China vs United States: Land animals slaughtered for meat
China
11.87 billion animals
in 2024
United States
9.57 billion animals
in 2024
China rank
1st
United States rank
2nd
Land animals slaughtered for meat over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 11.87 billion animals against 9.57 billion animals in United States, a difference of 2.29 billion animals.
That makes China's figure about 1.2 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 64 shared years of data; in 1961 it was United States ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 199 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and United States in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 499.89 million animals | 2.59 billion animals | 2.09 billion animals | United States |
| 1970s | 732.40 million animals | 3.41 billion animals | 2.68 billion animals | United States |
| 1980s | 1.22 billion animals | 4.70 billion animals | 3.48 billion animals | United States |
| 1990s | 3.74 billion animals | 7.25 billion animals | 3.51 billion animals | United States |
| 2000s | 6.85 billion animals | 8.81 billion animals | 1.96 billion animals | United States |
| 2010s | 9.45 billion animals | 8.87 billion animals | 580.78 million animals | China |
| 2020s | 11.45 billion animals | 9.46 billion animals | 1.99 billion animals | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher land animals slaughtered for meat, China or United States?
- China, at 11.87 billion animals against 9.57 billion animals in United States as of 2024.
- What is the difference in land animals slaughtered for meat between China and United States?
- 2.29 billion animals, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 64 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2024.
- How do China and United States rank globally for land animals slaughtered for meat?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 2nd of 199 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) β processed by Our World in Data, published as Land animals slaughtered for meat. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
This data is based on the country of production, not consumption.