Nigeria vs South Africa: Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat
Nigeria
3.31 million animals
in 2024
South Africa
3.16 million animals
in 2024
Nigeria rank
20th
South Africa rank
22nd
Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat over time
- Nigeria
- South Africa
How they compare
Nigeria currently reports 3.31 million animals against 3.16 million animals in South Africa, a difference of 145,580 animals.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 64 shared years of data; in 1961 it was South Africa ahead.
Nigeria ranks 20th and South Africa ranks 22nd of 198 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Nigeria averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Nigeria | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 736,700 animals | 2.27 million animals | 1.54 million animals | South Africa |
| 1970s | 975,926 animals | 2.58 million animals | 1.60 million animals | South Africa |
| 1980s | 1.80 million animals | 2.74 million animals | 943,697 animals | South Africa |
| 1990s | 1.78 million animals | 2.55 million animals | 768,688 animals | South Africa |
| 2000s | 2.41 million animals | 2.74 million animals | 326,528 animals | South Africa |
| 2010s | 3.04 million animals | 3.23 million animals | 197,912 animals | South Africa |
| 2020s | 3.27 million animals | 3.21 million animals | 58,328 animals | Nigeria |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat, Nigeria or South Africa?
- Nigeria, at 3.31 million animals against 3.16 million animals in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat between Nigeria and South Africa?
- 145,580 animals, with Nigeria ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and South Africa?
- 64 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2024.
- How do Nigeria and South Africa rank globally for yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat?
- Nigeria ranks 20th and South Africa ranks 22nd of 198 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.