Overall, the value of fresh chicken exports by country increased by an average 28.7% since 2017 when fresh chicken meat shipments were valued at $5.9 billion. In comparison, total frozen chicken meat shipments appreciated by 13.4% from $16 billion over the same 5-year period.
The 5 largest exporters of fresh chicken are the Netherlands, Poland, United States of America, Belgium and Germany. That quintet sold more than two-thirds (68.2%) of fresh poultry exported worldwide.
Exports of frozen poultry are more concentrated than their fresh meat counterparts. The top 5 shippers (Brazil, United States of America, Netherlands, Thailand and Poland) generated for 72.4% of globally exported frozen chicken meat.
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.
In 2017, the percentage of shipments for frozen chicken was 73.1% compared to 26.9% for fresh poultry meat. Five years later the percentage share for frozen poultry shipments shrank to 70.6% while exports of fresh chicken expanded to 29.4%.
Fresh Chicken Exports by Country
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of fresh or chilled chicken during 2021, encompassing both cut and whole fresh chicken.
- Netherlands: US$1.6 billion (21.1% of total fresh poultry exports)
- Poland: $1.59 billion (21%)
- United States: $786.2 million (10.4%)
- Belgium: $741.3 million (9.8%)
- Germany: $451.6 million (6%)
- France: $249 million (3.3%)
- China: $248.4 million (3.3%)
- Italy: $204.3 million (2.7%)
- Austria: $193.1 million (2.5%)
- Belarus: $179.3 million (2.4%)
- Hungary: $173.3 million (2.3%)
- Spain: $158.7 million (2.1%)
- Romania: $120.8 million (1.6%)
- United Kingdom: $115.7 million (1.5%)
- Saudi Arabia: $106.9 million (1.4%)
By value, the above countries produced 91.2% of fresh chicken exported during 2021.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing fresh poultry exporters since 2017 were: Poland (up 77.4%), Hungary (up 61.9%), Austria (up 52.5%), Spain (up 48.9%) and Romania (up 46.3%).
The sole decliner in its exported fresh poultry sales was Germany weighed down by a -4.1% reduction over the 5-year period.
Frozen Chicken Exports by Country
Fresh chicken meat export leaders Netherlands, Poland and the United States also make the list of major frozen chicken exporters. However, they fall far behind Brazil in topping international sales of frozen poultry.
The following list showcases the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of frozen chicken during 2021.
- Brazil: US$6.8 billion (37.6% of total frozen poultry)
- United States: $3.4 billion (18.9%)
- Netherlands: $1.1 billion (6.1%)
- Thailand: $882.3 million (4.9%)
- Poland: $881.6 million (4.8%)
- Turkey: $810 million (4.5%)
- Ukraine: $598.4 million (3.3%)
- Russia: $470.1 million (2.6%)
- Argentina: $254.3 million (1.4%)
- France: $238.6 million (1.3%)
- Belgium: $223.7 million (1.2%)
- China: $208.2 million (1.1%)
- Spain: $193.7 million (1.1%)
- United Kingdom: $179.6 million (1%)
- Germany: $156.1 million (0.9%)
- Belarus: $152 million (0.8%)
By value, the 15 countries listed above shipped 91.5% of all exported frozen chicken meat for 2021.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing frozen poultry exporters since 2017 were: Russia (up 242.8%), Belarus (up 131.4%), Ukraine (up 90.9%), Thailand (up 51%) and Poland (up 48.2%).
Five top suppliers posted declines in their exported frozen poultry sales namely France (down -24.1%), mainland China (down -13.8%), Germany (down -13.5%), Argentina (down -11%) and the United Kingdom (down -11%).
See also Top Fresh or Frozen Chicken Imports by Country, Big Export Sales for Frozen Shrimps, Top Beef Exporting Countries, Pork Exports by Country and Top Red Meat Exporters Ranked by Dollar Value
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on June 21, 2022
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on June 21, 2022
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on June 21, 2022
