Globally, poultry is the most imported livestock commodity by volume. Rising incomes, growing populations, and increasing urbanisation all contribute to increasing poultry consumption, especially in markets where local production is often unable to keep pace with accelerating demand, according to a recent USDA ERS market report.

Historically, Asia has been the largest importer of chicken meat by volume. In 2022, the region imported more than 3.4 million metric tons. 

The Middle East was the second largest importer of chicken meat in 2022, with imports of nearly 2.0 million metric tons, followed by Europe with 1.7 million metric tons. 

Over the past two decades, however, Africa has become an increasingly important market for global poultry trade. Africa’s poultry imports grew by more than 850% from just under 0.2 million metric tons in 1999 to more than 1.5 million metric tons in 2022. 

This chart is drawn from the USDA, Economic Research Service report, Evaluating the Effects of Nontariff Measures on Poultry Trade, May 2024.