -79.9% |
43. | Hong Kong | $5,546,000 | -12.8% |
44. | Bulgaria | $5,254,000 | +117% |
45. | Brazil | $5,183,000 | +111.2% |
46. | Croatia | $5,068,000 | +26.6% |
47. | Uganda | $4,670,000 | +758.5% |
48. | Latvia | $4,325,000 | +91.6% |
49. | Romania | $3,759,000 | +36.4% |
50. | Greece | $2,853,000 | +39.4% |
51. | Thailand | $2,148,000 | +75.5% |
52. | Serbia | $2,127,000 | +13.7% |
53. | Hungary | $1,908,000 | +9.1% |
54. | United Arab Emirates | $1,727,000 | -77.9% |
55. | Bolivia | $1,263,000 | +75.4% |
56. | Colombia | $1,140,000 | -72.5% |
57. | Uzbekistan | $1,029,000 | +63.9% |
58. | Slovenia | $1,006,000 | +61.7% |
59. | Bahrain | $882,000 | -66.8% |
60. | Pakistan | $846,000 | +445.8% |
61. | Chile | $798,000 | 0% |
62. | Ghana | $597,000 | -57.6% |
63. | Egypt | $581,000 | +252.1% |
64. | Iceland | $498,000 | -54.2% |
65. | Georgia | $445,000 | +183.4% |
66. | Dominican Republic | $419,000 | +255.1% |
67. | Indonesia | $368,000 | -28.1% |
68. | Jordan | $356,000 | +1128% |
69. | Tunisia | $340,000 | -68.8% |
70. | Philippines | $322,000 | +45% |
71. | Japan | $278,000 | -26.1% |
72. | Angola | $243,000 | +452.3% |
73. | Algeria | $242,000 | +236.1% |
74. | El Salvador | $226,000 | +78% |
75. | Lebanon | $221,000 | +3583% |
76. | Kenya | $207,000 | -56.1% |
77. | Namibia | $200,000 | -51.5% |
78. | Mauritius | $186,000 | +18500% |
79. | Switzerland | $165,000 | -91% |
80. | Kuwait | $144,000 | -85.1% |
81. | Morocco | $142,000 | +22.4% |
82. | Jamaica | $136,000 | +1260% |
83. | Cameroon | $129,000 | +6350% |
84. | Honduras | $124,000 | -95.2% |
85. | Fiji | $88,000 | +7.3% |
86. | Benin | $81,000 | +523.1% |
87. | North Macedonia | $72,000 | +67.4% |
88. | Bangladesh | $70,000 | -23.9% |
89. | South Korea | $63,000 | +31.3% |
90. | Dominica | $60,000 | 0% |
91. | Senegal | $57,000 | +216.7% |
92. | Peru | $51,000 | +537.5% |
93. | Zambia | $51,000 | -8.9% |
94. | Trinidad/Tobago | $43,000 | +59.3% |
95. | Yemen | $39,000 | 0% |
96. | Ivory Coast | $34,000 | -52.1% |
97. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $32,000 | 0% |
98. | Brunei Darussalam | $31,000 | -50% |
99. | Canada | $31,000 | -90.5% |
100. | Venezuela | $30,000 | 0% |
Expanding the scope to encompass all butter exporters, the fastest growers were: Norway (up 202,533% from 2021), Mauritius (up 18,500%), Cameroon (up 6,350%), Lebanon (up 3,583%), Armenia (up 2,058%), Paraguay (up 1,762%) and Jamaica (up 1,260%).
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of the above table’s columns. An entry of 0% in the right-most column means that 2021 data is unavailable.
See also Top Milk Exporting Countries, Cheese Exports by Country, Top Yogurt Exporters and Fresh Eggs Exporters by Country
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on September 13, 2023
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on September 13, 2023
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on September 13, 2023
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on September 13, 2023
Wikipedia, Category:Multinational dairy companies . Accessed on September 13, 2023