The overall cost of pork imports for all importing countries deflated by an average -2.8% from five years earlier in 2020 when international purchases of pork cost $37.9 billion.
Year over year, worldwide spending on imported pork flatlined via a -0.3% slowdown compared to $37 billion in 2023.
The 5 biggest markets for imported pork are Japan, Mexico, Italy, mainland China, and South Korea. That powerful cohort of buyers bought 40.4% of the value of globally imported pork for 2024.
From a continental perspective, buyers in European countries imported the highest dollar worth of pork during 2024 with purchases valued at $17.5 billion or 47.6% of the world’s total. In second place were importers in Asia at 29.9% while another 14.4% of overall international pork purchases was delivered to buyers in North America.
Smaller percentages were bought by customers in Latin America (5.3%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, Oceania (2.2%) led by Australia and New Zealand, and Africa (0.7%).
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 0203 for fresh, chilled or frozen swine meat.
Pork Imports by Country
Below are the 15 countries that imported the highest dollar value worth of pork during 2024.
- Japan: US$4.3 billion (11.6% of total imported pork)
- Mexico: $3.3 billion (8.8%)
- Italy: $3.2 billion (8.6%)
- mainland China: $2.1 billion (5.7%)
- South Korea: $2.09 billion (5.7%)
- Poland: $1.96 billion (5.3%)
- Germany: $1.7 billion (4.7%)
- United States: $1.5 billion (4.1%)
- United Kingdom: $1.22 billion (3.3%)
- Romania: $1.17 billion (3.2%)
- France: $1 billion (2.7%)
- Czech Republic: $965.9 million (2.6%)
- Greece: $749.9 million (2%)
- Netherlands: $682.1 million (1.8%)
- Hong Kong: $620.1 million (1.7%)
By value, the listed 15 countries purchased 71.8% of all pork imported in 2024.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing markets for pork year over year were: Mexico (up 18.4%), United States (up 9.2%), South Korea (up 8.9%) and Japan (up 8.5%).
Those countries that posted declines in their imported pork purchases were led by: mainland China (down -39.9% from 2023), Netherlands (down -13.9%), Germany (down -10.9%) and Hong Kong (down -4.1%).
For a comprehensive listing of importers, please see the section below.
Searchable List of Pork Importer Countries in 2024
By value, the top 100 importers of imported pork in the following database were responsible for 99.7% of overall international spending on the commodity in 2024.
| Rank | Importer | Pork Imports | 2023-4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Japan | $4,268,353,000 | +8.5% |
| 2. | Mexico | $3,254,106,000 | +18.4% |
| 3. | Italy | $3,176,831,000 | -0.5% |
| 4. | mainland China | $2,095,471,000 | -39.9% |
| 5. | South Korea | $2,088,360,000 | +8.9% |
| 6. | Poland | $1,956,886,000 | -2.2% |
| 7. | Germany | $1,727,366,000 | -10.9% |
| 8. | United States | $1,502,322,000 | +9.2% |
| 9. | United Kingdom | $1,218,421,000 | +1.5% |
| 10. | Romania | $1,166,324,000 | +1.4% |
| 11. | France | $1,008,242,000 | +0.9% |
| 12. | Czech Republic | $965,862,000 | -3.8% |
| 13. | Greece | $749,923,000 | +5.8% |
| 14. | Netherlands | $682,054,000 | -13.9% |
| 15. | Hong Kong | $620,068,000 | -4.1% |
| 16. | Australia | $599,638,000 | +23.6% |
| 17. | Canada | $535,061,000 | -5.4% |
| 18. | Philippines | $527,832,000 | +9.7% |
| 19. | Hungary | $512,284,000 | +12.2% |
| 20. | Colombia | $450,448,000 | +30.6% |
| 21. | Slovakia | $446,013,000 | -7.2% |
| 22. | Portugal | $418,751,000 | +9.7% |
| 23. | Austria | $416,768,000 | -5.3% |
| 24. | Singapore | $406,388,000 | +16.9% |
| 25. | Bulgaria | $383,952,000 | -5.2% |
| 26. | Croatia | $370,952,000 | +4.8% |
| 27. | Chile | $328,956,000 | +19.9% |
| 28. | Spain | $311,624,000 | +9.1% |
| 29. | Dominican Republic | $295,577,000 | +4.9% |
| 30. | Taiwan | $287,710,000 | -12.4% |
| 31. | Belgium | $283,949,000 | -4% |
| 32. | Sweden | $235,814,000 | +9.8% |
| 33. | Lithuania | $228,789,000 | -1.4% |
| 34. | Malaysia | $215,278,000 | +9.4% |
| 35. | Vietnam | $204,152,000 | -28.7% |
| 36. | New Zealand | $188,683,000 | +16.5% |
| 37. | Serbia | $178,487,000 | +11.5% |
| 38. | Slovenia | $168,259,000 | +3.8% |
| 39. | Denmark | $157,605,000 | -18.5% |
| 40. | Honduras | $151,863,000 | +17.4% |
| 41. | Ireland | $132,560,000 | -5.1% |
| 42. | Uruguay | $123,943,000 | -0.8% |
| 43. | Latvia | $99,889,000 | -12.5% |
| 44. | Costa Rica | $95,912,000 | +66.2% |
| 45. | Montenegro | $90,070,000 | -2.2% |
| 46. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $83,431,000 | +13.4% |
| 47. | Estonia | $82,027,000 | -4.8% |
| 48. | Guatemala | $79,339,000 | +4.5% |
| 49. | Macao | $64,544,000 | -8.3% |
| 50. | Cuba | $59,475,000 | +40.5% |
| 51. | Argentina | $59,054,000 | +44.9% |
| 52. | Nicaragua | $57,129,000 | +39.5% |
| 53. | El Salvador | $54,730,000 | +24.4% |
| 54. | Finland | $49,973,000 | -15.2% |
| 55. | United Arab Emirates | $48,224,000 | -0.7% |
| 56. | Angola | $48,146,000 | -11.4% |
| 57. | South Africa | $47,346,000 | +5.3% |
| 58. | Georgia | $47,267,000 | -14.5% |
| 59. | North Macedonia | $43,356,000 | -1.1% |
| 60. | Cyprus | $43,210,000 | +25.4% |
| 61. | Peru | $42,660,000 | +16.7% |
| 62. | Congo | $36,512,000 | -34.3% |
| 63. | Democratic Republic Congo | $31,187,000 | +129.9% |
| 64. | Armenia | $29,976,000 | +21.3% |
| 65. | Panama | $28,524,000 | +38.2% |
| 66. | Luxembourg | $26,474,000 | +8.1% |
| 67. | Moldova | $25,660,000 | +0.3% |
| 68. | Indonesia | $25,438,000 | +70.9% |
| 69. | Mongolia | $23,656,000 | -3.8% |
| 70. | Trinidad/Tobago | $23,234,000 | +31.9% |
| 71. | Gabon | $21,128,000 | -7.8% |
| 72. | Switzerland | $20,925,000 | +128.7% |
| 73. | Bahamas | $18,579,000 | +18.7% |
| 74. | Malta | $17,776,000 | +27.7% |
| 75. | Albania | $16,974,000 | -0.7% |
| 76. | Kazakhstan | $15,741,000 | +6% |
| 77. | Curaçao | $11,771,000 | +5.1% |
| 78. | Papua New Guinea | $11,679,000 | -3.7% |
| 79. | Venezuela | $11,472,000 | +387.1% |
| 80. | Russia | $8,287,000 | +83.2% |
| 81. | Kenya | $8,251,000 | +44.2% |
| 82. | Aruba | $8,142,000 | +11% |
| 83. | Barbados | $7,840,000 | +0.1% |
| 84. | Liberia | $7,703,000 | +235.6% |
| 85. | Andorra | $7,315,000 | 0% |
| 86. | Iceland | $7,165,000 | -0.4% |
| 87. | Jamaica | $7,004,000 | +41.1% |
| 88. | Haiti | $6,511,000 | +13.3% |
| 89. | Mozambique | $6,416,000 | -2.5% |
| 90. | Namibia | $6,304,000 | -0.9% |
| 91. | Greenland | $5,983,000 | +2.2% |
| 92. | Cabo Verde | $5,960,000 | +25.8% |
| 93. | Brunei Darussalam | $5,758,000 | +20.5% |
| 94. | Ukraine | $5,731,000 | -82.2% |
| 95. | Equatorial Guinea | $5,307,000 | -3.2% |
| 96. | Lesotho | $4,647,000 | +35.5% |
| 97. | Mauritius | $4,379,000 | -3% |
| 98. | India | $4,257,000 | +61.7% |
| 99. | US Minor Outlying Is | $4,136,000 | +45.6% |
| 100. | Türkiye | $3,984,000 | +8.5% |
Focusing on the 100 top buyers of imported pork, the fastest growers were Venezuela (up 387.1% from 2023), Liberia (up 235.6%), Democratic Republic of the Congo (up 129.9%), Switzerland (up 128.7%) and Russia (up 83.2%).
You can change the presentation order in the above table by clicking the triangle icon at the top of the columns.
An entry of 0% in the right-most column means no 2023 data was available.
Pork Imports into Japan
Japan’s global purchases of imported pork totaled US$4.3 billion in 2024. Below are the top 15 suppliers from which Japan imported the highest dollar value worth of pork during 2024. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2023 to 2024.
- Canada: US$1.1 billion (up 10.9% from 2023)
- United States: $982.7 million (up 0.03%)
- Spain: $733.5 million (up 5.2%)
- Mexico: $525.8 million (down -3.5%)
- Brazil: $296.8 million (up 119.1%)
- Denmark: $271.3 million (up 11.2%)
- Chile: $181.1 million (up 21.4%)
- France: $91.6 million (up 16.5%)
- Netherlands: $76.4 million (down -28.7%)
- Ireland: $30 million (up 13.5%)
- Austria: $6.6 million (up 23.1%)
- Finland: $6.3 million (up 50.5%)
- United Kingdom: $4.9 million (up 160.2%)
- Portugal: $2 million (up 72.7%)
- Australia: $921,000 (up 26%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 99.99% of pork imported by Japan in 2024.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of pork to Japan since 2024 were: United Kingdom (up 160.2%), Brazil (up 119.1%), Portugal (up 72.7%) and Finland (up 50.5%).
A pair of leading buyer countries experienced declines in the value of their pork supplied to Japanese importers, namely the Netherlands (down -28.7% from 2023) and Mexico (down -3.5%).
Overall, the value of Japan’s imported pork rose by an average 8.5% from all supplying countries since 2023 when pork purchased cost $3.9 billion.
Pork Imports into Mexico
Mexico’s global purchases of imported pork totaled US$3.25 billion in 2024. Below are the top suppliers from which Mexico imported the highest dollar value worth of pork during 2024. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2023 to 2024.
- United States: US$2.7 billion (up 16.7% from 2023)
- Canada: $425.4 million (up 20.4%)
- Brazil: $112.1 million (up 69.6%)
- Spain: $1.2 million (up 53%)
By value, the listed countries shipped 100% of pork imported by Mexico in 2024.
Overall, the value of Mexico’s imported pork accelerated by an average 18.4% from all supplying countries since 2023 when pork purchased cost $2.7 billion.
Pork Imports into Italy
Italy’s global purchases of imported pork totaled US$3.18 billion in 2024. Below are the top 15 suppliers from which Italy imported the highest dollar value worth of pork during 2024. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2023 to 2024.
- Germany: US$947 million (down -0.9% from 2023)
- Spain: $735.3 million (down -2.9%)
- Netherlands: $568.1 million (up 1.8%)
- Denmark: $310.7 million (down -3.3%)
- France: $240.6 million (down -1.1%)
- Austria: $119.3 million (down -4.2%)
- Belgium: $117.7 million (down -3.1%)
- Hungary: $73.2 million (up 57.2%)
- Poland: $49.1 million (up 5%)
- Switzerland: $3.9 million (up 81.6%)
- Slovenia: $2.8 million (down -21.7%)
- Chile: $2.4 million (down -34%)
- Croatia: $1.7 million (down -62.1%)
- Romania: $1.2 million (up 45.7%)
- Ireland: $817,000 (down -37.3%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 99.9% of pork imported by Italy in 2024.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of pork to Italy since 2024 were: Switzerland (up 81.6%), Hungary (up 57.2%), Romania (up 45.7%) and Poland (up 5%).
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their pork supplied to Italian importers included: Croatia (down -62.1%), Ireland (down -37.3%), Chile (down -34%) and Slovenia (down -21.7%).
Overall, the value of Italy’s imported pork went down by an average -0.5% from all supplying countries since 2023 when pork purchased cost $3.19 billion.
Pork Imports into China
Mainland China’s global purchases of imported pork totaled US$2.1 billion in 2024. Below are the top 15 suppliers from which China imported the highest dollar value worth of pork during 2024. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2023 to 2024.
- Spain: US$606.5 million (down -29.9% from 2023)
- Brazil: $533.1 million (down -46.6%)
- Netherlands: $140.4 million (down -47.5%)
- Denmark: $123.9 million (down -57.1%)
- Canada: $123.9 million (down -54.3%)
- United States: $119.6 million (down -45.1%)
- France: $104.7 million (down -31.5%)
- Chile: $104.6 million (down -35.7%)
- United Kingdom: $100.5 million (down -23%)
- Ireland: $54.4 million (down -24.4%)
- Russia: $53.3 million (2023 data unavailable)
- Austria: $13.6 million (down -54.9%)
- Finland: $5.8 million (down -45.6%)
- Portugal: $4.1 million (down -37.8%)
- Belgium: $2.8 million (2023 data unavailable)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 99.8% of pork imported by mainland China in 2024.
Countries that experienced declines in the value of their pork supplied to Chinese importers included: Denmark (down -57.1% from 2023), Austria (down -54.9%), Canada (down -54.3%) and Netherlands (down -47.5%).
Overall, the value of China’s imported pork plummeted by an average -39.9% from all supplying countries since 2023 when pork purchased cost $3.5 billion.
See also Pork Exports by Country, China’s Top Trading Partners, Japan’s Top Trading Partners, Italy’s Top Trading Partners and Germany’s Top Trading Partners
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Imports – Commodities. Accessed on July 10, 2025
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 10, 2025
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on July 10, 2025