Japan vs South Africa: Global meat production
Japan
4.20 million tonnes
in 2024
South Africa
3.63 million tonnes
in 2024
Japan rank
19th
South Africa rank
21st
Global meat production over time
- Japan
- South Africa
How they compare
Japan currently reports 4.20 million tonnes against 3.63 million tonnes in South Africa, a difference of 572,830 tonnes.
That makes Japan's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.
Across all 64 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.
Japan ranks 19th and South Africa ranks 21st of 202 countries.
Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.06 million tonnes | 685,321 tonnes | 373,254 tonnes | Japan |
| 1970s | 2.22 million tonnes | 931,391 tonnes | 1.29 million tonnes | Japan |
| 1980s | 3.34 million tonnes | 1.17 million tonnes | 2.17 million tonnes | Japan |
| 1990s | 3.23 million tonnes | 1.48 million tonnes | 1.75 million tonnes | Japan |
| 2000s | 3.07 million tonnes | 2.05 million tonnes | 1.01 million tonnes | Japan |
| 2010s | 3.73 million tonnes | 3.09 million tonnes | 641,282 tonnes | Japan |
| 2020s | 4.17 million tonnes | 3.52 million tonnes | 646,488 tonnes | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher global meat production, Japan or South Africa?
- Japan, at 4.20 million tonnes against 3.63 million tonnes in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in global meat production between Japan and South Africa?
- 572,830 tonnes, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Africa?
- 64 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2024.
- How do Japan and South Africa rank globally for global meat production?
- Japan ranks 19th 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.