In 2023, international exports of sheep and lamb meat reached a total of US$9.09 billion. This marks a 21% increase over five years from $7.56 billion in 2019.

However, the total export value of mutton and lamb in 2022 saw a slight decline of 0.5%, falling to $914 million compared to the previous year.

For the purposes of this article, "lamb" refers to the meat from sheep that are one year old or younger.

Breaking it down by product types, the most valuable export category for sheep and lamb meat in 2023 was frozen cuts of sheep with bones, making up 40.9% of the total. This was followed by fresh or chilled lamb carcasses and half-carcasses (15.3%), fresh or chilled cuts of sheep with bones (15.1%), and frozen boneless cuts of sheep (13.1%).

Smaller shares were attributed to fresh or chilled boneless cuts of sheep (6.6%), fresh, chilled, or frozen goat meat (4.5%), fresh or chilled sheep carcasses and half-carcasses excluding lambs (3%), frozen sheep carcasses and half-carcasses excluding lambs (2.9%), and frozen lamb carcasses and half-carcasses (1.6%).

For research purposes, the relevant 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code prefixes include: 020410 for fresh or chilled lamb carcasses and half-carcasses; 020421 for fresh or chilled sheep carcasses and half-carcasses; 020422 for fresh or chilled cuts of sheep meat with bone; 020423 for fresh or chilled boneless cuts of sheep meat; 020430 for frozen lamb carcasses and half-carcasses; 020441 for frozen sheep carcasses and half-carcasses; 020442 for frozen cuts of sheep with bone; and 020443 for frozen boneless cuts of sheep meat.

Top Exporting Countries

The following ten countries exported the highest dollar values of sheep and lamb meat in 2023:

1. New Zealand: 26.61%, $2,421.77 million

2. Netherlands: 9.96%, $906.49 million

3. India: 7.8%, $709.6 million

4. France: 6.68%, $607.4 million

5. Spain: 6.58%, $598.51 million

6. China: 5.83%, $530.21 million

7. Canada: 5.14%, $467.93 million

8. Italy: 4.48%, $408.1 million

9. Republic of Ireland: 3.97%, $361.1 million

10. Romania: 3.56%, $323.78 million

These ten countries accounted for 93.4% of all sheep and lamb meat exports in 2023.

Among these, the fastest-growing exporters since 2018 were France (up 447.9%), Spain (up 48.8%), and the Netherlands (up 28%).

Leading Exporters of Frozen Sheep Meat

In 2022, the following countries led in exporting frozen sheep meat by dollar value:

1. New Zealand: $2.3 billion (up 16.3% since 2018)

2. Australia: $2.28 billion (up 34%)

3. Netherlands: $163.2 million (up 132.2%)

4. Spain: $103.6 million (up 43.9%)

5. Uruguay: $91.3 million (up 33.7%)

6. Ireland: $83.2 million (up 57.3%)

7. Germany: $61.1 million (up 17.6%)

8. Chile: $41.6 million (up 20.7%)

9. Belgium: $35.3 million (down -42.3%)

10. United Kingdom: $32.2 million (down -28.8%)

These ten countries shipped 96.9% of frozen sheep meat exports in 2022. The overall international sales of frozen sheep meat rose 24.3% since 2018 and by 4.4% from 2021 to 2022.

The fastest-growing exporters were the Netherlands (up 132.2%), Ireland (up 57.3%), Spain (up 43.9%), Australia (up 34%), and Uruguay (up 33.7%). Belgium and the United Kingdom saw declines of 42.3% and 28.8%, respectively.

Leading Exporters of Fresh Sheep Meat

In 2022, the top exporters of fresh or chilled sheep meat by dollar value were:

1. Belgium: $1.084 billion (up 1,460% since 2018)

2. Netherlands: $571.5 million (up 254.6%)

3. United Kingdom: $320.3 million (down -28.1%)

4. Tanzania: $287.8 million (up 587,263%)

5. Ireland: $286.5 million (up 40.7%)

6. France: $192.9 million (up 267.2%)

7. Greece: $133.1 million (up 314.2%)

8. Spain: $93.5 million (down -26.6%)

9. New Zealand: $46.6 million (down -89.2%)

10. Australia: $43.5 million (down -95.7%)

These countries accounted for 83.7% of fresh or chilled sheep meat exports in 2022. While international revenues for this category increased by 12.5% since 2018, there was a slight drop of 0.7% from 2021 to 2022.

Tanzania (up 587,263%), Belgium (up 1,460%), Greece (up 314.2%), France (up 267.2%), and the Netherlands (up 254.6%) were the fastest-growing exporters. Meanwhile, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Spain experienced declines.

Leading Exporters of Lamb Meat

In 2022, the top exporters of fresh, chilled, or frozen lamb meat by dollar value were:

1. United Kingdom: $457.2 million (up 101.9% since 2018)

2. France: $223 million (up 2,352%)

3. Ireland: $155.8 million (up 59.9%)

4. Spain: $152.3 million (up 53.8%)

5. Australia: $142 million (down -59.8%)

6. Netherlands: $58.1 million (down -51.5%)

7. Greece: $45.9 million (up 40.7%)

8. New Zealand: $42 million (up 41.6%)

9. Belgium: $25.8 million (data for 2021 unavailable)

10. Pakistan: $25.4 million (up 452.4%)

These ten countries accounted for 85.6% of fresh, chilled, or frozen lamb meat exports in 2022. International sales in this category increased by 31.9% since 2018 but dropped by 6.5% from 2021 to 2022.

France (up 2,352%), Pakistan (up 452.4%), the United Kingdom (up 101.9%), Ireland (up 59.9%), and Spain (up 53.8%) saw significant growth. Conversely, Australia and the Netherlands experienced declines of 59.8% and 51.5%, respectively.

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