Overall, the value of globally exported butter increased by an average 16.8% for all exporting countries from 5 years earlier in 2019 when butter shipments were valued at $7.5 billion.
Year over year, the value of exported butter fell by -7.5% compared to $9.4 billion starting from 2022.
The top 5 most lucrative exporters of this food spread are Netherlands, New Zealand, Ireland, Belgium and Germany. Collectively, that cohort of major dairy product exporters sold over two-thirds (68.9%) of the world’s exported butter during 2023.
Among continents, suppliers in Europe sold the highest dollar worth of exported butter during 2023 with shipments valued at $6.7 billion or over three-quarters (77.1%) of the global total. In second place was Oceania mostly New Zealand and Australia at 17.9%.
Smaller percentages originated from shippers in North America (1.88%), Asia (1.86%), Latin America (1%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Africa (0.3%).
For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix for butter is 040510. That code prefix excludes dehydrated butter and ghee. The term ghee means clarified butter (fat) made from the milk of a buffalo or cow and is commonly used in South Asian cooking.
Butter Exports by Country
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of butter during 2023.
- Netherlands: US$1.6 billion (18.5% of total butter exports)
- New Zealand: $1.5 billion (17.5%)
- Ireland: $1.4 billion (16%)
- Belgium: $754.1 million (8.7%)
- Germany: $720.8 million (8.3%)
- France: $629.4 million (7.2%)
- Denmark: $428.3 million (4.9%)
- Poland: $389.1 million (4.5%)
- United Kingdom: $180 million (2.1%)
- Finland: $179.4 million (2.1%)
- United States: $162.4 million (1.9%)
- Italy: $103.4 million (1.2%)
- Portugal: $69.6 million (0.8%)
- Uruguay: $46.3 million (0.5%)
- India: $42.3 million (0.5%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 94.5% of worldwide butter exports in 2023.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing exporters of butter since 2022 were: Portugal (up 39.2%), Denmark (up 23.6%), Italy (up 18.1%) and Finland (up 4.1%).
Those countries that posted declines in their international sales of butter were led by: India (down -51.6% from 2022), Uruguay (down -48.6%), United States of America (down -32.7%), Poland (down -19.9%) and the United Kingdom (down -13.2%).
Searchable List of Butter Exporting Countries in 2023
The 100 countries showcased in the automated database below accounted for 99.999% of all butter exported during 2023.
| Rank | Exporter | Butter Exports | 2022-3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Netherlands | $1,607,965,000 | +3.3% |
| 2. | New Zealand | $1,525,316,000 | -4.8% |
| 3. | Ireland | $1,392,353,000 | -10.6% |
| 4. | Belgium | $754,141,000 | -7% |
| 5. | Germany | $720,770,000 | -8.6% |
| 6. | France | $629,445,000 | +3.3% |
| 7. | Denmark | $428,278,000 | +23.6% |
| 8. | Poland | $389,061,000 | -19.9% |
| 9. | United Kingdom | $179,982,000 | -13.2% |
| 10. | Finland | $179,377,000 | +4.1% |
| 11. | United States | $162,430,000 | -32.7% |
| 12. | Italy | $103,393,000 | +18.1% |
| 13. | Portugal | $69,609,000 | +39.2% |
| 14. | Uruguay | $46,305,000 | -48.6% |
| 15. | India | $42,300,000 | -51.6% |
| 16. | Lithuania | $35,514,000 | +31.7% |
| 17. | Iran | $34,547,000 | -23.6% |
| 18. | Ukraine | $34,183,000 | -53.5% |
| 19. | Australia | $33,605,000 | -35.9% |
| 20. | Spain | $31,186,000 | -43.4% |
| 21. | Sweden | $30,189,000 | +138.9% |
| 22. | Austria | $28,269,000 | -15.6% |
| 23. | Argentina | $25,355,000 | -49.9% |
| 24. | Luxembourg | $21,448,000 | +12.5% |
| 25. | Czech Republic | $20,907,000 | -9.3% |
| 26. | Belarus | $16,278,000 | -36.3% |
| 27. | Uganda | $11,705,000 | +366% |
| 28. | Armenia | $9,187,000 | -47.8% |
| 29. | South Africa | $8,817,000 | +3.9% |
| 30. | Slovakia | $8,448,000 | +9.2% |
| 31. | Kazakhstan | $7,859,000 | -69.3% |
| 32. | Singapore | $7,770,000 | -14.8% |
| 33. | mainland China | $7,071,000 | +12.1% |
| 34. | Azerbaijan | $7,046,000 | -25.3% |
| 35. | Türkiye | $7,044,000 | -89.6% |
| 36. | Estonia | $6,906,000 | -3% |
| 37. | Saudi Arabia | $6,749,000 | -71.3% |
| 38. | Costa Rica | $6,255,000 | -15.2% |
| 39. | Kyrgyzstan | $6,047,000 | -66.1% |
| 40. | Hong Kong | $5,997,000 | +8.1% |
| 41. | Croatia | $5,995,000 | +18.3% |
| 42. | Malaysia | $5,849,000 | -7.2% |
| 43. | United Arab Emirates | $4,717,000 | -64.3% |
| 44. | Bulgaria | $4,624,000 | -12% |
| 45. | Russia | $4,562,000 | -51.4% |
| 46. | Serbia | $3,414,000 | +60.5% |
| 47. | Bolivia | $3,373,000 | +167.1% |
| 48. | Paraguay | $3,261,000 | -47.7% |
| 49. | Thailand | $2,831,000 | +31.8% |
| 50. | Bahrain | $2,467,000 | +179.7% |
| 51. | Hungary | $2,304,000 | +20.9% |
| 52. | Honduras | $2,300,000 | 0% |
| 53. | Brazil | $2,287,000 | -55.9% |
| 54. | Pakistan | $1,925,000 | +127.5% |
| 55. | Greece | $1,700,000 | -40.4% |
| 56. | Canada | $1,569,000 | +4961% |
| 57. | Romania | $1,429,000 | -62% |
| 58. | Benin | $1,005,000 | +1140.7% |
| 59. | Slovenia | $785,000 | -22% |
| 60. | Philippines | $564,000 | +75.2% |
| 61. | Egypt | $536,000 | -15.1% |
| 62. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $508,000 | +1488% |
| 63. | Norway | $483,000 | -92.1% |
| 64. | Chile | $435,000 | -45.5% |
| 65. | El Salvador | $408,000 | +80.5% |
| 66. | Japan | $337,000 | +21.2% |
| 67. | Jordan | $297,000 | -40.7% |
| 68. | Macao | $250,000 | 0% |
| 69. | Uzbekistan | $234,000 | -77.3% |
| 70. | Colombia | $230,000 | -79.8% |
| 71. | Iceland | $191,000 | -61.6% |
| 72. | North Macedonia | $187,000 | +159.7% |
| 73. | Switzerland | $180,000 | +9.1% |
| 74. | Fiji | $177,000 | +101.1% |
| 75. | Sri Lanka | $172,000 | +3340% |
| 76. | Indonesia | $168,000 | -54.3% |
| 77. | Kenya | $122,000 | -41.1% |
| 78. | Georgia | $113,000 | -74.6% |
| 79. | Lebanon | $110,000 | -50.2% |
| 80. | Zambia | $88,000 | +72.5% |
| 81. | Kuwait | $83,000 | -94.7% |
| 82. | Oman | $77,000 | +6.9% |
| 83. | Trinida/ Tobago | $68,000 | +58.1% |
| 84. | South Korea | $60,000 | -4.8% |
| 85. | Peru | $47,000 | -7.8% |
| 86. | Dominican Republic | $39,000 | -90.7% |
| 87. | Panama | $38,000 | +245.5% |
| 88. | Namibia | $35,000 | -82.5% |
| 89. | Brunei Darussalam | $30,000 | -3.2% |
| 90. | Vietnam | $23,000 | +4.5% |
| 91. | Morocco | $22,000 | -84.5% |
| 92. | Senegal | $21,000 | -63.2% |
| 93. | Samoa | $20,000 | -64.9% |
| 94. | Nigeria | $19,000 | -17.4% |
| 95. | Ivory Coast | $18,000 | -47.1% |
| 96. | Fr. Southern/Antarctic | $17,000 | 0% |
| 97. | Zimbabwe | $15,000 | -21.1% |
| 98. | Taiwan | $13,000 | -38.1% |
| 99. | Bangladesh | $11,000 | -84.3% |
| 100. | Democratic Rep. Congo | $9,000 | -57.1% |
Expanding the scope to encompass all showcased butter exporters, the fastest growers were: Canada (up 4,961% from 2022), Sri Lanka (up 3,340%), Bosnia and Herzegovina (up 1,488%), Benin (up 1,141%) and Uganda (up 366%).
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of the above table’s columns. An entry of 0% in the right-most column means that 2022 data is unavailable.
Countries Earning Best Trade Surpluses from Butter
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for butter during 2023. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s exported butter and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- New Zealand: US$1.5 billion (net export surplus down -4.6% since 2022)
- Ireland: $1.4 billion (down -10.1%)
- Netherlands: $852.8 million (up 19.1%)
- Denmark: $372.1 million (up 36.2%)
- Poland: $305.2 million (down -15.6%)
- Belgium: $258.1 million (up 19.7%)
- Finland: $177 million (up 4.3%)
- Portugal: $43.8 million (up 79.4%)
- Uruguay: $41.9 million (down -49.8%)
- India: $41.3 million (down -52.2%)
- Iran: $34.2 million (down -24.3%)
- Argentina: $24.9 million (down -49.1%)
- Ukraine: $24.1 million (down -64.7%)
- Belarus: $15.9 million (down -33.5%)
- Uganda: $11.7 million (up 367.3%)
New Zealand and Ireland generated billion-dollar surpluses in the international trade of butter. In turn, these positive cashflows confirm both countries’ strong competitive advantages for this specific product category.
Countries Incurring Worst Trade Deficits from Butter
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for butter during 2023. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s imported butter purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- France: -US$617.6 million (net export deficit down -20.8% since 2022)
- mainland China: -$609.3 million (down -7%)
- United States of America: -$343.3 million (up 70.1%)
- Saudi Arabia: -$224.5 million (up 1.4%)
- Canada: -$184.5 million (up 12.6%)
- South Korea: -$173.9 million (up 8.6%)
- Australia: -$162.5 million (up 21.2%)
- Spain: -$146.1 million (up 37.7%)
- Czech Republic: -$116.1 million (down -7.6%)
- Taiwan: -$113.6 million (down -9.4%)
- Italy: -$113.5 million (down -16%)
- Indonesia: -$111 million (down -17.4%)
- Romania: -$95.3 million (down -5.4%)
- Japan: -$93 million (up 42.2%)
- United Kingdom: -$88.9 million (up 6.4%)
France and mainland China incurred the highest deficits in the international trade of butter. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights both countries’ competitive disadvantages for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for butter-supplying countries to help satisfy the powerful demand.
Butter Exporting Companies
Below are global butter-producing cooperatives and multi-national dairy companies. Shown within parenthesis is the city and country where the headquarters for each business is located.
- Arla Foods (Viby, Denmark)
- Fonterra (Auckland, New Zealand)
- Lactalis (Laval, France)
- Müller (Fischach, Germany)
- Parmalat (Collecchio, Italy)
- Zott (Mertingen,Germany)
See also Top Milk Exporting Countries, Cheese Exports by Country, Top Yogurt Exporters and Fresh Eggs Exporters by Country
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on October 7, 2024
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on October 7, 2024
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on October 7, 2024
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on October 7, 2024
Wikipedia, Category:Multinational dairy companies . Accessed on October 7, 2024