Of that global spending metric, $22.9 billion (67.1%) was for imported frozen poultry meat (versus 71% for 2024). In comparison, $11.2 billion (32.9%) encompasses international spending on imports of fresh or chilled chicken (versus 29% for 2024).
The value of globally imported frozen chicken grew by an average 27.9% since five years earlier in 2021 when frozen chicken meat shipments were valued at $14.6 billion. From 2024 to 2025, imports of frozen poultry slowed to a 1.8% upturn starting from $22.5 billion.
On the other hand, imports of fresh or chilled chicken increased at a faster pace (up 43.3% compared to $7.84 billion during 2021) and accelerated by 19.1% year over year starting from $9.43 billion.
Geographic Insights for Imported Poultry
From a continental perspective, buyers in Asia bought 51.4% of frozen chicken imports but just 4.7% of imported fresh or chilled chicken. In contrast, importers in geographically concentrated Europe bought 85.7% of all imported fresh or chilled chicken compared to 23% of frozen chicken imports. Buyers based in North America imported 8.7% of the global subtotal for fresh or chilled chicken and 5.6% for frozen poultry meat.
African importers generated 11.7% of international frozen chicken purchases versus 0.6% of fresh or chilled poultry. For Latin America excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, the percentages are 7.7% for frozen chicken versus 0.22% for the fresh poultry classifications.
Another smaller continental player for importing chicken is distant Oceania including New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea at 0.9% for frozen product compared to a miniscule 0.05% for fresh or chilled poultry due to relative geographic isolation.
For research purposes, the 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.
Chicken Imports by Country: Fresh
Below are the 15 buyer countries that imported the highest dollar value worth of fresh or chilled chicken during 2025, encompassing both whole chicken and cut pieces.
- Germany: US$1.88 billion (16.8% of imported fresh/chilled chicken)
- United Kingdom: $1.83 billion (16.3%)
- France: $1.66 billion (14.8%)
- Netherlands: $943.9 million (8.4%)
- Mexico: $518 million (4.6%)
- Belgium: $418.8 million (3.7%)
- Canada: $411 million (3.7%)
- Austria: $407.2 million (3.6%)
- Czech Republic: $301.7 million (2.7%)
- Slovakia: $229.4 million (2%)
- Hong Kong: $214.9 million (1.9%)
- Ireland: $214.9 million (1.9%)
- Spain: $199.1 million (1.8%)
- Italy: $162 million (1.4%)
- Portugal: $150.1 million (1.3%)
By value, the listed 15 countries bought 85.1% of all fresh/chilled chicken imported in 2025.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing importers fresh/chilled chicken since 2021 were: Austria (up 212.7%), Spain (up 197%), Portugal (up 188.7%) and the United Kingdom (up 144.3%).
A pair of countries that posted declines in their imported fresh/chilled chicken purchases were Mexico (down -21.3% from 2021) and Hong Kong (down -12.3%).
Top Chicken Imports by Country: Frozen
Below are the 15 countries that imported the highest dollar value worth of frozen chicken during 2025.
- mainland China: US$1.8 billion (7.8% of imported frozen chicken)
- Saudi Arabia: $1.5 billion (6.7%)
- Japan: $1.4 billion (6.1%)
- United Arab Emirates: $1.2 billion (5.3%)
- Mexico: $899.6 million (3.9%)
- Netherlands: $838.1 million (3.7%)
- Iraq: $678.7 million (3%)
- Germany: $606.6 million (2.6%)
- France: $564.8 million (2.5%)
- Philippines: $562.3 million (2.5%)
- United Kingdom: $506.6 million (2.2%)
- Malaysia: $502.4 million (2.2%)
- South Korea: $488.8 million (2.1%)
- Ghana: $476 million (2.1%)
- Hong Kong: $443.6 million (1.9%)
By value, the listed 15 countries consumed 54.6% of all frozen chicken imported in 2025. That relatively low percentage suggests a wide range of importing countries.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing importers of frozen chicken since 2021 were: Ghana (up 472.5%), Mexico (up 336.8%), Malaysia (up 171.4%) and the Netherlands (up 152.7%).
Mainland China was the lone listed country to cut back in its spending on imported frozen chicken purchases, recording a -48.1% drop from 2021.
Note that buyers in the United States of America failed to make the above list. America’s purchases of frozen chicken slowed by -14.4% to $238.9 million in 2025 compared to $279.1 million for 2021.
See also Chicken Exports by Country, Fresh or Frozen Beef Imports by Country, Pork Exports by Country and Goat Meat Exports by Country
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Imports – Commodities. Accessed on July 20, 2026
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 20, 2026
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on July 20, 2026