Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in Canada
Canada: Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat was 3.41 million animals in 2024. ▼ Falling
Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in Canada, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in animals.
Analysis
Canada recorded 3.41 million animals for yearly number of 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, yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in Canada peaked at 5.48 million animals in 1976 and was at its lowest, 2.91 million animals, in 2015.
That places Canada 17th out of 197 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.12 million animals | 3.60 million animals | 4.67 million animals | 9 |
| 1970s | 4.53 million animals | 3.95 million animals | 5.48 million animals | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.05 million animals | 3.58 million animals | 4.39 million animals | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.38 million animals | 3.03 million animals | 3.94 million animals | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.94 million animals | 3.52 million animals | 4.47 million animals | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.52 million animals | 2.91 million animals | 4.05 million animals | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.57 million animals | 3.41 million animals | 3.71 million animals | 5 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More agriculture & rural data for Canada
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 42.53 billion current US$ (2022)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.9% (2022)
- Rural population 7.13 million (2025)
- Rural population growth -0.1% (2025)
- Rural population 17.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.9% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.9% (2022)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.9% (2022)
- Land under cereal production 16.03 million hectares (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in Canada?
- Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in Canada was 3.41 million animals in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 5.48 million animals in 1976.
- What is the lowest yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.91 million animals in 2015.
- How does Canada rank for yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat?
- Canada ranks 17th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is yearly number of 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 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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