Animals slaughtered for meat in Canada
Canada: Animals slaughtered for meat was 3.41 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
3.41 million
Change on year
down 3.4%
World rank
18th
of 198 countries
All-time high
5.48 million
in 1976
All-time low
2.91 million
in 2015
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Animals slaughtered for meat in Canada, 1961–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Canada recorded 3.41 million for animals slaughtered for meat in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.4% on the previous year and up 7.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, animals slaughtered for meat in Canada peaked at 5.48 million in 1976 and was at its lowest, 2.91 million, in 2015.
That places Canada 18th out of 198 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Animals slaughtered for meat in Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 3.60 million | — |
| 1962 | 3.66 million | +1.7% |
| 1963 | 3.73 million | +1.8% |
| 1964 | 4.12 million | +10.5% |
| 1965 | 4.67 million | +13.4% |
| 1966 | 4.41 million | -5.7% |
| 1967 | 4.35 million | -1.3% |
| 1968 | 4.44 million | +2.2% |
| 1969 | 4.08 million | -8.1% |
| 1970 | 4.02 million | -1.5% |
| 1971 | 4.21 million | +4.7% |
| 1972 | 4.04 million | -4.1% |
| 1973 | 3.95 million | -2.1% |
| 1974 | 4.28 million | +8.3% |
| 1975 | 5.20 million | +21.4% |
| 1976 | 5.48 million | +5.4% |
| 1977 | 5.35 million | -2.3% |
| 1978 | 4.76 million | -11.0% |
| 1979 | 3.97 million | -16.7% |
| 1980 | 4.06 million | +2.3% |
| 1981 | 4.25 million | +4.8% |
| 1982 | 4.39 million | +3.1% |
| 1983 | 4.33 million | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 4.22 million | -2.5% |
| 1985 | 4.23 million | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 4.10 million | -3.1% |
| 1987 | 3.70 million | -9.7% |
| 1988 | 3.58 million | -3.4% |
| 1989 | 3.62 million | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 3.35 million | -7.4% |
| 1991 | 3.15 million | -6.0% |
| 1992 | 3.23 million | +2.5% |
| 1993 | 3.03 million | -6.2% |
| 1994 | 3.06 million | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 3.15 million | +2.7% |
| 1996 | 3.51 million | +11.4% |
| 1997 | 3.63 million | +3.6% |
| 1998 | 3.76 million | +3.4% |
| 1999 | 3.94 million | +4.8% |
| 2000 | 3.84 million | -2.5% |
| 2001 | 3.80 million | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 3.84 million | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 3.52 million | -8.3% |
| 2004 | 4.44 million | +26.2% |
| 2005 | 4.47 million | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 4.16 million | -7.1% |
| 2007 | 3.82 million | -8.1% |
| 2008 | 3.84 million | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 3.71 million | -3.6% |
| 2010 | 3.75 million | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 4.05 million | +8.0% |
| 2012 | 3.96 million | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 3.91 million | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 3.17 million | -19.1% |
| 2015 | 2.91 million | -8.0% |
| 2016 | 3.09 million | +6.2% |
| 2017 | 3.29 million | +6.6% |
| 2018 | 3.46 million | +5.2% |
| 2019 | 3.60 million | +3.9% |
| 2020 | 3.54 million | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 3.71 million | +4.9% |
| 2022 | 3.65 million | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 3.53 million | -3.3% |
| 2024 | 3.41 million | -3.4% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 3.41 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 161,025, 21.2× the median. (64 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.12 million | 3.60 million | 4.67 million | 9 |
| 1970s | 4.53 million | 3.95 million | 5.48 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.05 million | 3.58 million | 4.39 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.38 million | 3.03 million | 3.94 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.94 million | 3.52 million | 4.47 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.52 million | 2.91 million | 4.05 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.57 million | 3.41 million | 3.71 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More agriculture & rural data for Canada
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.2803 % 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 0.914 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.4113 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 1.35 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 31.61 % change on previous year (2022)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0193 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,092 current US$ per person (2022)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.0803 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is animals slaughtered for meat in Canada?
- Animals slaughtered for meat in Canada was 3.41 million in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest animals slaughtered for meat recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 5.48 million in 1976.
- What is the lowest animals slaughtered for meat recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.91 million in 2015.
- How does Canada rank for animals slaughtered for meat?
- Canada ranks 18th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is animals slaughtered for meat rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada 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).