# Poultry: Criticality

Widely grown, yet one exporter dominates the trade

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/poultry/criticality/

What this tab covers How exposed economies are to a supply disruption: the EU, US and India listings, the concentration score, and a quantified exposure for the US, EU, India, China, Japan, Latin America, the Middle East and Australia. Where the EU scored it, a chart of supply risk against economic importance, with import reliance, recycling input and substitutes.

#### Exposure by region

| Region | Exposure | Share of world output | Share of world imports | Share of world exports | Net trade (US$) | Self-sufficiency | On own critical list | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **US** | Low | 15.7% | 1.3% | 13.9% | +$4.40 bn | 115% | No | Largest producer (15.7% of world output in 2024, FAOSTAT) and third-largest exporter by value (13.9%, UN Comtrade), exporting about 14% of broiler output in 2025 (WASDE). |
| **EU** | Low | 9.0% | 38.5% | 42.5% | +$3.92 bn | 108% | No | Produces about 12.7 Mt (2026, USDA PSD); Poland (14.1%) and the Netherlands (9.1%) are big exporters while Germany (8.1%) and France (7.4%) are big importers by value (UN Comtrade 2024). |
| **India** | Low | 3.9% | 0.0% | 0.0% | +$0 | – | No | Fifth-largest producer with 3.9% of world output (5.0 Mt in 2024, FAOSTAT), almost entirely for the home market. |
| **China** | Low | 12.0% | 10.7% | 3.0% | −$1.93 bn | 107% | No | Second-largest producer (12.0%) and the largest importer by value (10.7% in 2024), while its exports are forecast to rise to 1.54 Mt in 2026 (FAOSTAT; UN Comtrade; USDA PSD). |
| **Japan** | High | 1.9% | 5.4% | 0.0% | −$1.49 bn | 61% | No | Largest importer by volume, 1.18 Mt forecast for 2026 (USDA PSD). |
| **Latin America** | Low | 21.9% | 8.7% | 28.1% | +$7.20 bn | 115% | no list | Brazil is the largest exporter (26.5% of world export value in 2024) and Mexico a major importer (6.9%) (UN Comtrade). |
| **Middle East** | High | 3.7% | 10.8% | 1.0% | −$2.62 bn | 55% | no list | Net importer: Saudi Arabia took 5.7% of world import value in 2024 and Iraq about 0.49 Mt in 2025 (UN Comtrade; USDA PSD). |
| **Australia** | Low | 1.2% | 0.0% | 0.2% | +$71.8 m | 104% | No | Not among the top six exporters or importers of chicken in 2024 (UN Comtrade). |

 Exposure rating: **High** when the region is a net importer whose import share is at least three times its share of world output (or, for farm goods, it produces under 70% of what it consumes); **Medium** for other net importers (or 70-95% self-sufficiency), raised to High when world supply is highly concentrated in another country; **Low** for net exporters or self-sufficient regions. Net importer status uses tonnage where reported, otherwise value. Output: FAOSTAT, 2024. Trade: UN Comtrade 2024 (EU = sum of member states, including intra-EU trade). Self-sufficiency: USDA PSD 2026. Critical lists: US 2025, EU 2024/1252, India 2023, China 2016 strategic minerals, Japan METI, Australia 2024.

Chicken is not on any critical raw materials list. Its strategic weight is as the cheapest animal protein for fast-growing cities. Supply is widely spread (HHI 610), but Brazil alone supplies over a quarter of exports by value. The main vulnerabilities are dependence on corn and soybean feed, a narrow genetic base in commercial breeds, and avian influenza. Morgan's account of Philippine and Korean producers relying on foreign breeding stock shows how genetics can become a dependency (pdf pp. 250-251).
 EU 2023 Not assessed US 2025 list No India 2023 list No Production HHI 610 unconcentrated

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/poultry/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/poultry/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/poultry/correlation/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/poultry/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/poultry/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/poultry/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/poultry/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/poultry/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/poultry/movement/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/poultry/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/poultry/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/poultry/links/index.md)