Brazil’s fresh beef exports near $10 bln in 2025 after record volumes

Brazilian exports of fresh beef reached a major milestone in 2025. From January to August, the country earned US$9.6 billion from shipments of chilled and frozen beef, according to data from the Foreign Trade Secretariat (Secex). This result represents a 34.5% increase compared to 2024, when Brazil recorded US$7.1 billion, which was a historic record. Compared with 2023, when revenue reached US$5.9 billion, the growth is 35%.

Export volumes also surge

In addition to revenue, shipped volumes also set records. By August 2025, Brazil had exported 1.83 million metric tonnes, up 14.9% from the previous record in 2024 (1.6 million tonnes). The comparison with 2023 highlights the jump even more clearly: that year, total shipments were only 1.2 million tonnes.

In August alone, shipments totaled 268,560 tonnes, up 23.5% from the same month in 2024. Monthly revenue also set a record, surpassing US$1.5 billion for the second time, a 56% increase year-on-year.

See below a historical series of Brazilian beef exports from January to July 2022 to 2025. The chart was prepared with DataLiner data:

Brazilian Beef Exports | Jan 2022 to Jul 2025 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (Click here to request a demo)

China’s dominance in the beef export market

China remains the undisputed leader in the Brazilian beef trade. Between January and August 2025, the Asian country accounted for 51.7% of total exports, equivalent to US$5 billion. This dominance underscores Brazil’s dependence on the Chinese market and the strong demand there for beef.

The United States, meanwhile, has lost ground. Although it was the second-largest destination year-to-date, with purchases of US$889.91 million (a 9.4% share), in August it dropped to fifth place as other markets expanded their participation.

Average prices on the rise

The average price of Brazilian beef on the international market also supported the strong performance. In August 2025, prices reached US$5.60/kg, the highest for the month since 2022. Still, this remains below the peak levels seen in earlier years, which exceeded US$6.00/kg.

Context and outlook for beef exports

The results reinforce the importance of beef to Brazil’s trade balance, consolidating the country as the world’s leading exporter of animal protein. Performance has been supported by three key factors:

• High and growing Chinese demand;
• Recovery in international prices after previous declines.
• The competitiveness of Brazilian cattle farming is lower than that of rivals such as the U.S. and Australia.

With revenue already close to US$10 billion in just eight months, expectations are that Brazil will close 2025 with another annual record, far surpassing previous results.

Source: Compre Rural

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