Italy vs South Africa: Global meat production
Italy
3.38 million tonnes
in 2024
South Africa
3.63 million tonnes
in 2024
Italy rank
23rd
South Africa rank
21st
Global meat production over time
- Italy
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 3.63 million tonnes against 3.38 million tonnes in Italy, a difference of 249,350 tonnes.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Italy's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 64 shared years of data; in 1961 it was Italy ahead.
Italy ranks 23rd and South Africa ranks 21st of 202 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Italy averaged higher in 6 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Italy | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.86 million tonnes | 685,321 tonnes | 1.17 million tonnes | Italy |
| 1970s | 2.90 million tonnes | 931,391 tonnes | 1.97 million tonnes | Italy |
| 1980s | 3.71 million tonnes | 1.17 million tonnes | 2.54 million tonnes | Italy |
| 1990s | 3.88 million tonnes | 1.48 million tonnes | 2.40 million tonnes | Italy |
| 2000s | 3.90 million tonnes | 2.05 million tonnes | 1.84 million tonnes | Italy |
| 2010s | 3.77 million tonnes | 3.09 million tonnes | 680,129 tonnes | Italy |
| 2020s | 3.39 million tonnes | 3.52 million tonnes | 131,924 tonnes | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher global meat production, Italy or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 3.63 million tonnes against 3.38 million tonnes in Italy as of 2024.
- What is the difference in global meat production between Italy and South Africa?
- 249,350 tonnes, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Italy and South Africa?
- 64 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2024.
- How do Italy and South Africa rank globally for global meat production?
- Italy ranks 23rd and South Africa ranks 21st of 202 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 Global meat production. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.