By a wide margin, the United States remained the world’s largest chicken meat producer in 2023.At a year-on-year rate, its production grew 0.5% from 2022 to 2023, reaching 21 million 095,000 tons.This volume is based on “ready-to-cook” equivalency, according to USDA data.Previously, U.S. chicken production grew at a year-over-year rate of 2.9% in 2022.

Largest chicken producer

Globally, chicken consumption has grown driven by population growth, price compared to other meats, rising incomes in many countries and the perception that chicken is a healthy source of protein.After the United States, the second largest producer of chicken meat was Brazil, with 14 million 900,000 tons in 2023, an increase of 3% over 2022.According to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), global consumption of chicken meat has increased steadily in recent decades. In 2020, global chicken meat consumption was estimated at around 135 million metric tons. This number may have varied in subsequent years due to factors such as availability, changes in eating habits and world events.

Brazil

This country was the world’s leading poultry exporter in 2023, according to USDA estimates. Brazil’s poultry production, consumption and export volumes have increased significantly in recent years. This growth has been driven by the increased production of Brazilian companies engaged in exports, as well as the competitiveness of Brazilian poultry farming. 

Input prices

All segments experienced operating cost inflation, especially in labor and certain materials.However, the inflation rate started to decrease and protein prices began to level off. In addition, the conflict between Ukraine and Russia has resulted in economic sanctions against Russia and certain regions of Ukraine and Belarus. If these conflicts escalate further, affect other regions or countries, or additional economic sanctions are imposed, they could have a material impact on the business operations and financial results of companies in the sector.