The 10 largest milk producing and importing countries in the world and the Arab region Economy

Al Jazeera Net correspondents

Milk is the first thing a person eats when he is born, and it is an extremely important product for human health. Milk is a complete food, and it is an excellent source of vitamins, calcium, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and other nutrients vital to human health, which is why children suffice with it from birth until six months. The first of their lives, as reported by the Australian “Better Health” platform.

Milk production contributes to improving families’ livelihoods and achieving food security and proper nutrition. Milk also provides relatively quick returns to small producers and constitutes an important source of cash income.

About 150 million families around the world work in milk production, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

In the past three decades, global milk production has increased by more than 59%, from 530 million tons in 1988 to 843 million tons in 2018. Global milk production will reach 929.9 million tons in 2022, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). .

Cow milk is the most consumed type of milk, followed by buffalo milk, goat milk, sheep milk, and camel milk.

India is the largest milk producer in the world, with a 22% share of global production, followed by the United States of America, China, Pakistan and Brazil, according to the FAO.

On World Milk Day, which falls on June 1 of each year, we review in this report the most important producers and exporters of milk and the companies producing this commodity in the world and the Arab region.

The 10 largest milk producing countries in the world

The following is a list of the 10 largest milk-producing countries in the world for the 2023 season, according to what the Dairy News platform reported:

1. India: 209 million tons.
2. United States: 102.6 million tons.
3. Pakistan: 65.8 million tons.
4. China: 41.3 million tons.
5. Brazil: 36.6 million tons.
6. Germany: 33.1 million tons.
7. Russia: 32.3 million tons.
8. France: 25.8 million tons.
9. Türkiye: 23.2 million tons.
10. New Zealand: 21.9 million tons.

The 10 largest milk exporting countries in the world

The 27 European Union countries are considered among the largest producers, exporters and importers of milk in the world, especially cow’s milk, as these countries together produced 143 million metric tons of cow’s milk in 2022, according to the Statista platform.

The following is a list of the top 10 countries that export milk of various types in the world in 2022, according to what the OEC World platform reported, estimated in US dollars:

1. Germany: $1.56 billion (13.6% of the milk exported in the world).
2. Netherlands: $1.19 billion (10.4%).
3. Belgium: $1.03 billion (8.97%).
4. New Zealand: $918 million (8.01%).
5. France: $778 million (6.79%).
6. Czech Republic: $524 million (4.57%).
7. Australia: $404 million (3.53%).
8. Spain: $319 million (2.79%).
9. Lithuania: $313 million (2.73%).
10. Denmark: $300 million (2.62%).

The 10 largest milk importing countries in the world

Although the European Union countries in general, and Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium in particular, are among the largest producers and exporters of milk in the world, these countries are also among the largest importers, and this is due to their advanced food industries, in which milk is an essential ingredient in their manufacture, especially the manufacture of cheese, chocolate, drinks, various dairy products, and other The food industries that carry major brand names, the great global demand for food products manufactured by these countries, and European companies dominate the world’s milk and dairy products industry, as we will see in this report.

The following is a list of the top 10 milk importing countries in the world in 2022, according to what the previous source mentioned:

1. Germany: $2.03 billion (17.7% of the world’s imported milk).
2. China: $1.46 billion (12.8%).
3. Belgium: $941 million (8.21%).
4. Netherlands: $941 million (8.21%).
5. Italy: $692 million (6.04%).
6. France: $579 million (5.05%).
7. Lithuania: $329 million (2.87%).
8. Poland: $305 million (2.66%).
9. United Kingdom: $276 million (2.41%).
10. South Korea: $181 million (1.58%).

The top 10 companies that dominate the milk and dairy products market in the world

The milk and dairy products industry is one of the world’s leading industries, and in 2022, the worldwide dairy market was valued at approximately US$893 billion, and is expected to grow to US$1.24 trillion by 2028, Statista reported.

The following is a list of the 10 largest companies that dominate the milk and dairy products market in the world, according to what the “Insider Monkey” platform reported:

1. Lactalis – $26.7 billion (France)
2. Nestle – $21.3 billion (Switzerland).
3. Danone – $20.9 billion (France)
4. Dairy Farmers of America – $19.3 billion (US).
5. Yili Group – $18.2 billion (China)
6. Fonterra – $14.8 billion (New Zealand)
7. Mengniu Dairy – $13.7 billion (China).
8. Arla Foods – $13.3 billion (Denmark).
9. Friesland Campina – $13.1 billion (Netherlands).
10. Saputo Inc – $12 billion (Canada).

Milk and dairy products in the Arab world

• The size of the dairy market in the Middle East is estimated at $18.89 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach $23.43 billion by 2029, with a compound annual growth rate of 4.40% during the forecast period (2024-2029), according to an expanded report. Released by Mordor Intelligence.
• Saudi Arabia and Iran are the main markets in the region. Together, these two countries accounted for a 52.2% share of the total volume of dairy product sales across the region in 2022.
• Saudi Arabia is the largest dairy producer in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, supported by the highest consumption of dairy products in the country.
• In 2022, the consumption of dairy products in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reached about $5.5 billion, which represents a growth of 2.9% compared to the previous year 2021, according to the previous source.
• The UAE is considered the fastest growing dairy market in the Middle East. This market is expected to grow by 13.4% in 2025 compared to 2022.

The increasing demand for various dairy products due to the growing expatriate population and changing consumption patterns is leading to an increase in the consumption of dairy products in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Other countries such as Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and Iraq also contribute significantly to the growth of the market. These countries are focusing on reducing their dependence on imports, and governments are taking various steps to support and encourage domestic production. Hence, consumption of dairy products in these countries is expected to increase at a higher rate during the forecast period as mentioned above.

The 5 largest companies that dominate milk products in the Arab world

Below is a list of the top 5 companies that dominate the dairy market in the Arab world: According to the aforementioned Mordor Intelligence report, noting that the report did not mention the value of the annual revenues of these companies.

1. Almarai Company
2. Arla Foods Amba Company
3. Danone Company
4. Saudi Dairy and Food Products Company (SADAFCO)
5. Nadec Company

The 5 largest Arab countries that produce milk

Below is a list of the top 5 Arab countries that produce milk in 2022, according to the Our World in Data platform:

1. Egypt: 5.72 million tons
2. Sudan: 4.67 million tons
3. Algeria: 3.32 million tons
4. Saudi Arabia: 2.85 million tons
5. Morocco: 2.15 million tons.5.72