Global cow milk production 2015-2023

The volume of cow milk produced worldwide has risen steadily over the last several years. In 2015, 497 million metric tons of cow milk was produced worldwide, by 2023 that figure had risen to around 549 million metric tons. Liquid milk made up the largest share of the dairy market in terms of market value.

Top producers of cow milk

The world region with the most cow milk production is the European Union, which generated over 143 million metric tons of cow milk in 2022. In that year, the EU was home to over 20 million dairy cows, second only to India with more than 59 million milk cows.

Dairy products production

Cow milk is often not consumed in liquid form but as cheese, butter, or yogurt. The European Union and the United States are the top two producers of cheese in the world. Additionally, India was by far the top producer of butter. The European Union came in second with about half production. Yogurt is one of the most widely consumed dairy products, and the global yogurt market is expected to increase significantly in market value in the coming years.