United States: chicken consumption

The United States consumes more chicken than any other protein, approximately 39 billion pounds estimated in calendar year 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Globally, chicken is the second most consumed protein after pork.

For its part, the United States is the world’s largest producer of chicken and is projected to produce about 46.7 billion pounds of ready-to-cook broiler meat in calendar year 2023, representing 20.6% of total world production.

Broilers are tender, young chickens suitable for roasting or broiling.

Brazil and China produce the second and third largest quantities of broiler meat, with 14.2% and 14.0% of the world market, respectively, according to the USDA.

At the same time, exports of U.S. chicken products increased at an average annual growth rate of 0.6% between 2010 and 2022.

The United States is the second largest exporter of broiler meat, behind Brazil.

The United States exported 7.3 billion pounds in calendar year 2022, which accounted for 24.5% of total world exports and 15.3% of total U.S. production, according to USDA.

The top five exporters (including the European Union) controlled nearly 82.0% of the market in 2022.

Chicken Consumption

Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation expounds that the growth in demand for chicken is attributable to the relative affordability compared to other proteins such as beef and pork, the increasingly health-conscious nature of U.S. consumers, the consistent quality and versatility of chicken, and its introduction on many restaurant menus.

In addition, demand for protein remains strong. USDA estimates from 2021 through 2032 show a projected increase in U.S. chicken production at a compound annual growth rate of 1.4 percent.

Factors influencing U.S. chicken prices include international demand, changes in production in other chicken-producing countries, input costs, and demand associated with substitute products such as beef and pork.