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Cheese platter (Pixabay)Worldwide purchases of imported cheese totaled US$50.5 billion in 2025.
The overall value of cheese imports increased by 36.6% for all importing countries from five years earlier in 2021 when international purchases of cheese were valued at $37 billion.
Year over year, globally imported cheese recorded an 11.6% acceleration compared to $45.2 billion during 2024.
The 5 biggest cheese importers in 2025 form a cohort of European buyer countries namely Germany, France, Italy, United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Collectively, that subgroup bought 38.6% of worldwide spending on imported cheese during 2025.
From a continental perspective, suppliers in European countries bought the highest dollar worth of imported cheese during 2025 with purchases costing $35.4 billion or 70.1% of the global total. In second place were importers located in Asia at 15.8% while another 6.9% of cheese imported worldwide was delivered to North America.
Smaller percentages were sold to customers in Latin America (3.9%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, Africa (1.7%), then Oceania (1.6%) led by Australia and New Zealand.
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix for cheese and curd is 0406.
Below are the 15 countries that imported the highest dollar value worth of cheese during 2025.
- Germany: US$6.9 billion (13.6% of total imported cheese)
- France: $3.7 billion (7.3%)
- Italy: $3.4 billion (6.7%)
- United Kingdom: $3 billion (5.9%)
- Netherlands: $2.54 billion (5%)
- Belgium: $2.53 billion (5%)
- Spain: $2.4 billion (4.7%)
- United States: $1.7 billion (3.4%)
- Japan: $1.3 billion (2.7%)
- Mexico: $1.2 billion (2.4%)
- mainland China: $1.1 billion (2.2%)
- Saudi Arabia: $1.1 billion (2.1%)
- Austria: $983 million (1.9%)
- Sweden: $969.3 million (1.9%)
- Greece: $880 million (1.7%)
By value, the listed 15 countries purchased two-thirds (66.6%) of all cheese imported in 2025.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing markets for cheese since 2024 were: mainland China (up 21.2%), Austria (up 17.8%), Spain (up 17.6%) and France (up 17%).
The United States of America was the lone listed cheese buyer to post a year-over-year decline in their imported cheese purchases via a -15% slowdown from 2024.
The 100 key buyers of imported cheese featured in the automated database below purchased 98.9% of the overall value for cheese imports during 2025.
| 1 | Germany | $6,870,728,000 | +14.6% |
| 2 | France | $3,702,616,000 | +17% |
| 3 | Italy | $3,355,959,000 | +15.1% |
| 4 | United Kingdom | $2,994,453,000 | +12.9% |
| 5 | Netherlands | $2,544,260,000 | +15.4% |
| 6 | Belgium | $2,528,253,000 | +12.7% |
| 7 | Spain | $2,366,135,000 | +17.6% |
| 8 | United States | $1,699,082,000 | -15% |
| 9 | Japan | $1,344,373,000 | +3.9% |
| 10 | Mexico | $1,204,312,000 | +6.4% |
| 11 | mainland China | $1,085,211,000 | +21.2% |
| 12 | Saudi Arabia | $1,069,065,000 | +5.6% |
| 13 | Austria | $982,956,000 | +17.8% |
| 14 | Sweden | $969,267,000 | +12.9% |
| 15 | Greece | $880,036,000 | +13.5% |
| 16 | Poland | $845,753,000 | +12.1% |
| 17 | South Korea | $835,210,000 | +28.5% |
| 18 | Czech Republic | $755,621,000 | +15.5% |
| 19 | Switzerland | $692,722,000 | +12.4% |
| 20 | Australia | $674,346,000 | +16.4% |
| 21 | Romania | $620,000,000 | -0.1% |
| 22 | Denmark | $607,250,000 | +14.3% |
| 23 | Canada | $562,091,000 | +14.9% |
| 24 | Portugal | $503,023,000 | +17.5% |
| 25 | Luxembourg | $457,826,000 | +10.8% |
| 26 | Hungary | $423,941,000 | +14.9% |
| 27 | Finland | $411,902,000 | +13.9% |
| 28 | United Arab Emirates | $410,111,000 | -7.9% |
| 29 | Ireland | $328,750,000 | +5.5% |
| 30 | Slovakia | $323,180,000 | +1.7% |
| 31 | Chile | $291,578,000 | -2.7% |
| 32 | Croatia | $287,542,000 | +21.2% |
| 33 | Ukraine | $271,588,000 | +19.6% |
| 34 | Dominican Republic | $256,556,000 | +23.4% |
| 35 | Brazil | $252,199,000 | -16.7% |
| 36 | Philippines | $240,614,000 | +19.1% |
| 37 | El Salvador | $237,753,000 | +13.4% |
| 38 | Iraq | $232,344,000 | -8.3% |
| 39 | Bulgaria | $221,058,000 | +8.8% |
| 40 | Malaysia | $218,576,000 | +16.4% |
| 41 | Kazakhstan | $216,456,000 | +15.6% |
| 42 | Slovenia | $196,708,000 | +15.7% |
| 43 | Taiwan | $194,400,000 | +7.9% |
| 44 | Morocco | $194,096,000 | +24.8% |
| 45 | Indonesia | $191,372,000 | +29.4% |
| 46 | Norway | $185,452,000 | +13.5% |
| 47 | Oman | $179,717,000 | +10.3% |
| 48 | Lebanon | $165,887,000 | +22.4% |
| 49 | Guatemala | $160,522,000 | +5.4% |
| 50 | Thailand | $159,769,000 | +22.6% |
| 51 | Kuwait | $158,653,000 | -34.5% |
| 52 | Lithuania | $151,110,000 | +22.3% |
| 53 | Algeria | $148,386,000 | +32.5% |
| 54 | Libya | $147,572,000 | -10.6% |
| 55 | Singapore | $145,929,000 | +17.4% |
| 56 | Jordan | $144,661,000 | -14.2% |
| 57 | Latvia | $141,289,000 | +17.7% |
| 58 | Israel | $130,781,000 | +22.1% |
| 59 | Egypt | $111,750,000 | +25% |
| 60 | Vietnam | $110,075,000 | +16.7% |
| 61 | Bahrain | $107,680,000 | -6.5% |
| 62 | Cyprus | $106,636,000 | +15.6% |
| 63 | Hong Kong | $105,583,000 | +6.1% |
| 64 | Russia | $103,177,000 | +33.1% |
| 65 | Panama | $102,658,000 | +12.1% |
| 66 | Serbia | $82,352,000 | -2.1% |
| 67 | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $78,605,000 | +5.4% |
| 68 | Yemen | $77,424,000 | +98.7% |
| 69 | New Zealand | $77,150,000 | +19.7% |
| 70 | Costa Rica | $76,110,000 | +35.8% |
| 71 | Moldova | $75,713,000 | +26.4% |
| 72 | Qatar | $71,957,000 | -28.1% |
| 73 | Türkiye | $70,685,000 | +35.6% |
| 74 | Estonia | $69,114,000 | -7.7% |
| 75 | Colombia | $67,381,000 | +23.9% |
| 76 | Malta | $64,623,000 | +13.7% |
| 77 | Peru | $59,926,000 | +3.3% |
| 78 | Trinidad/Tobago | $58,025,000 | +15.6% |
| 79 | Mauritius | $47,358,000 | +2.4% |
| 80 | Honduras | $45,094,000 | -1.7% |
| 81 | Jamaica | $42,055,000 | +30.9% |
| 82 | Albania | $42,022,000 | +34.9% |
| 83 | Georgia | $41,747,000 | +28.4% |
| 84 | North Macedonia | $41,319,000 | +5.4% |
| 85 | Azerbaijan | $40,829,000 | +3.2% |
| 86 | Montenegro | $37,025,000 | +12.9% |
| 87 | Cuba | $36,566,000 | -9.4% |
| 88 | Paraguay | $29,329,000 | +30.5% |
| 89 | South Africa | $29,309,000 | -6.2% |
| 90 | Bahamas | $27,228,000 | +5.9% |
| 91 | Guyana | $24,613,000 | +50.9% |
| 92 | Maldives | $24,391,000 | +12.3% |
| 93 | French Polynesia | $23,848,000 | +31.9% |
| 94 | New Caledonia | $22,720,000 | +0.8% |
| 95 | Nicaragua | $20,782,000 | +14.8% |
| 96 | Barbados | $20,709,000 | +13.9% |
| 97 | India | $20,489,000 | +95.6% |
| 98 | Armenia | $19,205,000 | +22.7% |
| 99 | Mongolia | $19,050,000 | +5.1% |
| 100 | Palestine | $18,975,000 | -46.7% |
Focusing on the top 100 most valuable cheese importers, the fastest increases belong to buyers in Yemen (up 98.7% from 2024), India (up 95.6%), Guyana (up 50.9%), Costa Rica (up 35.8%) then Türkiye (up 35.6%).
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the above table’s columns. An entry of 0% in the right-most column means that 2024 data was unavailable.
Cheese Imports into Germany
Germany’s global purchases of imported cheese totaled US$6.87 billion in 2025. Below are the top 15 suppliers from which Germany imported the highest dollar value worth of cheese during 2025. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2024 to 2025.
- Netherlands: US$2 billion (up 13.4% from 2024)
- France: $1.03 billion (up 11.2%)
- Italy: $1.02 billion (up 22.7%)
- Austria: $647.2 million (up 14.9%)
- Denmark: $526.5 million (up 17.6%)
- Switzerland: $458.6 million (up 7.9%)
- Greece: $307.4 million (up 9%)
- Belgium: $169.1 million (up 31.1%)
- Poland: $165.6 million (up 19.7%)
- Ireland: $144.8 million (down -1.5%)
- Latvia: $70.9 million (up 4.8%)
- Luxembourg: $61 million (up 1.3%)
- United Kingdom: $59.8 million (down -3.3%)
- Slovakia: $51.6 million (up 20.7%)
- Cyprus: $33.5 million (up 8.6%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 97.6% of cheese imported by Germany in 2025.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of cheese to Germany since 2024 were: Belgium (up 31.1%), Italy (up 22.7%), Slovakia (up 20.7%) and Poland (up 19.7%).
Countries that experienced year-over-year declines in the value of their cheese supplied to German importers included: United Kingdom (down -3.3% from 2024) and Ireland (down -1.5%).
Overall, the value of Germany’s imported cheese rose by an average 14.6% from all supplying countries since 2024 when cheese purchased cost $6 billion.
Cheese Imports into France
France’s global purchases of imported cheese totaled US$3.7 billion in 2025. Below are the top 15 suppliers from which France imported the highest dollar value worth of cheese during 2025. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2024 to 2025.
- Italy: US$1.3 billion (up 19.1% from 2024)
- Germany: $623.8 million (up 16.1%)
- Netherlands: $549.2 million (up 9.5%)
- Belgium: $304.3 million (up 33.8%)
- United Kingdom: $262 million (up 19.2%)
- Spain: $148.3 million (up 7.6%)
- Greece: $116.8 million (up 23.6%)
- Ireland: $96.7 million (down -20.1%)
- Denmark: $85.2 million (up 32.3%)
- Switzerland: $71.8 million (up 5.6%)
- Poland: $17 million (up 31.3%)
- Slovenia: $13.8 million (up 41712.1%)
- Hungary: $12.4 million (up 42.3%)
- Cyprus: $7.3 million (up 32.9%)
- Luxembourg: $7.25 million (up 3%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 96.6% of cheese imported by France in 2025.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of cheese to France since 2024 were: Slovenia (up 41712.1%), Hungary (up 42.3%), Belgium (up 33.8%) and Cyprus (up 32.9%).
Ireland was the sole top competitor to experience a year-over-year decline in the value of cheese supplied to French importers.
Overall, the value of France’s imported cheese expanded by an average 17% from all supplying countries since 2024 when cheese purchased cost $3.2 billion.
Cheese Imports into Italy
Italy’s global purchases of imported cheese totaled US$3.36 billion in 2025. Below are the top 15 suppliers from which Italy imported the highest dollar value worth of cheese during 2025. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2024 to 2025.
- Germany: US$1.3 billion (up 7.3% from 2024)
- Netherlands: $301.7 million (up 22.7%)
- Czech Republic: $274.4 million (up 30%)
- France: $242.1 million (up 5.4%)
- Belgium: $177.1 million (up 4%)
- Lithuania: $171.2 million (up 14.3%)
- Greece: $169 million (up 36%)
- Spain: $119.7 million (up 17.9%)
- Poland: $111.5 million (up 18.9%)
- Hungary: $89 million (up 32.9%)
- Austria: $79.5 million (up 25.3%)
- Switzerland: $78.5 million (up 10.5%)
- Estonia: $73.9 million (up 60.1%)
- Denmark: $39.3 million (up 27%)
- United Kingdom: $31.4 million (up 32.5%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 96.7% of cheese imported by Italy in 2025.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of cheese to Italy since 2024 were: Estonia (up 60.1%), Greece (up 36%), Hungary (up 32.9%) and the United Kingdom (up 32.5%).
Countries that experienced the most modest year-over-year gains in the value of their cheese supplied to Italian importers were: Belgium (up 4% from 2024), France (up 5.4%) and Germany (up 7.3%).
Overall, the value of Italy’s imported cheese grew by an average 15.1% from all supplying countries since 2024 when cheese purchased cost $2.9 billion.
Cheese Imports into the United Kingdom
United Kingdom’s global purchases of imported cheese totaled US$2.99 billion in 2025. Below are the top 15 suppliers from which the U.K. imported the highest dollar value worth of cheese during 2025. Within parenthesis is the percentage change in value for each supplying country from 2024 to 2025.
- Ireland: US$549 million (up 22.5% from 2024)
- Italy: $530.5 million (up 20.2%)
- France: $387.7 million (up 13.6%)
- Denmark: $271.7 million (up 1.6%)
- Germany: $251 million (up 9.4%)
- Cyprus: $188.2 million (up 12.6%)
- Netherlands: $166.8 million (down -7.6%)
- Greece: $134.5 million (up 7.8%)
- Belgium: $111.9 million (up 9.4%)
- Spain: $88 million (up 33.4%)
- Poland: $83.5 million (up 10.7%)
- Slovakia: $51.3 million (up 11.6%)
- New Zealand: $38.6 million (down -1.4%)
- Switzerland: $25.7 million (up 4%)
- Austria: $23.9 million (up 10.7%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 96.9% of cheese imported by the United Kingdom in 2025.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing suppliers of cheese to United Kingdom since 2024 were: Spain (up 33.4%), Ireland (up 22.5%), Italy (up 20.2%) and France (up 13.6%).
Countries that experienced year-over-year declines in the value of their cheese supplied to UK importers were the Netherlands (down -7.6% from 2024) and New Zealand (down -1.4%).
Overall, the value of the UK’s imported cheese went up by an average 12.9% from all supplying countries since 2024 when cheese purchased cost $2.7 billion.
See also Cheese Exports by Country, Top Milk Imports by Country, Top Pasta Exporters by Country, Tomatoes Exports by Country and Onions Exports by Country
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Imports – Commodities. Accessed on August 15, 2026
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on August 15, 2026
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on August 15, 2026
Wikipedia, Cheese. Accessed on August 15, 2026
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