Meat imports statistics show a sharply different pattern by species. U.S. beef and veal imports reached 5,387,953.109 thousand pounds of carcass weight in 2025, while pork imports totaled 1,116,520.913 thousand pounds. Global meat exports were estimated at 40.2 million tonnes in 2024, and global meat production reached an estimated 375 million tonnes carcass-weight equivalent in 2025.
Table of contents
- U.S. beef and veal imports
- U.S. pork imports
- Broiler and turkey imports
- Lamb and mutton imports
- Recent global meat trade
- Global import outlook
U.S. beef and veal imports
The U.S. beef and veal series is measured in thousand pounds of carcass weight. Imports increased each year from 2021 through 2025, with the largest reported total in 2025.
| Year | U.S. beef and veal imports (1,000 lb carcass weight) |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 3,344,577.396 |
| 2022 | 3,389,961.416 |
| 2023 | 3,724,990.321 |
| 2024 | 4,635,445.704 |
| 2025 | 5,387,953.109 |
The 2021 total was 3,344,577.396 thousand pounds, followed by 3,389,961.416 thousand pounds in 2022. Imports then reached 3,724,990.321 thousand pounds in 2023 and 4,635,445.704 thousand pounds in 2024. The 2025 total was 5,387,953.109 thousand pounds. These are annual U.S. trade figures, not retail sales or household consumption estimates.
In 2025, Australia was the largest listed supplier in the supplied U.S. beef and veal figures, at 1,330,501.459 thousand pounds of carcass weight. Canada supplied 1,012,678.676 thousand pounds, while Brazil supplied 931,406.387 thousand pounds. Mexico contributed 710,290.247 thousand pounds, and New Zealand contributed 539,408.590 thousand pounds.
Other listed 2025 suppliers included Uruguay at 372,864.653 thousand pounds and Nicaragua at 196,795.453 thousand pounds. The supplier figures describe the reported country-level volumes for 2025; they should not be interpreted as market-share percentages because the source provides quantities here rather than a percentage table.
Source: Beef and veal: annual and cumulative year-to-date U.S. trade, USDA Economic Research Service.
U.S. pork imports
U.S. pork imports were more variable than beef and veal imports over the same five-year period. The annual totals, also measured in thousand pounds of carcass weight, were 1,180,077.484 thousand pounds in 2021 and 1,343,976.522 thousand pounds in 2022. The series then stood at 1,142,457.038 thousand pounds in 2023, 1,147,502.771 thousand pounds in 2024, and 1,116,520.913 thousand pounds in 2025.
| Year | U.S. pork imports (1,000 lb carcass weight) |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,180,077.484 |
| 2022 | 1,343,976.522 |
| 2023 | 1,142,457.038 |
| 2024 | 1,147,502.771 |
| 2025 | 1,116,520.913 |
Canada was the leading listed supplier in 2025, with 697,171.558 thousand pounds of carcass weight. Mexico supplied 95,285.152 thousand pounds, Denmark 70,723.869 thousand pounds, Italy 56,359.510 thousand pounds, and Poland 52,740.654 thousand pounds. Brazil supplied 49,492.663 thousand pounds.
The 2022 total was the high point in this five-year pork series. The later totals were all below that 2022 figure, with 2025 at 1,116,520.913 thousand pounds. Because these values use carcass-weight measurement, comparisons with product-weight figures from another source may not be like-for-like.
Source: Pork: annual and cumulative year-to-date U.S. trade, USDA Economic Research Service.
Broiler and turkey imports
The U.S. poultry figures are reported in pounds, while the beef, pork, lamb, and mutton figures above are identified as carcass weight. That distinction matters when comparing species.
U.S. broiler imports totaled 154,511.980 thousand pounds in 2021 and 176,269.591 thousand pounds in 2022. They fell to 131,040.789 thousand pounds in 2023, then rose to 149,522.180 thousand pounds in 2024 and 152,138.100 thousand pounds in 2025.
In 2025, Chile accounted for 119,294.140 thousand pounds of the reported U.S. broiler imports, while Canada accounted for 32,253.307 thousand pounds. Those two supplier figures are country-level quantities and do not establish the total contribution of every supplier.
U.S. turkey imports totaled 22,167.659 thousand pounds in 2021. The annual total increased to 47,498.548 thousand pounds in 2022, then declined to 35,135.943 thousand pounds in 2023. Turkey imports reached 36,591.650 thousand pounds in 2024 and 38,298.693 thousand pounds in 2025.
Broiler and turkey imports therefore show different recent patterns: broiler imports in 2025 were below the 2022 high, while turkey imports in 2025 were also below their 2022 high but above the 2021 total. The source reports these poultry series separately from carcass-weight trade series.
Source: Chickens, turkeys, and eggs: annual and cumulative year-to-date U.S. trade, USDA Economic Research Service.
Lamb and mutton imports
U.S. lamb imports totaled 264,241.059 thousand pounds of carcass weight in 2021 and 278,002.800 thousand pounds in 2022. The total fell to 239,870.702 thousand pounds in 2023, then rose to 309,127.019 thousand pounds in 2024. In 2025, lamb imports totaled 302,134.421 thousand pounds of carcass weight.
Australia supplied 226,027.898 thousand pounds of U.S. lamb imports in 2025, and New Zealand supplied 73,891.255 thousand pounds. Those were the two listed supplier quantities for that year.
Mutton imports were reported separately. The U.S. total was 99,664.345 thousand pounds of carcass weight in 2021, 51,656.092 thousand pounds in 2024, and 46,450.077 thousand pounds in 2025. The supplied figures do not include a complete annual mutton sequence for every year from 2021 through 2025, so the reported values should be read as selected year totals rather than a continuous five-year table.
Lamb and mutton are not interchangeable measures in this series. Lamb totals refer to lamb imports, while mutton totals refer to mutton imports; combining them would change the meaning of the source data.
Source: Lamb and mutton: annual and cumulative year-to-date U.S. trade, USDA Economic Research Service.
Recent global meat trade
The global figures use million tonnes and, in some cases, carcass-weight equivalent. Global meat trade fell to 39 million tonnes in 2023, down 3% from 2022. The OECD-FAO outlook describes China as accounting for almost one-quarter of global meat imports during the historically high trade levels of 2020–2021.
Global meat exports recovered to an estimated 40.2 million tonnes in 2024, a 2% increase after two years of decline. This 2024 figure is an estimate, so it should be distinguished from the 2023 reported trade total. Global meat production reached an estimated 375 million tonnes carcass-weight equivalent in 2025, up 1.4% year over year.
Another OECD-FAO outlook projected global meat trade to return to 40 million tonnes carcass-weight equivalent, the level last seen in 2021. That statement is an outlook comparison rather than a claim that every trade measure uses identical product coverage or timing.
Sources: Meat: OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2025–2034 and Meat: OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2024–2033.
Global import outlook
The longer-range outlook points to slower growth than in the previous decade. Global meat imports are projected to grow 10% by 2034, compared with 37% growth in the previous decade. China’s share of global meat imports is projected to decline from 20% in the base period to 16% by 2034.
The projected growth is also geographically concentrated. Africa is projected to account for 73% of additional global meat imports by 2033. By product, poultry is projected to account for 72% of additional global meat imports by 2033 and to represent 41% of total global meat imports in that year.
The export side remains concentrated in the Americas. North and South America are projected to account for 56% of global meat exports in 2033. Brazil and the United States are each projected to represent 20% of global meat exports through 2033, while the European Union’s global meat export share is projected to reach 15% in 2033.
These are projections, not realized trade outcomes. The 2033 and 2034 figures should therefore be used to understand the direction and composition of the outlook, while the U.S. species totals above describe reported annual imports for 2021–2025.
Source: Meat: OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2024–2033 and Meat: OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2025–2034.