Overall, the value of fresh chicken exports by country increased in value by an average 12.7% since 2016 when fresh chicken meat shipments were valued at $5.5 billion. In comparison, total frozen chicken meat shipments appreciated by 5.3% over the same 5-year period.
The 5 biggest exporters of fresh chicken (Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, United States, Germany) generated just over two-thirds (67.5%) of the global total.
Exports of frozen poultry are more concentrated, with the top 5 shippers (Brazil, United States, Netherlands, Thailand, Poland) accounting for 71.6% of worldwide exports.
Six-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code prefixes are 020711 for whole fresh or chilled chicken, 020713 for fresh or chilled chicken cuts and offal, 020712 for whole frozen chicken and 020714 for frozen chicken cuts and offal. The statistics from those four HTS code prefixes were consolidated for the following analysis.
Chicken Exports by Country: Fresh
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of fresh or chilled chicken during 2020, encompassing both cut and uncut fresh meat.
- Netherlands: US$1.4 billion (22.8% of total fresh poultry exports)
- Poland: $1.2 billion (19%)
- Belgium: $636.3 million (10.2%)
- United States: $581.2 million (9.3%)
- Germany: $383.1 million (6.1%)
- China: $257.7 million (4.1%)
- France: $188.6 million (3%)
- Austria: $164.9 million (2.6%)
- Italy: $153.1 million (2.5%)
- Belarus: $141.2 million (2.3%)
- United Kingdom: $125.2 million (2%)
- Hungary: $123.8 million (2%)
- Spain: $123.2 million (2%)
- Saudi Arabia: $100.8 million (1.6%)
- Romania: $87.3 million (1.4%)
By value, the above countries produced 91% of fresh chicken exported during 2020.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing fresh poultry exporters since 2016 were: Poland (up 65.3%), Austria (up 54.7%), United Kingdom (up 46.3%) and China (up 36.8%).
Four countries posted declines in their exported fresh poultry sales namely the United States (down -14.8%), Germany (down -14.5%), Belarus (down -6.8%) and Belgium (down -0.8%).
Chicken Exports by Country: Frozen
Fresh chicken meat export leaders United States and Netherlands also make the list of major frozen chicken exporters. However, they fall far behind Brazil in topping international sales of frozen poultry.
Here are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of frozen chicken during 2020.
- Brazil: US$5.5 billion (35.4% of total frozen poultry)
- United States: $2.8 billion (18.2%)
- Netherlands: $1.1 billion (7.2%)
- Thailand: $882.5 million (5.7%)
- Poland: $796 million (5.1%)
- Turkey: $521.8 million (3.4%)
- Ukraine: $478.8 million (3.1%)
- Russia: $392.9 million (2.5%)
- Chile: $307.9 million (2%)
- Argentina: $303.4 million (2%)
- France: $236.5 million (1.5%)
- United Kingdom: $216.9 million (1.4%)
- China: $181.4 million (1.2%)
- Belgium: $179.2 million (1.2%)
- Germany: $154.9 million (1%)
- Belarus: $144 million (0.9%)
By value, the 15 countries listed above shipped 91.7% of all exported frozen chicken meat for 2020.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing frozen poultry exporters since 2016 were: Russia (up 310.5%), Belarus (up 157.2%), Ukraine (up 82.1%) and Thailand (up 79.6%).
Those countries that posted declines in their exported frozen poultry sales were led by: France (down -30.5%), Germany (down -23.3%), China (down -21.6%) and Brazil (down -7.8%).
See also Top Fresh or Frozen Chicken Imports by Country, Big Export Sales for Frozen Shrimps, Top Beef Exporting Countries and Pork Exports by Country
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on June 23, 2021
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on June 23, 2021
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on June 23, 2021
