🇺🇸 United States imports of live cattle: 2024 trade data
In 2024, the United States imported live cattle worth $2.95 billion (769.1 thousand tonnes). That makes it the largest importer of this product worldwide, out of 150 countries. That is 16% more than in 2023. Over 2017-2024 the trade grew strongly, by about 9% a year on average.
Public statistics, latest reported year 2024. Values in US dollars.
Imports of live cattle by year, 2017-2024
Hover or tap a year for detail.
Year by year
| Year | Value | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2.95B | 769.1K t |
| 2023 | $2.54B | 737.5K t |
| 2022 | $1.84B | 603.0K t |
| 2021 | $1.66B | 595.5K t |
| 2020 | $1.83B | 698.6K t |
| 2019 | $1.86B | 610.6K t |
| 2018 | $1.64B | 580.6K t |
| 2017 | $1.60B | 596.7K t |
Where the United States imports live cattle from
One supplier dominates: Canada accounted for 57% of the value.
| Supplier country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇦 Canada | $1.67B | 57% |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | $1.28B | 43% |
| 🇹🇿 Tanzania | $22K | 0% |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | $10K | 0% |
| 🇦🇴 Angola | $0K | 0% |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | $0K | 0% |
| 🇰🇷 South Korea | $0K | 0% |
Types of live cattle under HS 0102
| 0102.29 | Cattle: live, other than pure-bred breeding animals | 96% |
| 0102.39 | Buffalo: live, other than pure-bred breeding animals | 2.3% |
| 0102.90 | Bovine animals: live, other than cattle and buffalo | 0.8% |
| 0102.21 | Cattle: live, pure-bred breeding animals | 0.6% |
Codes and full descriptions: HS heading 0102.
Average import price of live cattle
The average declared value was about $3.83 per kg, close to the world average of $3.51.
Declared value divided by weight, all 2024 shipments. Prices per shipment and per company are in EximDataX.
The United States also exports live cattle
The United States exported $516.2 million of live cattle in 2024 (131.4 thousand tonnes). That makes it the 6th largest exporter of this product worldwide, out of 114 countries. Canada alone took 83% of it. Among the main buyer markets, Canada grew fastest (+36% on the year before).
| Destination | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇦 Canada | $428.7M | 83% |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | $34.3M | 6.7% |
| 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | $15.1M | 2.9% |
| 🇹🇷 Turkey | $13.1M | 2.5% |
| 🇲🇾 Malaysia | $8.1M | 1.6% |
| 🇶🇦 Qatar | $5.5M | 1.1% |
| 🇻🇳 Vietnam | $5.0M | 1% |
| 🇵🇭 Philippines | $1.4M | 0.3% |
| 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | $963K | 0.2% |
| 🇭🇳 Honduras | $896K | 0.2% |
Who is behind these numbers in the United States?
Public statistics stop at country totals and the last published year. EximDataX shows the shipment records underneath: the companies, dates, quantities and declared values, updated weekly.
Shipment records are in the platform
Tell us what you trade and we will show you the latest records on a live call.
Direct customs feed: shipment-level records from the official customs source.
Updated weekly on EximDataX (some markets daily), while public statistics stop at 2024.
Source: CEPII BACI (reconciled UN Comtrade data), HS 2017 edition, release 202601, Etalab Open Licence 2.0. Annual values in US dollars at the customs border; quantities in tonnes where reported. HS 0102: Bovine animals; live.
Live cattle trade in the United States: questions
What is the value of live cattle imported by the United States?
The United States imported live cattle worth $2.95 billion in 2024 (769.1 thousand tonnes).
Where does the United States import live cattle from?
The main supplier countries in 2024 were Canada (57%), Mexico (43%), Tanzania (0%).
What is the average import price of live cattle in the United States?
The average declared import value was about $3.83 per kg in 2024, against a world average of $3.51 per kg.
Does the United States export live cattle?
Yes. The United States exported live cattle worth $516.2 million in 2024, mainly to Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia.
What is the HS code for live cattle?
Live cattle falls under HS heading 0102 (Bovine animals; live). The six-digit codes under it split the product by type.
How can I find the companies trading live cattle with the United States?
These public statistics stop at country level. EximDataX has a direct customs feed for the United States with shipment-level records, updated weekly, where you can see the importers and exporters by name.
Live cattle trade in other countries
More trade data for the United States
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