Production
Can a country produce enough protein without exhausting the resources it needs?
Protein supply is fragile.
Most countries are exposed.
Production alone is not enough. Resilient systems must withstand disruption to trade, critical inputs and affordability.
Read the 2026 report
What is protein sovereignty?
Calories can be grown almost anywhere, but few countries can produce protein at scale. The world depends on a handful of large exporters for its meat, grain and soy. Those exporters depend on global supply chains for feed and fertiliser, and on a few shipping lanes to reach buyers.
Recent disruptions, such as in the Strait of Hormuz, have shown how quickly that chain can break. As demand for protein keeps rising, governments are starting to treat their supply as a matter of national security.
Wealthy countries are still exposed. Money can buy imports while they are available, but it cannot guarantee access when supply stops. For poorer countries, the margin is thinner still. When supply tightens, prices rise first, and the poorest households feel it hardest.
Explore the index
Select a country to see its score
- Critically exposed0–40
- Dependent40–50
- Exposed50–65
- Resilient65–80
- Sovereign80–100
Key findings
Most countries are exposed
Outside a small group of exporters, most countries depend on imported food, or on the imported feed, fertiliser and fuel behind it (32 of 43 rate Exposed or worse).
Wealth doesn't ensure sovereignty
The Gulf can pay for anything and grow almost nothing. It has deep reserves to ride out a shock, but the worst import exposure in the index. Money helps when supply is short. It does not help when it stops.
Sovereignty is concentrated in a handful of exporters
The top of the index is all land-rich food exporters: Canada, Argentina, United States, Australia, Russia, Brazil (11 of 43 reach Resilient or better). Their sovereignty rests not only on producing a surplus, but on secure access to the feed, fertiliser, fuel and infrastructure needed to sustain it.
The weakest link sits one step upstream
Upstream dependence is the weakest pillar in the index. Plenty of countries produce enough protein for their populations, but still depend on imported feed, fertiliser, energy and breeding stock to do so. That dependence makes their domestic supply less secure.
About the index
The Protein Sovereignty Index measures how well each country's protein supply holds up under pressure. It traces that supply from the fertiliser and feed behind it to the prices people pay, and estimates how long stocks would last if trade stopped.
Dependence
How reliant is it on imported food and inputs, and on a small number of suppliers or routes?
Affordability
Can households afford enough nutritious protein when prices rise?
Resilience
How long can supply hold through disruption, and can reserves, finance and institutions buy time?