Hogs and pigs are one of the main sources of meat in the United States, and there is a thriving domestic pork market. As of March 2024, Iowa had an inventory of about 25.1 million hogs and pigs, making it the top producer of swine in the country by a large margin. In that same year, the second largest producer of hogs and pigs was Minnesota, with about nine million head. Swine Production Pigs have several advantages over other livestock. They are good at converting animal feed into meat and do not require large grazing areas. In addition, almost every part of the pig can be eaten or processed, making them an efficient source of meat. Thus, raising pigs for consumption is a good investment for small-scale farmers and factory farms alike. Pork Market in the U.S. Some of the classic staples of an American breakfast are bacon, sausage, or ham, which are all pork products. Pork is one of the most frequently consumed types of meat in the United States with the average American consuming about 51.1 pounds of pork per year as of 2020. In 2022, over 27 billion pounds of pork were produced in the United States.

As of April 2025, China was home to the largest number of pigs of any country with over 427 million heads. That year, the European Union and United States were second and third in the list, with over 132 and 76 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.

In 2023, the United States was home to approximately 74.1 million hogs and pigs. Since the year 2000, the number of hogs and pigs in the country has risen by about 15 million. Hog breeding and slaughter in the U.S. In 2021, over six million hogs and pigs were kept for breeding in the United States. Many more hogs are slaughtered than kept for breeding in the United States, however. Roughly 125.3 million hogs were slaughtered within the country in 2022. Number of pigs worldwide There were over 700 million pigs in the world as of 2023, over half of which were located in China, specifically. The European Union stood in second place, accounting for about 134 million heads. China and the EU were also responsible for producing a combined total of almost 78 million metric tons of pork in the same year.

According to Cognitive Market Research, the global Pig Farming market size is USD 3151.2 million in 2024 and will expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.30% from 2024 to 2031. North America held the major market of more than 40% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 1260.48 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 0.5% from 2024 to 2031. Europe accounted for a share of over 30% of the global market size of USD 945.36 million. Asia Pacific held the market of around 23% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 724.78 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.3% from 2024 to 2031. Latin America market of more than 5% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 157.56 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.7% from 2024 to 2031. Middle East and Africa held the major market of around 2% of the global revenue with a market size of USD 63.02 million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.0% from 2024 to 2031. The commercial breeds held the highest Pig Farming market revenue share in 2024. Market Dynamics of Pig Farming Market

Key Drivers for Pig Farming Market

Increasing Demand for Pork to Propel the Market Revenue Growth

The demand for pork, a major source of protein in many diets, has increased due to the expanding worldwide population, especially in emerging economies. Urbanization, shifting food tastes, and growing disposable incomes are some of the causes driving this demand. For instance, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a higher-than-expected February production led to a 30 million increase in the first-quarter commercial pork production to 7.2 billion pounds. It is anticipated that 27.9 billion pounds of commercial pork would be produced in 2024, a 2.2% increase over the previous year. It is predicted that the average live price of 51–52 percent lean pigs will be $61 per cwt, which is 3.7% more than in 2023. Due to increased demand from significant importing nations and declining EU pork competitiveness as a result of higher prices and decreased supply, pork exports are expected to increase by 50 million pounds by 2024. Pork exports are predicted to total 7.1 billion pounds in 2024, 4.6 percent more than shipments from the previous year.

Source: https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/animal-products/hogs-pork/market-outlook/.

Rising Food Demand to Propel Market Growth

The growing food demand is expected to drive the pig farming market during the forecast period. The world's population is continually increasing, and with it, the demand for food rises. As more people require sustenance, there's a proportional increase in the demand for protein sources like pork. As per the report published by Food and Agriculture Organization, between 2009 and 2050, the world's population is predicted to increase by more than a third, or 2.3 billion people. Based on the forecasts, it would be necessary to increase global food production by around 70% between 2005/07 and 2050 to feed the 9.1 billion people that will live the planet by then.

Source: https://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/wsfs/docs/Issues_papers/HLEF2050_Global_Agriculture.pdf

Restraint Factor for the Pig Farming Market

Environmental Concerns to Limit the Expansion of the Market

Negative effects of pig farming on the environment can include waste disposal and nutrient runoff polluting the air, soil, and water resources. Pig farmers may face difficulties due to worries about environmental sustainability and pressure from regulations to mitigate these effects, especially if they operate in highly populated or environmentally sensitive areas. According to the study by New Root Institute, a large pig farm has the capacity to produce up to 1.6 million tons of manure annually. These enormous amounts can be difficult to handle, and manure can find its way into the surrounding groundwater and air, harming the local ecosystem and possibly posing health risks to adjacent communities.

Source: https://www.newrootsinstitute.org/articles/pig-farming#:~:text=A%20large%20pig%20farm%20can,and%20even%20causing%20health%20problems.

Impact of Covid-19 on the Pig Farming Market

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the pig farming market, both in terms of immediate disruptions and longer-term implications. COVID-19-rela...

Pigs are one of the most commonly raised animals in the world. They are the primary protein source for millions of people across numerous different cultures and geographical regions. In 2024, there were over 759 million pigs worldwide, decreasing from around 778 million heads in the previous year. International trade Although China produces the highest number of pigs of any country, the European Union leads the world in terms of pork exports, exporting over 3.7 million metric tons of pork in 2023. The United States is the second largest exporter of pork, at about three million metric tons. Consumption in China Pork features heavily in a large number of traditional Chinese dishes, and thus is widely consumed and sought after in China. As China continues to prosper and expand economically, the amount of meat in the daily meals of consumers in China is expected to increase. There is a high level of demand for pork in China, which cannot be satisfied by domestic production. In 2023, China is forecast to import 2.2 million metric tons of pork, making it the top importer of pork as well as the top producer.

The Census of Agriculture, produced by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), provides a complete count of America's farms, ranches and the people who grow our food. The census is conducted every five years, most recently in 2022, and provides an in-depth look at the agricultural industry. This layer was produced from data obtained from the USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) Large Datasets download page. The data were transformed and prepared for publishing using the Pivot Table geoprocessing tool in ArcGIS Pro and joined to county boundaries. The county boundaries are 2022 vintage and come from Living Atlas ACS 2022 feature layers.Dataset SummaryPhenomenon Mapped: Hog productionGeographic Extent: 48 contiguous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto RicoProjection: Web Mercator Auxiliary SphereSource: USDA National Agricultural Statistics ServiceUpdate Frequency: 5 yearsData Vintage: 2022Publication Date: April 2024AttributesNote that some values are suppressed as "Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations", "Not applicable", or "Less than half the rounding unit". These have been coded in the data as -999, -888, and -777 respectively. You should account for these values when symbolizing or doing any calculations.Commodities included in this layer:Hogs - Inventory - Inventory of Hogs: (1 to 24 Head)Hogs - Inventory - Inventory of Hogs: (25 to 49 Head)Hogs - Inventory - Inventory of Hogs: (50 to 99 Head)Hogs - Inventory - Inventory of Hogs: (100 to 199 Head)Hogs - Inventory - Inventory of Hogs: (200 to 499 Head)Hogs - Inventory - Inventory of Hogs: (500 to 999 Head)Hogs - Inventory - Inventory of Hogs: (1,000 or More Head)Hogs - InventoryHogs - Operations with Inventory - Inventory of Hogs: (1 to 24 Head)Hogs - Operations with Inventory - Inventory of Hogs: (25 to 49 Head)Hogs - Operations with Inventory - Inventory of Hogs: (50 to 99 Head)Hogs - Operations with Inventory - Inventory of Hogs: (100 to 199 Head)Hogs - Operations with Inventory - Inventory of Hogs: (200 to 499 Head)Hogs - Operations with Inventory - Inventory of Hogs: (500 to 999 Head)Hogs - Operations with Inventory - Inventory of Hogs: (1,000 or More Head)Hogs - Operations with InventoryHogs - Operations with Sales - Sales of Hogs: (1 to 24 Head)Hogs - Operations with Sales - Sales of Hogs: (25 to 49 Head)Hogs - Operations with Sales - Sales of Hogs: (50 to 99 Head)Hogs - Operations with Sales - Sales of Hogs: (100 to 199 Head)Hogs - Operations with Sales - Sales of Hogs: (200 to 499 Head)Hogs - Operations with Sales - Sales of Hogs: (500 to 999 Head)Hogs - Operations with Sales - Sales of Hogs: (1,000 or More Head)Hogs - Operations with SalesHogs - Sales, Measured in US Dollars ($)Hogs - Sales, Measured in Head - Sales of Hogs: (1 to 24 Head)Hogs - Sales, Measured in Head - Sales of Hogs: (25 to 49 Head)Hogs - Sales, Measured in Head - Sales of Hogs: (50 to 99 Head)Hogs - Sales, Measured in Head - Sales of Hogs: (100 to 199 Head)Hogs - Sales, Measured in Head - Sales of Hogs: (200 to 499 Head)Hogs - Sales, Measured in Head - Sales of Hogs: (500 to 999 Head)Hogs - Sales, Measured in Head - Sales of Hogs: (1,000 or More Head)Hogs - Sales, Measured in HeadHogs, Production Contract - Operations with ProductionHogs, Production Contract - Production, Measured in Head Geography NoteIn Alaska, one or more county-equivalent entities (borough, census area, city, municipality) are included in an agriculture census area.What can you do with this layer?This layer is designed for data visualization. Identify features by clicking on the map to reveal the pre-configured pop-up. You may change the field(s) being symbolized. When symbolizing other fields, you will need to update the popup accordingly. Simple summary statistics are supported by this data.Questions?Please leave a comment below if you have a question about this layer, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

In 2024, the United States exported over seven billion pounds of pork across the globe. The country’s export volume was increasing steadily since 2015, until beginning to decline again after 2020. The country’s import volume stood at approximately 1.1 billion pounds in 2024, which was a decrease compared to the past few years. Global pork production In 2022, the leading producers of pork were China, the European Union, and the United States. That year, China produced over 50 million metric tons of pork, while the European Union and the United States were responsible for over 23 million and 12 million metric tons, respectively. All remaining countries produced significantly less pork. Pig population China, by far the top producer of pork in 2022, also had the largest number of pigs that year. In 2022, China accounted for over 449 million heads. The European Union, which ranked second in terms of production and pig count, was home to less than half that number of pigs. The United States accounted for approximately 74 million heads. More than a quarter of the country’s pigs and hogs were located in the state of Iowa as of March 2022.

This statistic shows the total number of hogs slaughtered in the United States from 2000 to 2023. In 2023, almost 128 million hogs were slaughtered.

Globalization has led to the frequent movement of species out of their native habitat. Some of these species become highly invasive and capable of profoundly altering invaded ecosystems. Feral swine (Sus scrofa × domesticus) are recognized as being among the most destructive invasive species, with populations established on all continents except Antarctica. Within the United States (US), feral swine are responsible for extensive crop damage, the destruction of native ecosystems, and the spread of disease. Purposeful human-mediated movement of feral swine has contributed to their rapid range expansion over the past 30 years. Patterns of deliberate introduction of feral swine have not been well described as populations may be established or augmented through small, undocumented releases. By leveraging an extensive genomic database of 18,789 samples genotyped at 35,141 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we used deep neural networks to identify translocated feral swine across the contiguous US. We classified 20% (3,364/16,774) of sampled animals as having been translocated and described general patterns of translocation using measures of centrality in a network analysis. These findings unveil extensive movement of feral swine well beyond their dispersal capabilities, including individuals with predicted origins >1,000 km away from their sampling locations. Our study provides insight into the patterns of human-mediated movement of feral swine across the US and from Canada to the northern areas of the US. Further, our study validates the use of neural networks to study the spread of invasive species. Methods Biological samples (n = 18,789) were collected from feral swine throughout their invaded range within the US as an extension of damage management and disease surveillance efforts led by the USDA along with cooperative agencies. Overwhelmingly, samples were collected by USDA‐Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service-Wildlife Services personnel. Feral swine were lethally removed through trapping or targeted sharpshooting from 2001-2022 as an extension of control efforts to reduce threats to agriculture, natural resources, property, and the health of humans and livestock. To identify potential translocations from Canada to the US, biological samples were collected from feral swine in Alberta (n = 13) and Saskatchewan (n = 14), Canada by the University of Saskatchewan under Animal Use Protocol Number 21050024. DNA extraction was performed by GeneSeek (Neogen Corporation [Lincoln, Nebraska, USA]) using various biological sample types (hair, pinna, and kidney) and the MagMaxTM DNA Multi-Sample Ultra Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. [Walthan, MA, USA]). Genetic samples were genotyped using GeneSeek’s Genomic Profiler (GGP) for the Porcine 80k array (68,516 loci; Illumina BeadChip microarray [San Diego, California] licensed exclusively to GeneSeek, a Neogen Corporation, [Lincoln, Nebraska]) and aligned to the Sscrofa 11.1 genome assembly (Warr et al. 2020). As part of our quality control process, we removed individuals presumed to have escaped or released domestic pigs from production farms or the pet trade (i.e., Vietnamese potbellied pigs). To distinguish domestic pigs from genetically typical feral swine, we estimated the ancestry profiles of individuals based on the methods described in Smyser et al. (2020) and removed any individual with a combined ancestry of >0.4 from domestic pig breeds (Berkshire, Hampshire, Chester White, Duroc, Landrace, Yorkshire/Large White, Meishan, and miniature Siberian). Once individuals presumed to be escaped or released domestic pigs were removed, we conducted standard genotype quality control filters using PLINK 2.0 (Chang et al. 2015). First, we removed loci that were unmapped or non-autosomal based on the Sscrofa11.1 reference genome assembly (Warr et al., 2020). We then removed loci with call rates <0.95 or minor allele frequencies <0.05. Individuals were removed for downstream analyses if they were missing >5% of their genotype data. The resulting set of individual genotypes was considered the ‘master’ dataset.

The Census of Agriculture, produced by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), provides a complete count of America's farms, ranches and the people who grow our food. The census is conducted every five years, most recently in 2022, and provides an in-depth look at the agricultural industry. This layer was produced from data obtained from the USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) Large Datasets download page. The data were transformed and prepared for publishing using the Pivot Table geoprocessing tool in ArcGIS Pro and joined to county boundaries. The county boundaries are 2022 vintage and come from Living Atlas ACS 2022 feature layers.Dataset SummaryPhenomenon Mapped: Animal TotalsGeographic Extent: 48 contiguous United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto RicoProjection: Web Mercator Auxiliary SphereSource: USDA National Agricultural Statistics ServiceUpdate Frequency: StaticData Vintage: 2022Publication Date: April 2024AttributesNote that some values are suppressed as "Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations", "Not applicable", or "Less than half the rounding unit". These have been coded in the data as -999, -888, and -777 respectively. You should account for these values when symbolizing or doing any calculations.Commodities included in this layer:Animal Totals - Expense, Measured in US Dollars ($)Animal Totals - Operations with ExpenseAnimal Totals, (Excl Breeding) - Expense, Measured in US Dollars ($)Animal Totals, (Excl Breeding) - Operations with ExpenseAnimal Totals, Breeding - Expense, Measured in US Dollars ($)Animal Totals, Breeding - Operations with ExpenseAnimal Totals, Incl Products - Operations with SalesAnimal Totals, Incl Products - Sales, Measured in US Dollars ($)Animal Totals, Products Only, (Excl Aquaculture Products & Honey) - Operations with Sales: TotalAnimal Totals, Products Only, (Excl Aquaculture Products & Honey) - Sales, Measured in US Dollars ($): TotalGeography NoteIn Alaska, one or more county-equivalent entities (borough, census area, city, municipality) are included in an agriculture census area.What can you do with this layer?This layer is designed for data visualization. Identify features by clicking on the map to reveal the pre-configured pop-up. You may change the field(s) being symbolized. When symbolizing other fields, you will need to update the popup accordingly. Simple summary statistics are supported by this data.Questions?Please leave a comment below if you have a question about this layer, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Over 317 thousand metric tons of pork was consumed across India in 2024. It was a slight increase compared to last year. However, the overall consumption of pork since 2013 had declined gradually. Pig farming in India The piggery sector in India is gaining slow but steady momentum. Owing to their fecundity, early maturity, and short generation interval, pigs are an ideal animal for intensive farming. In addition, the initial investment and maintenance is minimal. The majority of the pig population in India is distributed along the central and north-eastern belt of the country. In 2019, Assam, at over two million, had the highest population of pigs in India. Most of the pork consumption is limited to north-eastern states like Assam and Nagaland. Consequently, the north-eastern region also ranks high in pork production volume. In 2015, these states in India produced around 117 thousand metric tons of pork. India’s total pig meat trade India is a net importer of pork. Due to a significant share of vegetarians and Muslims in India, the demand for pork is usually limited to the hotel, restaurant, and institutional sectors (HRI). Most pork imports are in the form of processed meat. In 2018, India imported over 500 metric tons of this meat. On the other hand, the pork exports for the same year were around 270 metric tons.

The Census of Agriculture, produced by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), provides a complete count of Texas' farms, ranches and the people who grow our food. The census is conducted every five years, most recently in 2022, and provides an in-depth look at the agricultural industry.The complete census includes over 260 separate commodities. This dataset is a subset of 23 commodities selected for publishingThis layer was produced from data obtained from the USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) Large Datasets download page. The data were transformed and prepared for publishing using the Pivot Table geoprocessing tool in ArcGIS Pro and joined to county boundaries. The county boundaries are 2022 vintage and come from Living Atlas ACS 2022 feature layers.AttributesNote that some values are suppressed as "Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations", "Not applicable", or "Less than half the rounding unit". These have been coded in the data as -999, -888, and -777 respectively.AlmondsAnimal TotalsBarleyCattleChickensCornCottonCrop TotalsGovt ProgramsGrainGrapesHayHogsLaborMachinery TotalsRiceSorghumSoybeanTractorsTrucksTurkeysWheatWinter Wheat

In 2024, around 57.06 million metric tons of pork was produced in China, a slight decrease from around 57.94 million tons in the previous year. In 2019 and 2020, the market was affected by a major African swine fever outbreak in the country, which started in mid-2018 and lasted for over a year. Pork industry in China China has the largest hog heard in the world and accounts for more than a half of the global pig population. Around 60 percent of China’s entire meat industry output is pork. Pork is also by far most favored and most consumed type of meat in the Chinese diet. The domestic per capita consumption of pork remained the highest among all fresh meat products, and is expected to increase. To meet the growing demand China imports over a million metric tons of pork annually. In 2023, pork import volume fell back to 1.55 million tons from 4.39 million tons in 2020 as a result of increased domestic production. WH Group WH Group (formerly Shuanghui Group) is China’s leading meat processing company and the largest pork company in the world. In 2013, the corporation acquired Smithfield Foods, the largest pork processing company in the United States. In 2023, WH Group generated a total revenue of around 26.2 billion U.S. dollars, mostly from packaged meat products and fresh pork. The company owns pig farms and production bases in China, the United States, and Europe.

In financial year 2024, poultry was the most produced meat in India, with over five million metric tons in volume. This was followed by buffalo and goat meat. On the other hand, cattle and pigs were the smallest contributors to the total meat production across the country that year. India’s preference for poultry India is known to consume far less meat than the global average. However, the rising urban population and increasing disposable incomes have resulted in more meat consumption. Among the various meat types, poultry is the most popular. In 2020, the consumption of poultry was over 3.9 million metric tons. The last few years saw a steady increase in the consumption of poultry meat. The main reason for the popularity and wide acceptance of white meat in India can be attributed to the religious taboos associated with beef among Hindus and pork among Muslims. As of 2019, India had a poultry population of over 850 million. It was 1.5 times the population of total livestock in the country that year. Which part of India consumes more meat? More than 98 percent of the people living in the south Indian state of Telangana were non-vegetarians. The majority of people in the southern and the eastern part of the country were found to consume meat. The south Indian region also accounted for the highest market share for meat across the country in 2016. On the other hand, the west region, owing to low consumption, held the lowest market share.

The timeline shows the per capita consumption of pork in the United States from 2015 to 2023, and provides a forecast until 2034. The U.S. per capita consumption of pork amounted to 50.2 pounds in 2023.