That dollar value reflects a 64% increase compared to $15.1 billion five years earlier in 2019.
Year over year, globally exported dog and cat food grew by 8.9% compared to $22.8 billion starting in 2022.
The 5 biggest exporters of pet food for canines and felines are Germany, United States of America, France, Thailand and Poland. Added together, that cohort of pet food suppliers collected almost half (49.4%) of revenues for all dog or cat food exported during 2023.
Comparing data from a continental perspective, countries in Europe sold the most dog or cat food on international markets during 2023 with exports valued at $16.7 billion or over two-thirds (67.1%) of the world’s total. In second place were exporters in Asia at 16.1% while another 13% of worldwide dog or cat food shipments originated from North America.
Smaller percentages came from shippers in Latin America (2.1%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, Oceania (1.4%) mostly New Zealand and Australia, and Africa (0.3%).
For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 230910 for dog or cat food put up for retail sale.
Dog or Cat Food Exports by Country
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of dog or cat food during 2023.
- Germany: US$3.2 billion (13.1% of exported dog or cat food)
- United States: $2.43 billion (9.8%)
- France: $2.43 billion (9.8%)
- Thailand: $2.08 billion (8.4%)
- Poland: $2.07 billion (8.3%)
- Netherlands: $1.8 billion (7.2%)
- mainland China: $1.2 billion (4.9%)
- Czech Republic: $1.02 billion (4.1%)
- Hungary: $1.01 billion (4.1%)
- Belgium: $740.3 million (3%)
- Italy: $729.2 million (2.9%)
- Canada: $713.9 million (2.9%)
- Spain: $687.9 million (2.8%)
- Austria: $539 million (2.2%)
- United Kingdom: $398.3 million (1.6%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 85.1% of dog or cat food exported in 2023.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing exporters of dog or cat food since 2022 were: Czech Republic (up 34%), Spain (up 32.7%), Hungary (up 26.5%) and Poland (up 20.2%).
Four countries posted declines in their exported dog or cat food sales namely Thailand (down -14.6% from 2022), Canada (down -9.6%), United States (down -2.5%), mainland China (down -1.5%).
Searchable Database of Dog or Cat Food Exporters
The 100 major exporters in the automated database below generated 99.996% of global export sales for dog or cat food.
| Rank | Exporter | Dog/Cat Food Exports | 2022-3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Germany | $3,243,127,000 | +14.5% |
| 2. | United States | $2,434,406,000 | -2.5% |
| 3. | France | $2,425,356,000 | +17.9% |
| 4. | Thailand | $2,081,016,000 | -14.6% |
| 5. | Poland | $2,065,875,000 | +20.2% |
| 6. | Netherlands | $1,796,565,000 | +15.7% |
| 7. | mainland China | $1,225,838,000 | -1.5% |
| 8. | Czech Republic | $1,021,483,000 | +34% |
| 9. | Hungary | $1,014,753,000 | +26.5% |
| 10. | Belgium | $740,307,000 | +19.7% |
| 11. | Italy | $729,159,000 | +10.6% |
| 12. | Canada | $713,884,000 | -9.6% |
| 13. | Spain | $687,884,000 | +32.7% |
| 14. | Austria | $539,001,000 | +7.9% |
| 15. | United Kingdom | $398,312,000 | +8.2% |
| 16. | Switzerland | $290,419,000 | +28% |
| 17. | Lithuania | $262,578,000 | +19.4% |
| 18. | Ireland | $260,730,000 | +6.9% |
| 19. | Sweden | $254,130,000 | +29.2% |
| 20. | Denmark | $241,986,000 | +16.6% |
| 21. | Serbia | $224,892,000 | +47.5% |
| 22. | New Zealand | $189,529,000 | -9.7% |
| 23. | Australia | $157,473,000 | -19.3% |
| 24. | South Korea | $149,752,000 | +0.5% |
| 25. | Türkiye | $128,379,000 | +30.5% |
| 26. | Honduras | $123,695,000 | 0% |
| 27. | Argentina | $121,701,000 | -8.3% |
| 28. | Brazil | $100,820,000 | +5.7% |
| 29. | Vietnam | $90,273,000 | -37% |
| 30. | Slovakia | $84,754,000 | +233.3% |
| 31. | South Africa | $82,154,000 | +23.7% |
| 32. | Mexico | $74,770,000 | -18.5% |
| 33. | Cambodia | $74,405,000 | +53.5% |
| 34. | Russia | $62,159,000 | -37.9% |
| 35. | Portugal | $60,802,000 | -12.5% |
| 36. | India | $57,456,000 | -8.4% |
| 37. | Japan | $56,255,000 | +6.4% |
| 38. | Guatemala | $49,085,000 | -4.5% |
| 39. | Norway | $41,078,000 | +15.6% |
| 40. | Finland | $37,304,000 | -18% |
| 41. | Hong Kong | $35,254,000 | -24.8% |
| 42. | Latvia | $28,213,000 | +4.6% |
| 43. | Costa Rica | $27,935,000 | +34.1% |
| 44. | Paraguay | $27,103,000 | +15.1% |
| 45. | Nepal | $26,774,000 | +11.3% |
| 46. | Ukraine | $25,509,000 | +63% |
| 47. | Romania | $22,822,000 | +41.3% |
| 48. | Colombia | $21,078,000 | +26.9% |
| 49. | Taiwan | $20,081,000 | +0.4% |
| 50. | Malaysia | $20,019,000 | +1.8% |
| 51. | Estonia | $18,528,000 | +21.5% |
| 52. | Greece | $17,106,000 | +2.1% |
| 53. | Luxembourg | $15,404,000 | -17.6% |
| 54. | El Salvador | $14,255,000 | +5.1% |
| 55. | Croatia | $13,554,000 | +16.5% |
| 56. | Chile | $10,199,000 | +42.5% |
| 57. | Bulgaria | $9,072,000 | +51.3% |
| 58. | Ecuador | $8,898,000 | -8.2% |
| 59. | Iceland | $8,652,000 | +14.5% |
| 60. | Indonesia | $8,586,000 | +97.7% |
| 61. | Slovenia | $8,369,000 | +12.8% |
| 62. | Singapore | $5,842,000 | -19.1% |
| 63. | Uruguay | $3,239,000 | +111% |
| 64. | Israel | $2,598,000 | +23.7% |
| 65. | Myanmar | $2,425,000 | -53.5% |
| 66. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $1,817,000 | +126.3% |
| 67. | Peru | $1,756,000 | -40.4% |
| 68. | Mongolia | $1,283,000 | +23% |
| 69. | Iran | $1,229,000 | 0% |
| 70. | Kazakhstan | $1,139,000 | +143.4% |
| 71. | Egypt | $1,118,000 | +4761% |
| 72. | Armenia | $978,000 | +105.5% |
| 73. | Trinidad/ Tobago | $915,000 | +1088% |
| 74. | Malta | $610,000 | +9.1% |
| 75. | Kenya | $525,000 | +4.4% |
| 76. | Dominican Republic | $440,000 | +17.6% |
| 77. | Barbados | $409,000 | +15.9% |
| 78. | Cyprus | $338,000 | +284.1% |
| 79. | Djibouti | $323,000 | 0% |
| 80. | New Caledonia | $303,000 | +326.8% |
| 81. | Saint Kitts/Nevis | $286,000 | +43% |
| 82. | Georgia | $281,000 | -20.6% |
| 83. | Oman | $225,000 | +625.8% |
| 84. | Panama | $223,000 | +104.6% |
| 85. | Bangladesh | $212,000 | +125.5% |
| 86. | Falkland Is (Malvinas) | $208,000 | +271.4% |
| 87. | Saint Lucia | $194,000 | +19300% |
| 88. | Albania | $181,000 | 0% |
| 89. | Saint Helena | $166,000 | +64.4% |
| 90. | United Arab Emirates | $153,000 | -99.6% |
| 91. | Belarus | $152,000 | -40.2% |
| 92. | Sri Lanka | $143,000 | +76.5% |
| 93. | Br. Indian Ocean Terr | $134,000 | +3250% |
| 94. | Venezuela | $121,000 | -69.7% |
| 95. | Curaçao | $114,000 | +850% |
| 96. | St Maarten (Dutch) | $85,000 | -51.1% |
| 97. | Mauritius | $83,000 | +107.5% |
| 98. | Senegal | $78,000 | +25.8% |
| 99. | North Macedonia | $72,000 | +166.7% |
| 100. | Syria | $64,000 | +137% |
The fastest growers among the 100 main exporters are Saint Lucia (up 19,300% from 2022), Egypt (up 4,761%), British Indian Ocean Territories (up 3,250%) then Trinidad and Tobago (up 1,088%).
An entry of 0% in the above table’s rightmost column means that 2022 data was unavailable for that entry.
Countries Generating Best Trade Surpluses from Dog or Cat Food
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for dog or cat food 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 dog or cat food and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- Thailand: US$2 billion (net export surplus down -15.6% since 2022)
- France: $1.2 billion (up 8.3%)
- Netherlands: $897.7 million (up 14.4%)
- Germany: $828.1 million (up 12.7%)
- United States of America: $723.1 million (up 116.1%)
- Hungary: $682.1 million (up 32.3%)
- Poland: $665.5 million (up 15.9%)
- mainland China: $652.1 million (up 13.9%)
- Czech Republic: $465.6 million (up 27.8%)
- Serbia: $154.1 million (up 71.7%)
- Lithuania: $140.3 million (up 15.9%)
- Argentina: $119.2 million (down -5%)
- Brazil: $88.6 million (up 8.8%)
- Honduras: $77.4 million (2022 data unavailable)
- Cambodia: $64.1 million (up 73.7%)
Thailand posted the highest surplus in the international trade of dog or cat food. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms Thailand’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Countries Experiencing Worst Trade Deficits from Dog or Cat Food
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for dog or cat food 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 dog or cat food purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- United Kingdom: -US$1.3 billion (net export deficit up 25.7% since 2022)
- Japan: -$670.8 million (down -4.9%)
- Canada: -$616.2 million (up 30.9%)
- Romania: -$363 million (up 17%)
- Italy: -$355.3 million (up 40.2%)
- Portugal: -$255.9 million (up 28.8%)
- Taiwan: -$243.4 million (down -3.2%)
- Malaysia: -$236.7 million (down -18.1%)
- Chile: -$232.4 million (down -11.9%)
- Ukraine: -$217.7 million (up 17.8%)
- Belgium: -$211 million (up 34.9%)
- Russia: -$209.6 million (down -6.1%)
- Philippines: -$206.8 million (down -10.8%)
- Australia: -$193.8 million (down -23.2%)
- Greece: -$180.2 million (up 16%)
The United Kingdom incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of dog or cat food. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights Britain’s arduous competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for dog or cat food-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand.
Leading Pet Food Brands
Below are major dog and cat food brands that represent established entities engaged in the international trade of pet food. The home country for each is shown within parenthesis.
- Addiction Foods (Singapore)
- AvoDerm (United States)
- Essential Foods (Denmark)
- Eukanuba (United States)
- Freshpet (United States)
- Hill’s Pet Nutrition (United States)
- Iams (United States)
- Natural Balance Pet Foods (United States)
- Nature’s Variety (United States)
- Nutro Products (United States)
- Pedigree Petfoods (United States)
- Ralston Purina (United States)
- Royal Canin (France)
- Solid Gold (United States)
- Vegepet (United States)
See also Germany’s Top Trading Partners, Netherlands Top 10 Exports, United States Top 10 Exports, Indonesia’s Top 10 Imports and Vietnam’s Top 10 Imports
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on August 20, 2024
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on August 20, 2024
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on August 20, 2024
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on August 20, 2024
Wikipedia, Category:Pet food brands. Accessed on August 20, 2024