Brazil is set to end 2025 with a record production of 32.5 million metric tons of beef, pork and poultry, accounting for 11% of global output. Driven by productivity gains and strong foreign demand, the country moved ahead of the USDA’s estimates and surpassed the United States in beef production.
Brazil’s rise has been cemented by foreign markets, with China as the main driver. Beef exports to China jumped from 211,000 metric tons in 2017 to 1.5 million this year. Domestically, efficiency has also improved: the average beef carcass weight increased from 262 kg in 2020 to 303 kg in September this year.
However, export success has put pressure on domestic prices. Since 2019, meat inflation in Brazil has accumulated an increase of more than 90%, far outpacing overall inflation, which stood at 46% over the same period. Currently, domestic consumption accounts for 7.7% of global volume, leaving room for further growth in foreign sales.