In 2024, international shipments of butter reached a total value of US$10.3 billion.

Compared with 2020, when worldwide butter exports stood at $6.4 billion, the sector has expanded by an impressive 60.6% over five years. On a year-to-year basis, butter sales abroad climbed 17%, rising from $8.8 billion in 2023.

The world’s leading butter exporters remain Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Germany, and France. Together, these five accounted for roughly 67.1% of global butter exports in 2024, underscoring their dominance in the dairy trade.

Europe clearly led the market, generating $7.6 billion in butter exports, equal to nearly 74.1% of the global total.

Oceania—with New Zealand and Australia as the main contributors—ranked second, capturing 17.8%.

Smaller shares came from Asia (4.7%), North America (2%), Latin America (1.1%) excluding Mexico, and Africa (0.3%).

For classification, butter is identified under the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code 040510, which excludes ghee and dehydrated butter. Ghee, a clarified butter widely used in South Asian cuisine, is categorized separately.

Leading Butter Export Countries in 2024

The table below lists the top 15 suppliers ranked by the value of their butter exports:

1.Ireland: US$1.78 billion (17.3% of global butter exports)

2.Netherlands: $1.75 billion (17%)

3.New Zealand: $1.72 billion (16.8%)

4.Germany: $863.4 million (8.4%)

5.France: $784.7 million (7.6%)

6.Belgium: $721 million (7%)

7.Denmark: $438.5 million (4.3%)

8.Poland: $416.5 million (4.1%)

9.Finland: $207.9 million (2%)

10.United States: $206.1 million (2%)

11.United Kingdom: $168.8 million (1.6%)

12.India: $157.6 million (1.5%)

13.Australia: $103.9 million (1%)

14.Italy: $103.9 million (1%)

15.Iran: $98.2 million (1%)

Altogether, these 15 exporters accounted for 92.7% of global butter shipments in 2024.

The standout growth performers were India (+272.7%), Australia (+209.3%), Iran (+92.7%), and Ireland (+27.7%). On the other hand, the UK (-6.2%) and Belgium (-4.4%) reported declines.

Major Butter Exporting Companies

According to Tendata global trade data, the following were the top 10 global butter exporters in 2024, ranked by value share:

1.ООО КРЦ ЭФКО КАСКАД (10.02%, $1,550.94M)

2.АО АСТОН (5.88%, $910.62M)

3.ООО МЭЗ ЮГ РУСИ (4.47%, $692.09M)

4.ООО ТД ЧЕРНОЗЕМЬЕ (3.9%, $603.11M)

5.ООО РУСИНВЕСТ (3.13%, $484.17M)

6.ООО КУРСКАГРОТЕРМИНАЛ (2.88%, $446.32M)

7.PT Asia Cocoa Indonesia (2.41%, $373.42M)

8.АО ЕВРОПА КАЛИНИНГРАД (2.39%, $370.65M)

9.АО АГРОПРОДУКТ (2.23%, $345.36M)

10.PT Papandayan Cocoa Industries (2.22%, $343.12M)