Overall, the value of imported milk increased by 7.8% for all importer countries since 2020 when import purchases of milk were valued at $31.6 billion.
Year over year, international purchases of milk fell by -5.6% compared to $36.1 billion during 2023.
The world’s 5 biggest import markets for milk are mainland China, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands and Algeria. Collectively, those 5 countries bought about one third (33.7%) of total spending on milk imported worldwide during 2024.
From a continental perspective, countries located in Europe imported the highest dollar worth of milk during 2024 with purchases costing $13.7 billion or 40.2% of the global total. In second place were importers from Asia at 39% while another 9.7% worth of the world’s imported milk was delivered to customers in Africa.
Smaller percentages arrived in Latin America (5.7%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, North America (4.1%) and Oceania (1.2%) led by Australia, Fiji and New Zealand.
The metrics below combine subtotals for two 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefixes for milk. Specifically, those prefixes are 0401 for unsweetened milk and 0402 for milk concentrated or containing added sugar or other sweetening ingredients.
Separating out the overall statistics, unsweetened milk imports under HTS prefix 0401 amounted to $12.8 billion (37.5% of the global total) while sweetened milk items under code 0402 cost $21.3 billion (62.5% compared to 65.3% for the prior year).
Milk: Top 15 Importer Countries
Below are the 15 countries that imported the highest dollar value worth of milk during 2024, including both sweetened and unsweetened varieties.
- mainland China: US$3.8 billion (11.3% of total milk imports)
- Germany: $2.9 billion (8.6%)
- Belgium: $1.8 billion (5.2%)
- Netherlands: $1.6 billion (4.7%)
- Algeria: $1.35 billion (4%)
- Italy: $1.34 billion (3.9%)
- Mexico: $1.1 billion (3.1%)
- France: $991.7 million (2.9%)
- Saudi Arabia: $945.2 million (2.8%)
- Indonesia: $867.6 million (2.5%)
- United Arab Emirates: $797.8 million (2.3%)
- Philippines: $740 million (2.2%)
- Hong Kong: $710.5 million (2.1%)
- Malaysia: $702.7 million (2.1%)
- Poland: $658.7 million (1.9%)
By value, the listed 15 countries purchased 59.5% of all milk imports in 2024.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing markets for milk since 2020 were: Poland (up 68.2%), Germany (up 57.3%), Belgium (up 49.8%) and France (up 47.6%).
Those countries that posted declines in their imported milk purchases were: Hong Kong (down -31.4% from 2020), United Arab Emirates (down -22.9%) and mainland China (down -17.1%).
Milk: All Importer Countries in 2024
The 100 key milk importers showcased in the following automated database represent 97.1% of globally imported milk purchased in 2024.
| Rank | Importer | Milk Imports | 2020-4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | mainland China | $3,847,866,000 | -17.1% |
| 2. | Germany | $2,927,524,000 | +57.3% |
| 3. | Belgium | $1,763,620,000 | +49.8% |
| 4. | Netherlands | $1,599,170,000 | +32.3% |
| 5. | Algeria | $1,348,836,000 | +21.4% |
| 6. | Italy | $1,340,030,000 | +27.7% |
| 7. | Mexico | $1,051,379,000 | +29.7% |
| 8. | France | $991,655,000 | +47.6% |
| 9. | Saudi Arabia | $945,228,000 | +5.6% |
| 10. | Indonesia | $867,638,000 | +18.3% |
| 11. | United Arab Emirates | $797,787,000 | -22.9% |
| 12. | Philippines | $740,032,000 | +16.5% |
| 13. | Hong Kong | $710,505,000 | -31.4% |
| 14. | Malaysia | $702,735,000 | +18.3% |
| 15. | Poland | $658,680,000 | +68.2% |
| 16. | Brazil | $651,116,000 | +910% |
| 17. | United Kingdom | $557,430,000 | +42.9% |
| 18. | Singapore | $487,123,000 | -20% |
| 19. | Ireland | $482,173,000 | +35.4% |
| 20. | Vietnam | $472,461,000 | +20% |
| 21. | Greece | $467,609,000 | +70.4% |
| 22. | Thailand | $464,229,000 | +17.1% |
| 23. | Spain | $445,973,000 | +41.5% |
| 24. | Taiwan | $383,177,000 | +8.7% |
| 25. | Bangladesh | $359,605,000 | +5.7% |
| 26. | Egypt | $346,011,000 | +22.1% |
| 27. | Oman | $335,571,000 | -250% |
| 28. | Kuwait | $297,478,000 | +8.7% |
| 29. | Lithuania | $289,802,000 | +35.5% |
| 30. | United States | $265,445,000 | +39.3% |
| 31. | Nigeria | $258,469,000 | -66.5% |
| 32. | South Korea | $256,975,000 | +52.2% |
| 33. | Australia | $240,281,000 | -2.5% |
| 34. | Romania | $238,649,000 | +520% |
| 35. | Sri Lanka | $221,986,000 | -300% |
| 36. | Libya | $201,122,000 | -3.7% |
| 37. | Denmark | $196,732,000 | +32.9% |
| 38. | Peru | $192,451,000 | +25.2% |
| 39. | Dominican Republic | $186,769,000 | +14.3% |
| 40. | Croatia | $182,898,000 | +68.4% |
| 41. | Austria | $182,441,000 | +7.9% |
| 42. | Iraq | $150,501,000 | -57.9% |
| 43. | Yemen | $148,283,000 | -38.9% |
| 44. | Czech Republic | $143,533,000 | +123.9% |
| 45. | Portugal | $140,276,000 | +47.6% |
| 46. | Slovakia | $136,398,000 | +36.1% |
| 47. | Guatemala | $135,613,000 | +29.5% |
| 48. | Colombia | $125,444,000 | -20.7% |
| 49. | Hungary | $118,679,000 | +39.2% |
| 50. | Bulgaria | $116,916,000 | +28.9% |
| 51. | Kazakhstan | $116,527,000 | -7.1% |
| 52. | Latvia | $113,715,000 | +53.5% |
| 53. | Jordan | $113,319,000 | -9.4% |
| 54. | Qatar | $111,911,000 | -2.5% |
| 55. | Morocco | $105,900,000 | +290.2% |
| 56. | Sweden | $103,787,000 | +5.1% |
| 57. | Lebanon | $95,150,000 | +40.4% |
| 58. | Japan | $92,905,000 | -22.6% |
| 59. | Canada | $85,932,000 | +74.2% |
| 60. | Mauritania | $85,611,000 | +10.4% |
| 61. | Venezuela | $83,109,000 | +817.8% |
| 62. | Bahrain | $80,780,000 | -6.7% |
| 63. | El Salvador | $80,047,000 | +29.6% |
| 64. | Mauritius | $73,175,000 | +2.9% |
| 65. | Côte d'Ivoire | $71,409,000 | +26.2% |
| 66. | Cuba | $67,238,000 | -57.8% |
| 67. | Slovenia | $65,947,000 | +640% |
| 68. | Switzerland | $65,874,000 | +86.9% |
| 69. | Angola | $60,381,000 | -42.5% |
| 70. | Chile | $58,837,000 | -280% |
| 71. | Luxembourg | $58,674,000 | +60.2% |
| 72. | Ghana | $55,932,000 | 00% |
| 73. | Cambodia | $53,506,000 | +58.1% |
| 74. | Estonia | $52,953,000 | +188.8% |
| 75. | Kenya | $51,751,000 | -34.9% |
| 76. | Trinidad/Tobago | $47,361,000 | +6.6% |
| 77. | Fiji | $47,121,000 | +61.6% |
| 78. | Senegal | $45,150,000 | -8.9% |
| 79. | Georgia | $44,639,000 | +46.1% |
| 80. | Serbia | $44,080,000 | +14.1% |
| 81. | Honduras | $43,802,000 | -360% |
| 82. | Central African Republic | $42,943,000 | +1190% |
| 83. | Israel | $42,063,000 | +15.3% |
| 84. | Armenia | $40,153,000 | +93.1% |
| 85. | Maldives | $38,496,000 | +69.8% |
| 86. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $38,222,000 | +63.2% |
| 87. | South Africa | $37,592,000 | -36.6% |
| 88. | New Zealand | $36,607,000 | -38.7% |
| 89. | Democratic Republic Congo | $35,501,000 | +112.9% |
| 90. | Pakistan | $34,563,000 | -36.4% |
| 91. | Somalia | $33,985,000 | -77.4% |
| 92. | Tunisia | $33,327,000 | +64.9% |
| 93. | Panama | $32,715,000 | -12.2% |
| 94. | Guyana | $32,662,000 | +150% |
| 95. | Cameroon | $31,903,000 | -48.5% |
| 96. | Uzbekistan | $31,430,000 | +207.2% |
| 97. | North Macedonia | $31,214,000 | +19.2% |
| 98. | Moldova | $31,047,000 | +55.4% |
| 99. | Burkina Faso | $30,234,000 | +48.9% |
| 100. | Macao | $30,131,000 | +430% |
Among the listed 100 geographies, the fastest-growing markets for milk since 2020 were: the Central African Republic (up 1,190%), Brazil (up 910%), Venezuela (up 817.8%), Slovenia (up 640%) and Romania (up 520%).
Over the 5-year period, the worst decliners in imported milk purchases were recorded by buyers in: the Honduras (down -360% from 2023), Sri Lanka (down -300%), Chile (down -280%), Oman (down -250%) then Somalia (down -77.4%).
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the listed columns above. An entry of 0% in the right-most column means that no 2023 data is available.
Major International Milk Suppliers
Below are global milk-processing companies that represent established players engaged in the international milk trade. Many of these business entities are cooperatives. The home country for each company is shown within parenthesis.
- Almarai (Saudi Arabia)
- Arla Foods (Denmark)
- Borden Milk Products (United States)
- Canberra Milk (Australia)
- First Milk (United Kingdom)
- Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited (New Zealand)
- FrieslandCampina (Netherlands)
- La Serenísima (Argentina)
- Lactalis (France)
- Zott (Germany)
See also Top Milk Exporting Countries, Fresh or Frozen Beef Imports by Country, Natural Honey Imports by Country and Most Valuable Red Meat Import Markets by Country
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Imports – Commodities. Accessed on August 10, 2025
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on August 10, 2025
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on August 10, 2025
Wikipedia, Category:Dairy products companies by country. Accessed on August 10, 2025
Wikipedia, Dairy. Accessed on August 10, 2025