Number of pigs worldwide 2023, by country

As of April 2023, China was home to the largest number of pigs of any country with over 450 million heads. That year, the European Union and United States were second and third in the list, with over 134 and 74 million heads respectively.

Global overview

There were about 778.64 million pigs worldwide as of April 2022, meaning that China was home to more than half of the global pig population. Unsurprisingly, China is the leading pork producer worldwide, producing about 50 million metric tons of pork each year. China’s global pork exports have been decreasing over the past few years, while the EU remained the top exporter with about 3.75 million metric tons of pork shipments in the most recent year. The United States is also among the main exporters and importers of pork worldwide. Mexico was the main importer of U.S. pork, followed by Japan, China and Hong Kong, and South Korea.