Aquafeed - Market Share Analysis, Industry Trends & Statistics, Growth Forecasts (2026 - 2031)

The aquafeed market size for fish feed accounted for 63.7% of the global value in 2025, is driven by the continued dominance of carp, tilapia, and salmon in Asian and Atlantic farm budgets. Crustacean formulas, led by shrimp, are experiencing a 5.4% CAGR from 2026 to 2031, driven by double-digit growth in vannamei harvests in Ecuador and India.

According to Mordor Intelligence, the aquafeed market size was valued at USD 51.30 billion in 2025 and is estimated to reach USD 53.80 billion in 2026. This report is Segmented by Species (Fish Feed, Mollusk Feed, and More), by Ingredient (Cereals and Grains, Oilseeds and Pulses, and More), by Additive Type (Amino Acids, Vitamins and Minerals, and More), by Form (Pellets, Extruded Feed, and More), by Life-Cycle Stage (Starter, Grower, and More), and by Geography (North America, Europe, and More). The Market Forecasts are Provided in Terms of Value (USD).

Global Aquafeed Market Trends and Insights

Rising Global Seafood Consumption

Per-capita seafood intake climbed to 21.4 kilograms in 2025, up from 19.2 kilograms in 2019, and aquaculture already supplies 58% of that demand, underscoring the structural tailwind for formulated feeds. The expanding middle classes in India, Indonesia, and Nigeria are trading up from cereals to fish proteins, driving steady consumption even as economic growth cools. Feed economics reinforce the appeal that fish and shrimp require only 1.2-1.8 kilograms of feed per kilogram of live weight, significantly lower than pork, giving aquaculture an efficiency edge. China alone projects seafood demand to rise 3.8% annually through 2031, absorbing most of its own record output and drawing product from neighbors such as Vietnam and Thailand. Harmonized food-safety rules under the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 22000 are reducing trade friction and enabling mills to scale for export. These forces combine to lift the aquafeed market across all major regions, while sustaining price discipline despite raw material inflation.

Expansion of Intensive Aquaculture Farming Systems

Land constraints and rising labor costs are prompting a shift from extensive ponds to high-density systems that need nutrient-dense feeds. Offshore cages in Norway now stock 200,000 salmon per unit, double prior norms, while biofloc ponds in India yield four times the shrimp per hectare. Such density raises disease risk, so mills must fine-tune amino acid and energy levels using least-cost formulation models that react to daily ingredient prices. Vietnam's operators have increased their stocking density to 150-200 post-larvae per square meter and consequently purchase feeds with 38-42% protein, plus immunostimulants. Regulators in Europe and the United States are lowering antibiotic residue ceilings, prompting farms to shift toward functional additives rather than drugs. All of these factors increase demand for premium rations and boost the aquafeed market value, even if volume gains moderate.

Disease Outbreaks Causing Abrupt Feed-Demand Swings

Early Mortality Syndrome slashed Thai shrimp harvests by 40% in 2024, resulting in a 180,000 metric tons reduction in feed demand in one quarter and forcing mill shutdowns. In 2025, Tilapia Lake Virus in Ecuador and Colombia cut local feed offtake by 25% and left inventories unsold for months. Resurgent Infectious Salmon Anemia in Chile removed 8 million fish and reduced feed orders by 35,000 metric tons. Shrimp still has only three commercial vaccines versus fifteen for salmon, so crustacean farmers must pay 8-12% more for immunostimulant rations. Such shocks create unpredictable volume gaps that limit the steady expansion of the aquafeed market.

Other drivers and restraints analyzed in the detailed report include:

1. Advances in Functional Feed Additives and Precision Nutrition
2. Blockchain-Enabled Raw-Material Traceability Mandates
3. Stricter Phosphorus-Discharge Caps on Aquaculture Effluents

For complete list of drivers and restraints, kindly check the Table Of Contents.

Segment Analysis

Trout, seabass, and catfish feeds remain price sensitive, but disease-driven shifts toward functional additives are moving buyers into premium tiers. Salmon diets are now being trialed with 25-30% insect protein alongside algae oil to protect omega-3 levels while meeting retailer sustainability codes.

Growth momentum within the crustacean segment continues to rebalance regional ingredient flows, drawing more soybean meal into South America and attracting insect meal to Norwegian and Vietnamese mills. Premium shrimp formulas already command 25% higher prices than generic fish grower pellets, driving up the overall aquafeed market value ahead of volume. Niche gains in mollusk feed remain small but highlight rising water-quality concerns in Chinese oyster farms. Catfish demand is flat as pangasius competes on price in export channels, yet targeted immunostimulant blends are projected to revive margins from 2027 onward.

Oilseeds and pulses held a 29.6% value share in 2025, underscoring the cost advantage of soybean meal, which trades at USD 500 per metric ton, compared to fish meal at USD 1,500. Novel proteins, including insect meal, algae, and single-cell protein, are projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.0% during the 2026-2031 forecast period and account for 9% of total formulation spending by 2031, following recent safety approvals by the European Food Safety Authority. Fish meal and fish oil still account for a significant portion of ingredient budgets, as their functional role in larval and broodstock stages remains irreplaceable. Grain energy sources enable extrusion lines to meet the starch targets necessary for pellet durability.

The rising uptake of black soldier fly larvae in trout and seabass feeds is reducing land and water footprints by more than 90% per kilogram of protein, an advantage that lenders are now incorporating into environmental loan covenants. Single-cell protein from gas fermentation is on track to cost USD 900 per metric ton by 2027, which is well below current insect prices, and pilots in China suggest including levels of up to 40% in tilapia diets. Such gains diversify supply chains and reinforce the outlook for aquafeed market growth, despite periodic spikes in fishmeal prices.

Complete Report Scope:

• By Species
  • Fish Feed
    • Carp
    • Salmon
    • Tilapia
    • Catfish
    • Other Fish Feed
  • Mollusk Feed
  • Crustacean Feed
    • Shrimp
    • Other Crustacean Feed
  • Other Aquafeed
• By Ingredient
  • Cereals and Grains
  • Oilseeds and Pulses
  • Fish Meal and Fish Oil
  • Novel Proteins (Insect, Algae, SCP)
  • Additives
  • Others
• By Additive Type
  • Amino Acids
  • Vitamins and Minerals
  • Probiotics
  • Enzymes
  • Antioxidants
  • Others
• By Form
  • Pellets
  • Extruded Feed
  • Powder
  • Liquid
• By Life-cycle Stage
  • Starter
  • Grower
  • Finisher
  • Broodstock
• By Geography
  • North America
    • United States
    • Canada
    • Mexico
    • Rest of North America
  • Europe
    • Spain
    • United Kingdom
    • France
    • Germany
    • Italy
    • Russia
    • Rest of Europe
  • Asia-Pacific
    • China
    • India
    • Japan
    • Thailand
    • Vietnam
    • Australia
    • Rest of Asia-Pacific
  • South America
    • Brazil
    • Argentina
    • Rest of South America
  • Middle East
    • Turkey
    • Saudi Arabia
    • United Arab Emirates
    • Rest of Middle East
  • Africa
    • South Africa
    • Egypt
    • Rest of Africa

Geography Analysis

The Asia-Pacific region generated 69.9% of the 2025 aquafeed market value and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.5% through 2031. China's 30 million metric tons harvest drives local demand while India's shrimp ponds absorb 850,000 metric tons of crustacean diets. Vietnam relies on exports for 70% of its pangasius and shrimp, making the industry sensitive to European sustainability rules that require soybean traceability. Thailand's recovery from disease outbreaks is underway, yet lower-density stocking has trimmed feed per hectare by up to 20%. Government price caps in Indonesia stabilize farmer costs but limit mill investment in new extrusion lines. Japan serves as a sandbox for single-cell proteins, and Australia's land-based salmon farms require high-energy diets, both contributing to premium-price niches that boost the regional aquafeed market share.

Africa and the Middle East are experiencing growth, as Egypt's tilapia segment consumes 450,000 tons of formulations and Nigeria's catfish sector increases by 10% annually. Saudi Arabia aims to produce 100,000 metric tons of land-based salmon by 2030 and is attracting multinational mills to build regional blends that will avoid 25% import tariffs. Turkey relies heavily on seabass exports and struggles with currency fluctuations that narrow margins, while South Africa plans electricity upgrades that could triple feed demand in Eastern Cape shellfish zones. Regional government backing is key to sustaining aquafeed market growth in these nascent hubs.

Europe and North America grow at a steadier rate. Norway alone consumes 1.8 million metric tons of feed and pushes formulation innovation by testing 20% insect inclusion and 10% algae oil in salmon diets. Scotland's newly licensed offshore cages demand pellets that sink 40-60 meters without nutrient loss. United States recirculating salmon farms in Maine and California are adding 20,000 tons of premium demand and paying almost triple tilapia feed prices. Chile rebounds from disease shocks and Spain's organic seabass segment is climbing 12%, rewarding mills that meet Aquaculture Stewardship Council standards. Together these projects consolidate the developed-world contribution to the aquafeed market size even as Asia keeps the lead.

1. Cargill, Incorporated
2. SHV Holdings N.V. (NUTRECO N.V.)
3. BioMar Group A/S
4. Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited
5. Archer Daniels Midland Company
6. Alltech Inc.
7. JAPFA Ltd.
8. De Heus Animal Nutrition
9. Tongwei Co., Ltd.
10. Aller Aqua A/S
11. Guangdong HAID Group Co., Ltd.
12. INVE Technologies N.V.
13. Avanti Feeds Limited
14. Thai Union Group Public Company Limited
15. Godrej Agrovet Limited (Godrej Enterprises Group)
16. Growel Feeds Private Limited

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• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
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