How to use this market page
The figures below are dated market snapshots, not live availability or a price forecast. Use them to understand scale and trade relationships, then verify the current release from the named source before making a commercial decision. For an actual requirement, move to the sourcing workflow and buyer specification.
Global Market Intelligence
The World of Barley
Barley is one of the world's most important cereal crops โ a cornerstone of food, beverage and agriculture industries globally.
๐ Top Producing Countries
๐พ Global Uses of Barley
Data snapshot assembled from USDA PSD, FAO and Eurostat releases available when this page was prepared. Verify the current USDA barley dataset before reuse.
Regional Spotlight
Europe Barley Market:
Production, Consumption & Trade
Europe is by far the largest barley-producing region on Earth โ the EU alone harvested around 49 million tonnes in 2024, roughly a third of global output. Below, the full balance for every major producing and importing country.
Global barley balance by country
Production ยท Consumption ยท Exports ยท Imports (million tonnes, 2024/25 est.) ยท Source: USDA PSD / Eurostat
| Country | Production | Consumption | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ๐ Major producers & exporters | ||||
| ๐ท๐บ Russia | 17.0 | 12.5 | 5.0 | 0.1 |
| ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | 13.0 | 4.0 | 8.5 | 0.0 |
| ๐ซ๐ท France | 12.0 | 7.0 | 6.0 | 0.3 |
| ๐ฉ๐ช Germany | 11.0 | 9.6 | 2.5 | 1.2 |
| ๐จ๐ฆ Canada | 9.0 | 7.0 | 3.0 | 0.0 |
| ๐ช๐ธ Spain | 7.4 | 9.0 | 0.5 | 1.6 |
| ๐น๐ท Turkey | 7.5 | 8.5 | 0.1 | 1.2 |
| ๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom | 6.5 | 5.5 | 1.2 | 0.2 |
| ๐บ๐ฆ Ukraine | 6.0 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 0.0 |
| ๐ฆ๐ท Argentina | 5.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 |
| ๐ต๐ฑ Poland | 4.0 | 3.7 | 0.6 | 0.3 |
| ๐ฉ๐ฐ Denmark | 3.7 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| ๐บ๐ธ United States | 3.5 | 4.0 | 0.1 | 0.5 |
| ๐ฐ๐ฟ Kazakhstan | 3.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0.0 |
| ๐ท๐ด Romania | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.1 |
| ๐จ๐ฟ Czechia | 1.7 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| ๐ข Major importers (net buyers) | ||||
| ๐จ๐ณ China | 2.0 | 13.5 | 0.0 | 11.5 |
| ๐ธ๐ฆ Saudi Arabia | 0.0 | 7.0 | 0.0 | 6.5 |
| ๐ฎ๐ท Iran | 3.0 | 6.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 |
| ๐ฒ๐ฆ Morocco | 1.5 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0.8 |
| ๐ง๐ท Brazil | 0.4 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 1.2 |
| ๐ฏ๐ต Japan | 0.2 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
Consumption = domestic use (feed + malting + food). Figures are approximate USDA PSD / Eurostat estimates for 2024/25, rounded to one decimal. EU member states shown individually.
Regional Spotlight
Brazil โ a thirsty market
The world's 3rd-largest beer producer grows only a fraction of the barley it needs โ making it one of the most important import markets, and a key destination for Argentine brewing barley.
Sources: USDA, Tridge, FGV, Brazilian brewing industry data 2024.
Regional Spotlight
United States Barley Market
The United States is a commercially important malting-barley market with domestic production serving brewing, distilling, food and feed demand. In the approximate 2024/25 balance shown above, production is about 3.5 million tonnes and domestic consumption about 4.0 million tonnes, with a modest import requirement. Verify the current crop-year figures in the USDA barley dataset before reuse.
What buyers evaluate
Variety acceptance, germination energy, protein, kernel plumpness, moisture and processing consistency determine whether a lot is suitable for malting. The technical background is explained in the malting barley varieties guide.
How the market connects
Domestic supply, Canadian trade, regional malt capacity and brewery demand interact differently by crop year. For a commercial requirement, use the barley sourcing workflow and define acceptance criteria before requesting offers.
World Barley 2025/26
Production & Consumption
Source: E-malt / USDA ยท The 2025/26 campaign projects global production of 155.0 Mt and consumption of 154.8 Mt โ a near-perfect balance after years of tighter supply.
Production vs Consumption โ World Barley (Mt)
2010/11 โ 2025/26 ยท Source: USDA / E-malt
Source: USDA / E-malt ยท June 2, 2026
Global Trade Intelligence
Global Barley Shipping Routes
The world's main export routes for brewing and feed barley.
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