February 19, 2026

 

Ecuador's farmed shrimp sector ends 2025 with 23.2% year-on-year rise in export value

 

 

Ecuador's farmed shrimp industry closed 2025 with US$7.47 billion in exports, an increase of 23.2% when compared to the US$6.07 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% 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% of exports by volume.

 

China took up nearly half of the export pie in 2025 at 49.5% of volume, compared to 54.2% in 2024. It received 1.52 billion pounds of Ecuadorian shrimp last year, up 5.1% from 2024, worth US$ 3.27 billion, jumping 8.5 % 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 % of the total compared to 20.2% in 2024. Europe received 667 million pounds of Ecuador's farmed shrimp in 2025 worth US$ 1.68 billion – a jump of 23.3 % and 36 %, respectively, when compared to the previous year.

 

The US expanded its share to 19.4% from 17.7%, buying 597 million pounds of shrimp worth US$1.77 billion – surging 26% and 33.9% year over year, respectively. Helping out shipments to the US 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% of all exports in 2025 from 4.7% in 2024, while the Americas was up to 2.74% from 2.32%. Africa increased to 1% from 0.7%, and Oceania inched up to 0.09% from 0.07%.

 

Production in 2025 was "excellent," according to Global Shrimp Council co-founder and Gluna Shrimp chief executive officer 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.

- SeafoodSource