In 2024, Denmark’s total food exports amounted to DKK 150.8 billion. Of that, dairy products from Danish dairies accounted for DKK 28 billion.

This means the Danish dairy sector contributed 18.6% of the country’s total food exports in 2024. The largest export category is cheese, which makes up 56% of the total export value for dairy products, according to the Danish Dairy Board, based on figures from Mejeribruget 2024 i tal – recently published by the Danish Dairy Board and Agriculture & Food / Dairy.

There has been notable growth in dairy exports. Just five years ago, Denmark exported dairy products worth DKK 19.8 billion, equivalent to 16.6% of the country’s total food exports.

• We have roughly the same volume of milk available in Denmark now as we did five years ago, so the increase in export value isn’t due to dairies producing from significantly larger volumes of raw milk, says Niels Ole Nielsen, Senior Consultant at Agriculture & Food / Dairy.

• The growth reflects changes in the composition of exported products, but it also mirrors recent price developments in the dairy market. This is largely due to high inflation, combined with global production – the supply of goods – not increasing at the same pace as demand, Nielsen explains.

More than half of Denmark’s dairy exports (by value) go to the EU, with Germany being by far the largest export market (DKK 5.2 billion), followed by Sweden (DKK 2.5 billion). The largest European export market outside the EU is the United Kingdom (DKK 2.6 billion).

Outside Europe, export value has grown over the past decade to several countries in the Middle East and Asia, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In contrast, exports to some other countries have declined.

You can view the full statistics here

Photo: David Foodphototasty, Unsplash