Year over year, globally exported dog or cat food accelerated by 19.6% compared to $17.6 billion during 2020.
The 5 biggest exporters of pet food for canines and felines are Germany, United States of America, Thailand, France, and Poland. Added together, that cohort of pet food suppliers collected almost half of revenues (49.3%) for all dog or cat food exported during 2021.
Among continents, countries in Europe sold the most dog or cat food on international markets during 2021 with exports valued at $13.4 billion or approaching two-thirds (63.7%) of the world’s total. In second place were Asian exporters at 18% while another 14.1% of worldwide dog or cat food shipments originated from North America.
Smaller percentages came from shippers in Oceania (2%) mostly New Zealand and Australia, Latin America (1.9%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, and Africa (0.3%).
For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 230910 for dog or cat food put up for retail sale.
Dog or Cat Food Exports by Country
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of dog or cat food during 2021.
- Germany: US$2.7 billion (12.6% of exported dog or cat food)
- United States: $2.1 billion (9.9%)
- Thailand: $2.05 billion (9.7%)
- France: $1.99 billion (9.5%)
- Poland: $1.6 billion (7.6%)
- Netherlands: $1.5 billion (7%)
- China: $1.2 billion (5.8%)
- Canada: $839.2 million (4%)
- Hungary: $709.4 million (3.4%)
- Czech Republic: $689 million (3.3%)
- Belgium: $614 million (2.9%)
- Italy: $598.8 million (2.8%)
- Austria: $521.6 million (2.5%)
- Spain: $490.1 million (2.3%)
- United Kingdom: $385.2 million (1.8%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 85.2% of global dog or cat food exports in 2021.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing exporters of dog or cat food since 2020 were: Belgium (up 27.1%), Czech Republic (up 24.8%), Thailand (up 24.4%) and mainland China (up 24.1%).
The United Kingdom was the lone country to endure a decline in its exported dog or cat food sales, down by -16% compared to 2020.
Countries Generating Best Trade Surpluses from Dog or Cat Food
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for dog or cat food during 2021. 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 dog or cat food and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- Thailand: US$2 billion (net export surplus up 24.4% since 2020)
- France: $942.1 million (up 24.2%)
- Germany: $754.4 million (up 42.1%)
- Netherlands: $701.7 million (up 20.2%)
- China: $639.8 million (up 76.8%)
- United States: $536.8 million (up 9%)
- Hungary: $483.2 million (up 16%)
- Poland: $446.3 million (up 37.5%)
- Czech Republic: $340.4 million (up 39.9%)
- Argentina: $133.1 million (up 63.1%)
- Lithuania: $105.8 million (down -3.4%)
- Serbia: $84.5 million (up 42.5%)
- Brazil: $74.2 million (up 75.4%)
- Vietnam: $48.4 million (down -45.8%)
- Ireland: $43.4 million (up 16.5%)
Thailand posted the highest surplus in the international trade of dog or cat food. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms Thailands’ strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Countries Experiencing Worst Trade Deficits from Dog or Cat Food
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for dog or cat food during 2021. 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 dog or cat food purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- United Kingdom: -US$804.7 million (net export deficit up 44.9% since 2020)
- Japan: -$647.7 million (up 2.8%)
- Romania: -$280.7 million (up 25.8%)
- Malaysia: -$249.8 million (up 38.8%)
- Italy: -$249.3 million (up 22.4%)
- Chile: -$230.6 million (up 113%)
- Canada: -$225.7 million (up 53.2%)
- Taiwan: -$211.8 million (up 15.2%)
- South Korea: -$208.5 million (up 2.6%)
- Russia: -$179.6 million (down -18.7%)
- Australia: -$178.7 million (down -8.2%)
- Portugal: -$177.2 million (up 9.8%)
- Philippines: -$177.1 million (up 54.6%)
- Indonesia: -$170 million (up 42.1%)
- Ukraine: -$165.2 million (up 25.3%)
Overtaking Japan in 2021, the United Kingdom incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of dog or cat food. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights Britain’s arduous competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for dog or cat food-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand.
Searchable Database of Dog or Cat Food Exporters
The 100 major exporters in the automated database below generated 99.999% of global export sales for dog or cat food.
| Rank | Exporter | Dog/Cat Food Exports | 2020-1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Germany | $2,655,950,000 | +19.9% |
| 2. | United States | $2,071,812,000 | +20.1% |
| 3. | Thailand | $2,048,186,000 | +24.4% |
| 4. | France | $1,994,918,000 | +20.3% |
| 5. | Poland | $1,600,309,000 | +22.5% |
| 6. | Netherlands | $1,476,100,000 | +15.4% |
| 7. | China | $1,220,563,000 | +24.1% |
| 8. | Canada | $839,172,000 | +11.8% |
| 9. | Hungary | $709,366,000 | +17.6% |
| 10. | Czech Republic | $688,957,000 | +24.8% |
| 11. | Belgium | $614,043,000 | +27.1% |
| 12. | Italy | $598,816,000 | +19.5% |
| 13. | Austria | $521,587,000 | +10.7% |
| 14. | Spain | $490,134,000 | +22.4% |
| 15. | United Kingdom | $385,211,000 | -16% |
| 16. | Switzerland | $228,332,000 | +11% |
| 17. | Russia | $226,963,000 | +35.9% |
| 18. | Australia | $213,469,000 | +80.5% |
| 19. | Ireland | $203,121,000 | +11.1% |
| 20. | New Zealand | $203,032,000 | +15.9% |
| 21. | Denmark | $201,659,000 | +11.2% |
| 22. | Sweden | $193,546,000 | +36.5% |
| 23. | Lithuania | $185,840,000 | +8.2% |
| 24. | Serbia | $146,502,000 | +43.5% |
| 25. | Argentina | $139,763,000 | +63.5% |
| 26. | South Korea | $99,942,000 | +48.1% |
| 27. | Brazil | $89,019,000 | +72.4% |
| 28. | Vietnam | $86,934,000 | -27.3% |
| 29. | Portugal | $65,483,000 | +44.9% |
| 30. | South Africa | $63,899,000 | +20.4% |
| 31. | Mexico | $63,365,000 | +41.1% |
| 32. | India | $60,170,000 | +57% |
| 33. | Hong Kong | $55,953,000 | -50.8% |
| 34. | Türkiye | $55,509,000 | +81.1% |
| 35. | Japan | $54,958,000 | +25.7% |
| 36. | Honduras | $51,855,000 | -29.5% |
| 37. | Guatemala | $40,722,000 | +38.1% |
| 38. | Cambodia | $36,371,000 | +81.5% |
| 39. | Norway | $33,525,000 | +11.6% |
| 40. | Latvia | $26,023,000 | +30.4% |
| 41. | Luxembourg | $24,630,000 | +5.7% |
| 42. | Finland | $21,591,000 | +52% |
| 43. | Paraguay | $20,229,000 | +72.9% |
| 44. | Nepal | $18,938,000 | +52.5% |
| 45. | Costa Rica | $14,943,000 | +32.8% |
| 46. | Ukraine | $14,759,000 | +29.9% |
| 47. | Taiwan | $14,618,000 | +44.2% |
| 48. | Malaysia | $14,429,000 | +69.7% |
| 49. | El Salvador | $12,736,000 | +15.3% |
| 50. | Romania | $12,544,000 | +6.2% |
| 51. | Greece | $11,879,000 | -4.3% |
| 52. | Slovakia | $11,093,000 | +19.5% |
| 53. | Estonia | $10,832,000 | +57.5% |
| 54. | Croatia | $9,887,000 | +28% |
| 55. | Colombia | $9,737,000 | +7.1% |
| 56. | Slovenia | $8,718,000 | +76.8% |
| 57. | Bulgaria | $6,743,000 | +68.1% |
| 58. | Chile | $6,686,000 | +45.2% |
| 59. | Iceland | $6,515,000 | +29.4% |
| 60. | Singapore | $5,639,000 | -22.2% |
| 61. | Peru | $4,038,000 | +130.5% |
| 62. | Belarus | $3,860,000 | -5.1% |
| 63. | Myanmar | $3,542,000 | 0% |
| 64. | Indonesia | $3,418,000 | +2179% |
| 65. | Egypt | $2,989,000 | +1077% |
| 66. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $1,949,000 | +13.6% |
| 67. | Israel | $1,762,000 | -11.4% |
| 68. | Ecuador | $1,742,000 | +218.5% |
| 69. | Uruguay | $1,062,000 | +77% |
| 70. | Mongolia | $1,049,000 | +48.8% |
| 71. | Dominican Republic | $693,000 | +18.3% |
| 72. | Malta | $559,000 | +24.8% |
| 73. | Kenya | $532,000 | +170.1% |
| 74. | Cyprus | $437,000 | -55.2% |
| 75. | Georgia | $313,000 | +122% |
| 76. | Barbados | $250,000 | -2.3% |
| 77. | Lebanon | $215,000 | +87% |
| 78. | Azerbaijan | $202,000 | +55.4% |
| 79. | Bangladesh | $196,000 | -52% |
| 80. | Kazakhstan | $152,000 | -3.8% |
| 81. | Venezuela | $147,000 | +14600% |
| 82. | Mauritius | $142,000 | +67.1% |
| 83. | United Arab Emirates | $106,000 | -99.5% |
| 84. | Brunei Darussalam | $105,000 | +707.7% |
| 85. | Pitcairn | $104,000 | +36.8% |
| 86. | Syrian Arab Republic | $76,000 | 0% |
| 87. | Suriname | $58,000 | +427.3% |
| 88. | St Maarten (Dutch) | $43,000 | +186.7% |
| 89. | Panama | $40,000 | -27.3% |
| 90. | Afghanistan | $39,000 | 0% |
| 91. | Kiribati | $31,000 | 0% |
| 92. | Bolivia | $30,000 | 0% |
| 93. | Morocco | $27,000 | -71.6% |
| 94. | Pakistan | $25,000 | 0% |
| 95. | Trinidad/Tobago | $25,000 | -24.2% |
| 96. | Liberia | $18,000 | 0% |
| 97. | Tanzania | $16,000 | +100% |
| 98. | Senegal | $15,000 | -34.8% |
| 99. | Angola | $15,000 | +66.7% |
| 100. | Faroe Islands | $15,000 | 0% |
The fastest growers among the 100 main exporters are Venezuela (up 14,600% from 2020), Indonesia (up 2,179%), Egypt (up 1,077%), Suriname (up 427.3%) then Ecuador (up 218.5%).
An entry of 0% in the above table’s rightmost column means that 2020 data was unavailable for that entry.
Leading Pet Food Brands
Below are major dog and cat food brands that represent established entities engaged in the international trade of pet food. The home country for each is shown within parenthesis.
- Addiction Foods (Singapore)
- AvoDerm (United States)
- Essential Foods (Denmark)
- Eukanuba (United States)
- Freshpet (United States)
- Hill’s Pet Nutrition (United States)
- Iams (United States)
- Natural Balance Pet Foods (United States)
- Nature’s Variety (United States)
- Nutro Products (United States)
- Pedigree Petfoods (United States)
- Ralston Purina (United States)
- Royal Canin (France)
- Solid Gold (United States)
- Vegepet (United States)
See also Germany’s Top Trading Partners, Netherlands Top 10 Exports, United States Top 10 Exports, Indonesia’s Top 10 Imports and Vietnam’s Top 10 Imports
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on August 10, 2022
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on August 10, 2022
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on August 10, 2022
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on August 10, 2022
Wikipedia, Category:Pet food brands. Accessed on August 10, 2022
