Overall, the value of milk imports increased by 8.8% for all importer countries since 2015 when import purchases of milk were valued at $27 billion. Year over year, international purchases of milk declined by -2.6% from 2018 to 2019.
From a continental perspective, Asian countries imported the highest dollar worth of milk during 2019 with purchases costing $11.1 billion or 45.4% of the global total. In second place were European importers at 36.1% while 9.3% of the world’s imported milk was delivered to Africa. Smaller percentages arrived in Latin America (4.4%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, North America (3.4%) and Oceania (1.2%) led by Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.
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.
Unsweetened milk imports under HTS prefix 0401 amounted to $9.3 billion (31.7% of the global total) while sweetened milk items under code 0402 cost $20.1 billion (68.3%).
Milk Imports by Country
Top 15
Milk: Top 15 Importer Countries
Below are the 15 countries that imported the highest dollar value worth of milk during 2019, including both sweetened and unsweetened varieties.
- China: US$4.3 billion (14.6% of total milk imports)
- Germany: $1.9 billion (6.3%)
- Hong Kong: $1.7 billion (5.7%)
- Belgium: $1.32 billion (4.5%)
- Netherlands: $1.26 billion (4.3%)
- Italy: $1.2 billion (4.1%)
- Algeria: $979.5 million (3.3%)
- France: $860.9 million (2.9%)
- Mexico: $809.5 million (2.8%)
- Saudi Arabia: $790.8 million (2.7%)
- United Arab Emirates: $651.4 million (2.2%)
- Russia: $639.3 million (2.2%)
- Indonesia: $637.2 million (2.2%)
- Philippines: $615.2 million (2.1%)
- Malaysia: $571.5 million (1.9%)
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing markets for milk since 2015 were: China (up 112.6%), Philippines (up 56.2%), Netherlands (up 41.6%) and Germany (up 32.5%).
Three countries posted declines in their imported milk purchases namely: United Arab Emirates (down -24.2%), Saudi Arabia (down -17.9%) and Algeria (down -2.4%).
The listed 15 countries purchased 61.8% of all milk imported in 2019.
All Countries
Milk: All Importer Countries in 2019
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the columns below. An entry of 0% in the right-most column means that no 2018 data is available.
| Rank | Importer | Imported Milk (US$) | 2018-19 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | China | $4,281,368,000 | +112.6% |
| 2. | Germany | $1,864,816,000 | +32.5% |
| 3. | Hong Kong | $1,662,430,000 | +7.3% |
| 4. | Belgium | $1,315,457,000 | +32.2% |
| 5. | Netherlands | $1,261,407,000 | +41.6% |
| 6. | Italy | $1,206,447,000 | +1.6% |
| 7. | Algeria | $979,508,000 | -2.4% |
| 8. | France | $860,858,000 | +7.6% |
| 9. | Mexico | $809,463,000 | +19.6% |
| 10. | Saudi Arabia | $790,831,000 | -17.9% |
| 11. | United Arab Emirates | $651,351,000 | -24.2% |
| 12. | Russia | $639,276,000 | +11.8% |
| 13. | Indonesia | $637,241,000 | +21% |
| 14. | Philippines | $615,178,000 | +56.2% |
| 15. | Malaysia | $571,468,000 | +1.7% |
| 16. | Singapore | $476,167,000 | +1.7% |
| 17. | Vietnam | $456,772,000 | +18.8% |
| 18. | United Kingdom | $406,016,000 | +3.1% |
| 19. | Poland | $403,136,000 | +13.4% |
| 20. | Ireland | $375,871,000 | +23.7% |
| 21. | Thailand | $366,348,000 | +7.5% |
| 22. | Bangladesh | $354,140,000 | +29.8% |
| 23. | Nigeria | $345,770,000 | -20.7% |
| 24. | Spain | $321,383,000 | -4.3% |
| 25. | Taiwan | $316,022,000 | +36.1% |
| 26. | Sri Lanka | $296,807,000 | +26.4% |
| 27. | Egypt | $266,213,000 | -15.5% |
| 28. | Greece | $260,176,000 | -5.1% |
| 29. | Oman | $252,668,000 | -35.7% |
| 30. | Brazil | $245,128,000 | -5.4% |
| 31. | Kuwait | $217,391,000 | -13% |
| 32. | Australia | $205,004,000 | +128.1% |
| 33. | Lithuania | $203,273,000 | +59.7% |
| 34. | South Korea | $170,837,000 | +102.4% |
| 35. | Denmark | $157,024,000 | +83.5% |
| 36. | Libya | $150,558,000 | -44.3% |
| 37. | Romania | $147,022,000 | +69% |
| 38. | Yemen | $146,231,000 | -17% |
| 39. | Austria | $144,958,000 | -4.7% |
| 40. | United States | $141,704,000 | +16.6% |
| 41. | Cuba | $133,505,000 | -18.1% |
| 42. | Peru | $130,440,000 | +6.2% |
| 43. | Dominican Republic | $129,724,000 | +4.5% |
| 44. | Japan | $123,747,000 | -10.7% |
| 45. | Croatia | $120,591,000 | +64.3% |
| 46. | Sweden | $113,626,000 | -3.5% |
| 47. | Colombia | $110,790,000 | +110.6% |
| 48. | Angola | $108,536,000 | +207.5% |
| 49. | Guatemala | $103,420,000 | +2.1% |
| 50. | Lebanon | $102,352,000 | -4.1% |
| 51. | Slovakia | $98,496,000 | 0% |
| 52. | Pakistan | $96,318,000 | -46% |
| 53. | Portugal | $91,854,000 | 0% |
| 54. | Kazakhstan | $90,758,000 | -16.2% |
| 55. | Bulgaria | $89,481,000 | +11.1% |
| 56. | Hungary | $83,242,000 | +11% |
| 57. | Qatar | $75,254,000 | -41.3% |
| 58. | Bahrain | $71,403,000 | -17.4% |
| 59. | Jordan | $69,602,000 | -49.7% |
| 60. | Latvia | $69,154,000 | +44.9% |
| 61. | Ghana | $68,366,000 | 0% |
| 62. | Iraq | $68,298,000 | -83.4% |
| 63. | Cambodia | $65,966,000 | +463.1% |
| 64. | New Zealand | $64,750,000 | +5% |
| 65. | Mauritius | $63,742,000 | +8% |
| 66. | El Salvador | $61,191,000 | +23% |
| 67. | Czech Republic | $60,839,000 | -6.5% |
| 68. | Chile | $57,149,000 | +13.4% |
| 69. | South Africa | $56,888,000 | +20% |
| 70. | Mauritania | $55,460,000 | -39.7% |
| 71. | Haiti | $49,324,000 | -31.3% |
| 72. | Myanmar (Burma) | $48,466,000 | -53.5% |
| 73. | Sudan | $48,171,000 | -39.5% |
| 74. | Senegal | $45,067,000 | 0% |
| 75. | Canada | $44,426,000 | +14.9% |
| 76. | Côte d'Ivoire | $42,856,000 | -36.7% |
| 77. | Slovenia | $41,394,000 | +3.2% |
| 78. | Cameroon | $39,160,000 | 0. |
| 79. | Luxembourg | $38,763,000 | -33.6% |
| 80. | Syria | $38,350,000 | 0. |
| 81. | Somalia | $38,348,000 | 0. |
| 82. | Panama | $36,539,000 | 0. |
| 83. | Trinidad/Tobago | $32,329,000 | -27.1% |
| 84. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $31,639,000 | +128.1% |
| 85. | Serbia | $30,996,000 | +53.7% |
| 86. | Tunisia | $30,602,000 | +123.6% |
| 87. | Israel | $30,005,000 | 0% |
| 88. | Nicaragua | $29,731,000 | +59.6% |
| 89. | Georgia | $29,643,000 | +53.1% |
| 90. | Switzerland | $29,456,000 | -3.7% |
| 91. | Botswana | $29,103,000 | -20.2% |
| 92. | Macao | $29,048,000 | -8.3% |
| 93. | North Macedonia | $27,161,000 | +63.6% |
| 94. | Fiji | $25,807,000 | +25.1% |
| 95. | Morocco | $25,337,000 | +89.4% |
| 96. | Gabon | $24,250,000 | -19.2% |
| 97. | Honduras | $23,537,000 | -18.6% |
| 98. | Burkina Faso | $22,036,000 | +7.5% |
| 99. | Afghanistan | $21,672,000 | -55.9% |
| 100. | Madagascar | $21,074,000 | +140.1% |
| 101. | Gambia | $21,037,000 | +246.9% |
| 102. | Namibia | $20,208,000 | +5.3% |
| 103. | Guyana | $20,061,000 | -26.4% |
| 104. | Armenia | $18,412,000 | +117.4% |
| 105. | Cabo Verde | $17,725,000 | -20.5% |
| 106. | Estonia | $16,754,000 | +29.5% |
| 107. | Lesotho | $15,887,000 | +34.8% |
| 108. | Ukraine | $15,800,000 | +533.3% |
| 109. | Montenegro | $15,713,000 | +7.8% |
| 110. | Democr. Rep. Congo | $15,702,000 | -40.4% |
| 111. | New Caledonia | $14,915,000 | -22.7% |
| 112. | Azerbaijan | $14,374,000 | +149.5% |
| 113. | Costa Rica | $14,279,000 | -16.1% |
| 114. | French Polynesia | $14,010,000 | -19.5% |
| 115. | Cyprus | $13,979,000 | +5.5% |
| 116. | Mali | $13,928,000 | 0% |
| 117. | Mozambique | $13,836,000 | -40.1% |
| 118. | Guinea | $13,825,000 | +30.9% |
| 119. | Eswatini | $13,606,000 | -19.7% |
| 120. | Bhutan | $13,547,000 | +213.6% |
| 121. | Kenya | $13,063,000 | -66.5% |
| 122. | Papua New Guinea | $13,014,000 | -7.2% |
| 123. | Zambia | $12,644,000 | -29.7% |
| 124. | Maldives | $11,942,000 | -51.6% |
| 125. | Albania | $11,888,000 | +84.3% |
| 126. | Venezuela | $11,844,000 | -98.8% |
| 127. | Togo | $11,616,000 | -40.5% |
| 128. | Djibouti | $11,607,000 | -60.7% |
| 129. | Bolivia | $11,234,000 | -35.3% |
| 130. | Mongolia | $10,654,000 | +9.7% |
| 131. | Belize | $10,387,000 | +14.7% |
| 132. | Finland | $9,731,000 | -34.7% |
| 133. | Malta | $9,724,000 | -0.6% |
| 134. | Suriname | $9,696,000 | +36% |
| 135. | Bahamas | $9,322,000 | -49.2% |
| 136. | Congo | $9,282,000 | 0% |
| 137. | Argentina | $8,696,000 | +119% |
| 138. | Aruba | $8,554,000 | +13.1% |
| 139. | Jamaica | $8,451,000 | -11.2% |
| 140. | Zimbabwe | $8,449,000 | -38.6% |
| 141. | Tanzania | $8,402,000 | -0.3% |
| 142. | Belarus | $7,937,000 | -69% |
| 143. | Sierra Leone | $7,596,000 | -50.3% |
| 144. | Nepal | $7,251,000 | -27% |
| 145. | Brunei Darussalam | $7,107,000 | -70.2% |
| 146. | Niger | $7,063,000 | -79.8% |
| 147. | Laos | $7,031,000 | +53% |
| 148. | Ethiopia | $6,660,000 | -9.6% |
| 149. | Curaçao | $6,568,000 | -11.2% |
| 150. | Andorra | $6,562,000 | +3.3% |
| 151. | Malawi | $5,811,000 | -38.7% |
| 152. | Equatorial Guinea | $5,797,000 | -20.7% |
| 153. | Paraguay | $5,768,000 | -3.8% |
| 154. | Benin | $5,701,000 | -57.2% |
| 155. | Barbados | $5,651,000 | -22% |
| 156. | Moldova | $5,595,000 | -33.3% |
| 157. | Samoa | $5,483,000 | +2.1% |
| 158. | North Korea | $5,441,000 | +9.3% |
| 159. | Norway | $5,072,000 | +17.7% |
| 160. | Antigua/Barbuda | $4,984,000 | +15% |
| 161. | Rwanda | $4,928,000 | +50.4% |
| 162. | Iran | $4,834,000 | -91.7% |
| 163. | Palestine | $4,688,000 | -73.6% |
| 164. | Greenland | $4,572,000 | -2.7% |
| 165. | US Minor Outlying Is | $4,519,000 | -7% |
| 166. | Grenada | $4,365,000 | +20.6% |
| 167. | Liberia | $4,274,000 | 0% |
| 168. | Saint Lucia | $3,783,000 | -52.9% |
| 169. | Seychelles | $3,753,000 | -56.9% |
| 170. | Ecuador | $3,646,000 | -56.8% |
| 171. | Uruguay | $3,259,000 | -19.1% |
| 172. | India | $3,127,000 | -29.8% |
| 173. | Turkey | $2,981,000 | +43.1% |
| 174. | Cayman Islands | $2,925,000 | +106.1% |
| 175. | Tonga | $2,748,000 | +22.2% |
| 176. | Bermuda | $2,635,000 | +19.2% |
| 177. | Uzbekistan | $2,622,000 | 0% |
| 178. | Comoros | $2,571,000 | -14.1% |
| 179. | St Vincent/Grenadines | $2,546,000 | -43.3% |
| 180. | Tajikistan | $2,260,000 | -51.3% |
| 181. | Kyrgyzstan | $2,205,000 | -38.3% |
| 182. | Vanuatu | $2,160,000 | -14.2% |
| 183. | Guinea-Bissau | $1,987,000 | 0% |
| 184. | Chad | $1,890,000 | -79.3% |
| 185. | Northern Mariana Is | $1,848,000 | +53% |
| 186. | Sao Tome/Principe | $1,810,000 | +0.3% |
| 187. | Solomon Islands | $1,567,000 | -32.4% |
| 188. | Gibraltar | $1,528,000 | +5.5% |
| 189. | Cook Islands | $1,456,000 | +0.8% |
| 190. | Turks/Caicos Islands | $1,413,000 | +32.9% |
| 191. | Central African Rep | $1,228,000 | -13.3% |
| 192. | Saint Kitts/Nevis | $1,142,000 | -55.3% |
| 193. | South Sudan | $896,000 | -49% |
| 194. | Dominica | $890,000 | -68.9% |
| 195. | St Maarten (Dutch) | $870,000 | +4.7% |
| 196. | Wallis/Futuna Islands | $858,000 | +1,807% |
| 197. | British Virgin Islands | $836,000 | -6.4% |
| 198. | Turkmenistan | $777,000 | -93.3% |
| 199. | Micronesia | $767,000 | +398.1% |
| 200. | Marshall Islands | $671,000 | +30% |
| 201. | Kiribati | $647,000 | -61.8% |
| 202. | Timor-Leste | $634,000 | 0% |
| 203. | Faroe Islands | $579,000 | -0.9% |
| 204. | Nauru | $545,000 | -2.3% |
| 205. | St. Pierre/Miquelon | $457,000 | -36.3% |
| 206. | Uganda | $452,000 | -80% |
| 207. | Iceland | $449,000 | +130.3% |
| 208. | Eritrea | $284,000 | -46.5% |
| 209. | Norfolk Island | $279,000 | +20.3% |
| 210. | Bonaire/St Eustatius/Saba | $265,000 | +381.8% |
| 211. | Falkland Is (Malvinas) | $256,000 | -1.9% |
| 212. | Niue | $155,000 | +8.4% |
| 213. | Saint Helena | $137,000 | -56.2% |
| 214. | Palau | $97,000 | -90% |
| 215. | Montserrat | $39,000 | +457.1% |
| 216. | Burundi | $38,000 | -99.2% |
| 217. | Tuvalu | $31,000 | -73% |
| 218. | French S./Antarctic Terr | $4,000 | -88.2% |
The countries showcased in the above table represent 100% of imported milk purchased in 2019.
Among all listed geographies, the fastest-growing markets for milk since 2015 were: Wallis and Futuna Islands (up 1,807%), Ukraine (up 533.3%), Cambodia (up 463.1%) and Montserrat (up 457.1%).
Over the 5-year period, those countries that posted declines in their imported milk purchases were led by: Burundi (down -99.2%), Venezuela (down -98.2%), Turkmenistan (down -93.3%), Iran (down -91.7%) then Palau (down -90%).
Companies
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 and Natural Honey Imports by Country
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Imports – Commodities. Accessed on May 8, 2020
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on May 8, 2020
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on May 8, 2020
Wikipedia, Category:Dairy products companies by country. Accessed on May 8, 2020
Wikipedia, Dairy. Accessed on May 8, 2020
