Ecuador’s farmed shrimp industry closed 2025 with USD 7.47 billion (EUR 6.3 billion) in exports, an increase of 23.2 percent when compared to the USD 6.07 billion (EUR 5.12 billion) sent abroad in 2024, according to the latest figures available from the country’s National Aquaculture Chamber (CNA).
In volume terms, Ecuador exported 3.07 billion pounds of shrimp last year, a 15.1 percent increase compared to the 2.67 billion pounds of shipments registered in 2024.
As has been the case traditionally, the vast majority of Ecuador’s shrimp was sent to three markets: China, Europe, and the United States, which together accounted for 90.5 percent of exports by volume.
China took up nearly half of the export pie in 2025 at 49.5 percent of volume, compared to 54.2 percent in 2024. It received 1.52 billion pounds of Ecuadorian shrimp last year, up 5.1 percent from 2024, worth USD 3.27 billion (EUR 2.76 billion), jumping 8.5 percent when compared to the previous year.
The other two main destinations increased their market share by volume, with Europe growing its representation to 21.7 percent of the total compared to 20.2 percent in 2024. Europe received 667 million pounds of Ecuador’s farmed shrimp in 2025 worth USD 1.68 billion (EUR 1.42 billion) – a jump of 23.3 percent and 36 percent, respectively, when compared to the previous year.
The U.S. expanded its share to 19.4 percent from 17.7 percent, buying 597 million pounds of shrimp worth USD 1.77 billion (EUR 1.49 billion) – surging 26 percent and 33.9 percent year over year, respectively. Helping out shipments to the U.S. market was the fact that Ecuador faced lower tariffs than other shrimp-producing nations like India and Vietnam.
Elsewhere, shrimp shipments to the rest of Asia increased to 5.7 percent of all exports in 2025 from 4.7 percent in 2024, while the Americas was up to 2.74 percent from 2.32 percent. Africa increased to 1 percent from 0.7 percent, and Oceania inched up to 0.09 percent from 0.07 percent.
Production in 2025 was “excellent,” according to Global Shrimp Council Co-Founder and Gluna Shrimp CEO Gabriel Luna.
“Every five years, Ecuador is doubling its exports,” he said on his YouTube channel. “In 2010, we produced 322 million pounds, in 2015 we produced 720 million pounds, … [and] in 2020 we had 1.49 billion pounds, again doubling Ecuadorian exports. We did it again from 2020 to 2025. Ecuador is consolidating as one of the most important producers in the world and definitely as the largest exporter in the world.”
On a monthly basis, average production expanded from 223 million pounds per month in 2024 to 256 million pounds per month in 2025, he added.
Looking forward, John Alarcon, a shrimp consultant and founding member of the Global Shrimp Council, noted in a LinkedIn post that he has been analyzing two particularly important forecast metrics to determine how the coming years may play out: the 20 most powerful economies in 2026, and the 10 largest projected consumer markets by 2030.
With an overall projected economy of USD 32 trillion (EUR 27 trillion) in 2026, the U.S. remains the largest economy in the world, followed by China at USD 21 trillion (EUR 17.7 trillion). Those two giants, along with Europe, need to be protected as they account for the majority of Ecuador’s exports, according to Alarcon.
“We must continue setting ourselves apart through real differentiation: sustainability, traceability, and full compliance with all international standards,” he said.
At the same time, however, the country needs to diversify, Alarcon added.
“We don't want to rely on a single big market. The data clearly shows that future demand will be global,” he said.
In fact, by 2030, the consumer class – defined as people spending more than USD 12 (EUR 10) a day – will shift toward India and China, combining a total of 1.8 billion consumers, while markets such as Brazil, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Pakistan, and Russia will rank in the top 10 consumer markets.
These countries with expanding economies represent a significant opportunity for Ecuador to sell high-quality, value-added shrimp products, he said, adding that in the particular case of Mexico, Ecuador’s government will need to initiate negotiations to resolve Mexico’s current trade ban on Ecuadorian shrimp in order to unlock the full potential of this market.
“The vision for Ecuador’s shrimp industry is clear: We are not just selling a product; we are feeding a growing global middle class with one of the healthiest and most nutritious proteins in the world – shrimp,” he said. “What we forecast today is what will allow us to win the markets of 2030!”
