Leading producers of cow milk worldwide 2023, by country

The leading producer of cow milk worldwide was the European Union in 2023. In that year, the 27 countries of the European Union collectively produced over 143 million metric tons of cow milk. The United States was ranked second with a production volume of around 104 million metric tons.

International dairy trade

The export value of dairy product worldwide reached about 68 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, up from about 66 billion U.S. dollars in the previous year. As the top producer of cow milk worldwide, the European Union also was the top exporter of dairy products.

Leading dairy processors

The Dairy Farmers of America, based in the United States, is the biggest player in the global dairy market, while New Zealand is home to the second largest dairy production company, Fonterra. When it comes to dairy processing and dairy products, Land O'Lakes is the leading company in North America, generating just about 46 billion sales in U.S. dollars in 2021.