Global production- of farmed tilapia in 2005 was 2.5 million metric tons and over two-thirds of this volume was produced in Asia. Among the top five producers are China, Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. By 2010, world tilapia production is expected to be 3.5-4 million metric tons.
According to the Tilapia Market Report of INFOFISH, a service-oriented intergovernmental organization that organized TILAPIA 2007 in Kuala Lumpur, the biggest export market for tilapia is the United States. The US imported 158,300 metric tons of tilapia (whole frozen, frozen fillets, and fresh fillets) in 2006. Ecuador is the top exporting country for fresh fillets while China is the top exporter of whole frozen tilapia and frozen fillets. The value of tilapia as an aquaculture commodity worldwide is about US$500 million.