Diets around the world continue to change, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made this shift even more drastic, although with a slow short-term recovery beginning. Consumers are looking for lower-cost, highly dense nutrient options in their diets — like eggs, which have increasingly been embraced around the world for their protein and other nutritional benefits.
Egg consumption in the U.S.
The demand for eggs has grown in the United States over the last decade. In 2020, U.S. egg consumption was estimated at 286.2 eggs per person. This figure was projected to reach 288.2 eggs per capita by 2021. Per capita consumption is a measure of total egg production, less exports, divided by the total U.S. population (Figure 1). The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) expects exports of nearly 400 million dozen eggs in 2022 as changing diets increase the number of eggs consumed worldwide (Table 1). In total, U.S. egg consumption is estimated by USDA to reach almost 9.4 billion dozen by 2030 (Figure 2).
In spite of current supply chain issues, U.S. retail egg prices are projected to drop slightly for the third year in a row. Prices are projected at US$1.48 per dozen for 2021, which is the cheapest in the last decade since 2015’s high of US$2.75 (Figure 3).
Consumption volume differs in other countries
Global egg consumption is increasing as eggs are recognized more for their nutritional benefits. In the EU, per capita egg consumption grew 0.9 kilograms over the period of 2010-2020, 0.7% annually, and is projected to grow by 1.2 kilograms in the period 2020-2030, 0.8% annually (Table 2). Total egg consumption in the EU increased by 1.0% from 2019 to 2020 and is projected to increase by 1.8% from 2020 to 2021 (Figure 4).
In Spain, around 6 billion kilograms of eggs were estimated to have been consumed in 2019, with around 12% of these being produced in a qualifying organic system, according to the most recent data available from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Table 3). Germany’s per capita egg consumption is also increasing standing at an estimated 240 eggs per capita in 2020, up from 209 in 2007 (Figure 5).
More data available from the Egg Consumption section
Chicken egg consumption by type in Spain 2016-19
EU egg consumption trend 2016-21
Per capita egg consumption in Germany 2007-20
Per capita EU egg consumption changes to 2030
US egg consumption projection to 2030
