US meat exports forecast to grow across all categories
Pork to lead, surpassing chicken exports through 2035
11 May 2026
1 minute read
By: The volume of US meat exports in major categories is projected to grow through 2035, according to USDA long-term projection data.
Rising incomes abroad and a projected weakening of the US dollar are expected to boost demand for US red meat and poultry.
In 2024, US pork exports surpassed chicken exports for the first time since 1976, and this development is projected to continue through 2035. Steady growth in US pork production, driven by a combination of increasing slaughter weights, rising numbers of pigs per litter, and higher inventories underlie the continued growth in exports.
Environmental policies in the European Union are expected to impact the region’s pork production and reduce EU export growth, enhancing US competitiveness. US pork exports are projected to increase 8.6% from an expected 7.2 billion pounds in 2026 to a projected 7.8 billion pounds by 2035.
By 2029, US pork exports are expected to surpass the previous record of 7.3 billion pounds set in 2020, when China’s import demand spiked at the height of their African swine fever epidemic.
This chart first appeared in the USDA, Economic Research Service Amber Waves article, US Pork Export Volumes Projected to Surpass Chicken in the Next Decade, February 2024. It has been updated with data from the USDA Agricultural Projections to 2035, released in February 2026, and the April 2026 USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE).
