Animals slaughtered for meat in Australia
Australia: Animals slaughtered for meat was 8.69 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
8.69 million
Change on year
up 17.5%
World rank
9th
of 198 countries
All-time high
12.97 million
in 1978
All-time low
4.28 million
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Animals slaughtered for meat in Australia, 1961–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for animals slaughtered for meat in Australia is 8.69 million, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 17.5% on the previous year and down 12.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, animals slaughtered for meat in Australia peaked at 12.97 million in 1978 and was at its lowest, 4.28 million, in 1961.
Australia ranks 9th of 198 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Animals slaughtered for meat in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 4.28 million | — |
| 1962 | 5.12 million | +19.6% |
| 1963 | 5.93 million | +15.9% |
| 1964 | 6.44 million | +8.5% |
| 1965 | 6.84 million | +6.3% |
| 1966 | 6.32 million | -7.6% |
| 1967 | 5.65 million | -10.6% |
| 1968 | 5.66 million | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 5.61 million | -0.8% |
| 1970 | 5.86 million | +4.5% |
| 1971 | 5.87 million | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 6.42 million | +9.4% |
| 1973 | 8.15 million | +26.9% |
| 1974 | 7.26 million | -10.9% |
| 1975 | 8.44 million | +16.3% |
| 1976 | 10.62 million | +25.8% |
| 1977 | 11.98 million | +12.9% |
| 1978 | 12.97 million | +8.2% |
| 1979 | 11.35 million | -12.5% |
| 1980 | 8.89 million | -21.7% |
| 1981 | 8.44 million | -5.1% |
| 1982 | 8.69 million | +3.0% |
| 1983 | 9.11 million | +4.9% |
| 1984 | 7.31 million | -19.7% |
| 1985 | 7.04 million | -3.8% |
| 1986 | 7.40 million | +5.2% |
| 1987 | 7.98 million | +7.9% |
| 1988 | 8.11 million | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 7.24 million | -10.7% |
| 1990 | 7.94 million | +9.6% |
| 1991 | 8.38 million | +5.5% |
| 1992 | 8.72 million | +4.1% |
| 1993 | 8.48 million | -2.7% |
| 1994 | 8.28 million | -2.3% |
| 1995 | 8.27 million | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 7.93 million | -4.0% |
| 1997 | 8.41 million | +6.0% |
| 1998 | 9.32 million | +10.8% |
| 1999 | 9.10 million | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 8.65 million | -4.9% |
| 2001 | 8.76 million | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 9.05 million | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 8.91 million | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 8.80 million | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 8.47 million | -3.8% |
| 2006 | 8.85 million | +4.6% |
| 2007 | 8.90 million | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 8.65 million | -2.8% |
| 2009 | 8.41 million | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 8.27 million | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 7.94 million | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 7.98 million | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 9.03 million | +13.2% |
| 2014 | 9.90 million | +9.5% |
| 2015 | 10.10 million | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 8.80 million | -12.9% |
| 2017 | 7.42 million | -15.6% |
| 2018 | 8.34 million | +12.4% |
| 2019 | 9.05 million | +8.5% |
| 2020 | 7.56 million | -16.5% |
| 2021 | 6.30 million | -16.6% |
| 2022 | 6.11 million | -3.0% |
| 2023 | 7.39 million | +20.9% |
| 2024 | 8.69 million | +17.5% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 8.69 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 161,025, 54.0× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Australia's 8.69 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 117,197, 74.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.76 million | 4.28 million | 6.84 million | 9 |
| 1970s | 8.89 million | 5.86 million | 12.97 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.02 million | 7.04 million | 9.11 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.48 million | 7.93 million | 9.32 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.75 million | 8.41 million | 9.05 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.68 million | 7.42 million | 10.10 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.21 million | 6.11 million | 8.69 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More agriculture & rural data for Australia
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.4449 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 1.16 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.2372 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0002 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 12.7 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0227 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,476 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.5855 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is animals slaughtered for meat in Australia?
- Animals slaughtered for meat in Australia was 8.69 million in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest animals slaughtered for meat recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 12.97 million in 1978.
- What is the lowest animals slaughtered for meat recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.28 million in 1961.
- How does Australia rank for animals slaughtered for meat?
- Australia ranks 9th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is animals slaughtered for meat rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Animals slaughtered for meat. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).