We all know the importance of milk in our lives. Milk contains some of the most important nutrients that we require, especially for growing children, including calcium and protein, to strengthen bones and muscles. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015 - 2020, adults should consume 3 cups or equivalent of low fat or fat-free dairy every single day to maintain a healthy diet. This includes not just pure milk, but cheese, yogurt and other milk products.
Milk contains a lot of calcium, which is extremely important for the development of bones, and it is also necessary to ensure strong teeth and nerve signals too. However, despite milk being rich in calcium, many adults across the world instead have to rely on their calcium supplements to overcome calcium deficiency. One of the reasons for this is lactose intolerance.
Lactose is the main carbohydrate in milk, and lactose intolerance is the inability of the body to break down lactose which can cause different types of symptoms such as bloating, vomiting or even diarrhea. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon condition; in fact, the vast majority of adults (around 65% to 70%) are lactose intolerant, with Europeans faring much better than everyone else.
Even though the consumption of pure milk is decreasing, dairy-related products like chocolates, ice cream, cheese, desserts and candies are causing the demand of milk to soar all over the world. Companies like Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ: LWAY), Oatly Group AB (publ) - ADR (NASDAQ: OTLY) and Kroger Co (NYSE: KR) which sell milk-related products are benefitting from this trend.
Amid the increase in demand for plant-based products, different companies are striving to produce plant-based milk products. Last year, it was reported that Beyond Meat (NASDAQ:BYND) rival Impossible Foods is developing plant-based milk to cater to an increasing customer base that prefers plant-based milk instead of milk of cows.
The global dairy market, of which milk is the main raw material, is worth more than $700 billion. Products have become safer and healthier over time due to greater oversight and regulations, and some of the biggest dairy companies in the world in this industry include Unilever (NYSE:UN) and Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC). Even profitability in the industry and in dairy farms is increasing because of the implementation of new technology which has helped herald greater efficiency.
20 Largest Milk Producing Countries in
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While you might think that farms are everywhere globally and that milk production would be spread across evenly across the globe, the truth is quite different. Just three countries are responsible for over 40% of total global milk production, where at least two countries are located in Asia. Just the top 20 countries are responsible for the production of 77% of global milk production. Now, it is true that these 20 countries are spread across the globe from North America to South America to Europe to Asia, with Africa being the main continent not making any appearance. To determine our rankings, we used data from Food and Agriculture Organization, and considered all sources of milk production within each country. We considered both 2019 and 2018, with 70% weightage provided to 2019 statistics as these are the most recent numbers available. The biggest milk producer is responsible for a fifth of the total global milk production. With this in mind, let's take a look at the countries responsible for providing us with some of the most important nutrients, starting with number 20:
Largest Milk Producing Countries in 2021
20. Canada
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 9,210
Total production of milk by the country in 2018 (in thousands of tonnes): 9,219
We kick off our list with Canada, which has more than 10,000 dairy farms and more than 1.4 million dairy cattle.
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19. Ukraine
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 9,879
Total production of milk by the country in 2018 (in thousands of tonnes): 10,303
Ukraine used to be rank much higher on the list but has gradually seen a decline in milk production year on year.
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18. Argentina
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 10,340
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 10,527
Argentina produced more than 10 million tonnes in 2019 but is expected to grow even further to cross 11 million tonnes in 2020.
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17. Uzbekistan
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 10,662
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 10,416
Uzbekistan should a slight increase of over 2% in milk production year on year.
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16. Mexico
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 12,495
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 12,226
While its neighbors rank much higher on the list, Mexico does quite well as well to take the 16th place in our list of largest milk producing countries in 2021.
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15. Italy
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 13,300
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 13,132
Italy produces more than 13 million tonnes of milk every single year, a rise of 2 million times as compared to a decade ago, earning it a spot on our list. Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ: LWAY), Oatly Group AB (publ) - ADR (NASDAQ: OTLY), Unilever (NYSE:UN), Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) and Kroger Co (NYSE: KR) are some of the notable companies selling dairy-related products in Europe and the US.
14. Poland
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 14,511
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 14,179
An unexpected entry perhaps, but Poland has almost 10% of all cows in the European Union, whereas the yield is consistently increasing as well. Major milk companies are in Europe, while some are trading in the US too, including Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ: LWAY), Oatly Group AB (publ) - ADR (NASDAQ: OTLY), Unilever (NYSE:UN), Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) and Kroger Co (NYSE: KR).
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13. Netherlands
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 14,944
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 14,426
It may not be the biggest country in the world, but the Netherlands is still among the biggest milk producers in the world.
12. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 15,552
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 15,311
The UK milk production is worth more than 4 billion GBP, with around 15 billion liters of milk produced every single year.
11. Colombia
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 21,847
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 22,888
One of the only South American countries in our list, Colombia is regarded as one of the biggest milk producing countries in 2021.
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10. New Zealand
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 21,872
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 21,392
The farm scene in New Zealand is quite strong, and it has a long, historic association with dairy. A lot of companies like Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ: LWAY), Oatly Group AB (publ) - ADR (NASDAQ: OTLY), Unilever (NYSE:UN), Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) and Kroger Co (NYSE: KR) sell dairy products that are sourced from New Zealand.
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 25,909
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 26,023
France is responsible for the production of around 25 billion liters of milk every single year. A lot of major milk companies are located in Europe. However, some milk companies are trading in the US too, including Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ: LWAY), Oatly Group AB (publ) - ADR (NASDAQ: OTLY), Unilever (NYSE:UN), Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) and Kroger Co (NYSE: KR).
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7. Russia
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 31,345
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 30,606
Russia's production increased by 2.4% year on year.
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 33,103
Total production of milk by the country in 2019 (in thousands of tonnes): 33,110
The biggest milk producer in Europe, Germany is responsible for more than 20% of the total EU output, and is constantly introducing new measures to continuously improve the quality of its milk production. A lot of major milk companies are located in Europe. However, some milk companies are trading in the US too, including Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ: LWAY), Oatly Group AB (publ) - ADR (NASDAQ: OTLY), Unilever (NYSE:UN), Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) and Kroger Co (NYSE: KR).
