Global demand for beef remained strong in 2025, with worldwide imports of fresh, chilled, and frozen beef reaching US$83.6 billion.

Compared with US$58.7 billion in 2021, the total value of global beef imports increased by 42.3% over the past five years. On an annual basis, imports also climbed significantly, rising 19.3% from US$70.1 billion recorded in 2024.

The world's largest beef-importing markets continued to be mainland China, the United States, South Korea, Germany, and Italy. Together, these five countries accounted for 47.2% of total global beef import value, underscoring their importance in the international beef trade.

Looking at product categories, frozen beef represented the larger share of global imports in 2025, accounting for 52.9% of total purchases. Fresh and chilled beef made up the remaining 47.1%, slightly higher than the previous year's share.

Beef Imports by Region

Asia remained the world's largest destination for imported beef, purchasing products worth US$34.3 billion, equal to 41.1% of global imports.

Regional import shares in 2025 were as follows:

· Asia — 41.1%

· Europe — 31.3%

· North America — 20.6%

· Latin America and the Caribbean — 4.3%

· Africa — 2.6%

· Oceania — 0.3%

For customs classification, the Harmonized System (HS) codes are:

· HS Code 0201 — Fresh or chilled beef

· HS Code 0202 — Frozen beef

Top Beef Importing Countries

The following countries imported the highest value of beef—including fresh, chilled, and frozen products—in 2025:

1. Mainland China — US$14.8 billion (17.7%)

2. United States — US$13.4 billion (16%)

3. South Korea — US$3.9 billion (4.6%)

4. Germany — US$3.8 billion (4.6%)

5. Italy — US$3.6 billion (4.3%)

6. Netherlands — US$3.2 billion (3.8%)

7. Japan — US$3.1 billion (3.7%)

8. France — US$2.7 billion (3.2%)

9. United Kingdom — US$2.3 billion (2.8%)

10. Mexico — US$2.1 billion (2.5%)

11. Canada — US$1.7 billion (2%)

12. Chile — US$1.67 billion (2%)

13. Spain — US$1.62 billion (1.9%)

14. Taiwan — US$1.47 billion (1.8%)

15. Portugal — US$1.38 billion (1.6%)

Together, these fifteen countries represented 72.7% of global beef imports by value.

Among the leading importers, the strongest growth since 2021 was recorded by:

· Netherlands — +501%

· Italy — +486%

· Chile — +459.4%

· Germany — +388.3%

Several major markets experienced lower imports compared with 2024:

· Taiwan — -16.3%

· Mainland China — -12.3%

· South Korea — -5.4%

· Japan — -0.8%

Top Importers of Fresh or Chilled Beef

Global imports of fresh and chilled beef reached US$39.4 billion in 2025, increasing 41.9% compared with 2021 and growing 21% year over year.

The largest importing countries were:

1. United States — US$6.9 billion (17.5%)

2. Germany — US$3.3 billion (8.3%)

3. Italy — US$3.1 billion (7.8%)

4. Netherlands — US$2.7 billion (6.9%)

5. France — US$2 billion (5%)

6. United Kingdom — US$1.65 billion (4.2%)

7. Japan — US$1.44 billion (3.7%)

8. Chile — US$1.44 billion (3.7%)

9. Mexico — US$1.38 billion (3.5%)

10. Spain — US$1.28 billion (3.2%)

11. South Korea — US$1.26 billion (3.2%)

12. Portugal — US$1.1 billion (2.8%)

13. Canada — US$977.1 million (2.5%)

14. Greece — US$889.6 million (2.3%)

15. Mainland China — US$759.9 million (1.9%)

These fifteen countries accounted for 76.6% of all fresh or chilled beef imports worldwide.

The fastest-growing import markets since 2021 included:

· Spain — +121.7%

· Portugal — +102.7%

· Mexico — +72.4%

· Netherlands — +67.7%

Countries recording year-over-year declines included:

· Japan — -34.4%

· South Korea — -11.6%

· Chile — -2%

Top Frozen Beef Importers

Worldwide frozen beef imports reached US$37.4 billion in 2025, representing a 36.1% increase compared with 2021 and an 11.4% rise from the previous year.

The leading import destinations were:

1. Mainland China — US$14 billion (31.7%)

2. United States — US$6.5 billion (14.8%)

3. South Korea — US$2.6 billion (5.9%)

4. Japan — US$1.7 billion (3.8%)

5. Egypt — US$1 billion (2.3%)

6. Taiwan — US$941.2 million (2.1%)

7. Vietnam — US$887.6 million (2%)

8. Indonesia — US$835.7 million (1.9%)

9. Malaysia — US$808.2 million (1.8%)

10. Israel — US$757.2 million (1.7%)

11. Canada — US$726.1 million (1.6%)

12. France — US$722.9 million (1.6%)

13. Hong Kong — US$710.5 million (1.6%)

14. Saudi Arabia — US$710 million (1.6%)

15. United Kingdom — US$700.2 million (1.6%)

Combined, these markets represented 76.1% of global frozen beef imports.

The strongest long-term growth was observed in:

· Canada — +193%

· United States — +147.6%

· France — +118.7%

· United Kingdom — +99.8%

Among the leading importers, Hong Kong was the only market to record a year-over-year decline, with frozen beef imports decreasing by 48.1%.

Leading Beef Import Companies

According to Tendata's Global Trade Intelligence Platform, the following companies ranked among the world's leading beef importers in 2025:

1. Optimize Integration Group Inc — 2.84% (US$606.78 million)

2. MINERVA MEATS USA — 2.69% (US$574.97 million)

3. China Agricultural Products Group C — 1.85% (US$395.98 million)

4. Wuhan Changjiang International Trade Group Co., Ltd. — 1.77% (US$377.54 million)

5. Chongqing Guozhan Industry Co., Ltd. — 1.54% (US$328.76 million)

6. VIZ CATTLE CORP — 1.35% (US$289.34 million)

7. SAMPCO LLC — 1.10% (US$235.87 million)

8. JBS USA FOOD CO — 1.06% (US$226.58 million)

9. JBS TOLEDO NV — 1.01% (US$215.42 million)

10. Wuhu Shuanghui Import & Export Trade Co., Ltd. — 0.94% (US$200.81 million)

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