In terms of the top milk producing countries in 2023: The pattern of dairy production varies greatly throughout the world. Many large producers use the majority of their output internally, while others (like New Zealand) export a significant portion of their output. The majority of domestic consumption is in the form of liquid milk, while the majority of international trade is in processed dairy products such as milk powder.
Cow milking has traditionally been a labor-intensive procedure, and it remains so in less developed countries. Small farms require several people to milk and care for a few dozen cows, but for many farms, these staff have traditionally been the farm family’s children, giving rise to the name “family farm.”
So we present to you a list of the top ten largest milk producing countries in the world in 2023; the information below will show you the most recent updated list of countries with the highest milk production in 2023. Milk is a crucial aspect of everyday life, whether it be in a child’s cereal, a person’s coffee, or as a main component of a variety of different cheeses among breakfast items at a local diner.
Dairy farming is viewed as a comprehensive environment of reciprocal relationships and dependency, re-production, and social value protection. As a result, dairy farms are often made up of high-producing dairy cows. Goats, sheep, and camels are also employed in commercial dairy farming. Every year, about 600 million tonnes of milk are produced by over 264 million dairy cows globally.
Which Is the Largest Milk Producing Country in the World 2023?
For many years, the United States has been the world’s largest milk producing country, and this status remains as of 2023. No other country comes close, with milk output recently topping 218 billion pounds. The United States produces the most milk in the world.
The Top 10 Milk Producing Countries in the World in 2023:
1. America – 218.3 billion pounds
Only in one state, California, did the average value of production exceed the whole cost of producing each hundredweight of milk, and dairy farmers countrywide lost an average of $3.21 per hundredweight of milk produced. Total dairy output is predicted to increase by less than 0.3 percent in 2019 over 2018, and the average all-milk price is expected to rise from $16.26/cwt in 2018 to $18.40/cwt in 2019. From 2016 to 2019, cow milk production in the United States was recorded in billion pounds.
Over 212.4 billion pounds of cow milk were produced in the United States in 2016, and it is expected to reach 218.3 billion pounds by the end of 2019. So the United States is still ranked first among the top ten milk producing countries in the world in 2023. Additionally, you can also read about- Countries With The Highest Coffee Consumption
2. India – 128.3 billion pounds
Last year, India produced 22% of total global milk output. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), India produced 186 million tonnes of milk in 2018, accounting for 22% of the global total milk output of 843 million tonnes that year. In India, milk output increased by 5% over 2017, while it increased by only 1% in the European Union and the United States. Over the previous five decades, India, which produced only 5% of the world’s milk in 1970, has seen the tide turn.
It was approximately 128.3 billion pounds at the end of 2019. This expansion is likely to continue in the following years; according to the Niti Aayog, India will produce 300 million tonnes of milk by 2023.
3. China – 83 billion pounds
As of 2023, China is the world’s third largest milk producer and Asia’s second largest. Although the predicted number of dairy cows in the country has been falling, the production volume per cow is expected to increase from around 4,600 kilograms in 2017 to over 5,500 kilograms in 2024. Despite improved efficiency, China continues to rely significantly on dairy imports.
In 2018, China imported around 500 thousand metric tons of whey, packed milk, and whole milk powder. New Zealand, Australia, the United States, Germany, and France are among the top dairy product providers to the Chinese market. It was approximately 83.7 billion pounds at the end of last year. As a result, China will be the world’s third largest milk producer in 2023.
4. Brazil – 70 billion pounds
Brazil faced political uncertainty, a truck driver strike, and an economic crisis that had been affecting the country since 2014. This also had an impact on the country’s already’somewhat’ poor dairy export position. Nonetheless, numerous experts see better days ahead for the Brazilian dairy industry. According to a new analysis on Q4 2020 from a Dutch agrofood banker, milk output increased in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay in Q4, and farmers will begin 2020 in a stronger position than they did in 2018.
Brazil produced 33.8 billion liters of cow milk in 2019, an increase from 33.5 billion liters the previous year. Milk output in the country has been declining since 2014, when it totaled roughly 35.2 billion liters.
Read More: Countries with Highest Water Consumption in the World
5. Germany – 59 billion pounds
It is no secret that organic dairy farming has increased dramatically around the world. According to Eurostat (2017), the number of organic dairy cows in Europe has risen to over 900,000. Organic milk production in Europe is estimated to be around 4 billion kilograms, accounting for approximately 1.5% of total milk supply in Europe (EU28). Exact quantities and volumes cannot be calculated using Eurostat figures because certain data is missing and sometimes just estimates are utilized. Nonetheless, the numbers provide an impression of the developments in organic milk production in Europe. 2023: still one of the top milk producing countries.
6. Russia -52 billion pounds
Russia’s dairy industry consists of approximately eight million dairy cows. The total milk production in 2017 was 30.7 billion kilograms. In Russia, there are three types of farms: major dairy operations with 300 to 2,000 cows, family farms with 15 to 50 cows, and farmers with one to two cows for personal use. Around 8,000 farms are engaged in the largest group. There are around 24,000 family farms and over one million small-scale farms in the country. The largest dairy farms provide roughly half of all milk produced in Russia. Only 12 billion kilos of total milk production is sold directly to dairy processors.
7. France – 47 billion pounds
The supply of milk is one of the assets identified by the study as being in the hands of three producers: Lactalis, Sodiaal, and Eurial. By 2018, they had a combined market share of more than 52% of the market, explaining the continuous poverty of milk producers.
The Agrex study examines seven features of the world’s 13 major producing countries, with France ranking fifth, trailing the United States, India, Brazil, and Germany. However, France’s milk business has been organized for a long time, which has had a direct impact on the sector’s stability.
8. New Zealand – 28.1 billion pounds
New Zealand is one of the world’s major milk producers, with a reputation for manufacturing and distributing high-quality dairy products. In the first quarter of 2019, New Zealand produced roughly six million metric tons of milk. The total amount of milk produced in 2018 was over 22 million metric tons, a record-breaking output figure for the country.
9. Turkey – 22.5 billion pounds
Cow milk output increased to 774,681 tons in October from 756,970 tons in October 2017, according to TurkStat. 135,992 tons of drinking milk were produced in the month, a 3.3 percent decrease from the same month last year. In addition, data showed that cheese production from cow’s milk declined 1.7 percent year on year to 55,255 tons. “Cheese production from sheep, goat, buffalo, and mixed milk was 1,445 tons, down 19.7 percent compared to the same month last year,” the report noted.
The government collected 7.3 million tons of cow milk from January to September, down from 7.74 million tons in the same period last year. According to National Milk Council data, Turkey exported dairy products worth $274.65 million in the first nine months of 2019, a 15% increase year on year. During the same time period, the leading destinations for Turkish dairy exporters were Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Read Also: Countries that Produce the Best Cheese in the World
10. United Kingdom – 19 Billion Pounds
In 2017, the value of UK milk production was roughly 4.34 billion British Pounds. In 2016, the European raw milk production volume was predicted to be 163.26 million metric tons. From these 163 million tons of raw milk, approximately 25.6 million liters of liquid milk were produced. The remaining raw milk from that year was processed into different milk products.
