Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in China
China: Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat was 45.89 million animals in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in China, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in animals.
Analysis
In 2024, yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in China stood at 45.89 million animals. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 21.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in China peaked at 45.89 million animals in 2024 and was at its lowest, 506,000 animals, in 1961.
That places China 1st out of 197 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.06 million animals | 506,000 animals | 1.33 million animals | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.80 million animals | 1.33 million animals | 2.23 million animals | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.85 million animals | 2.46 million animals | 6.53 million animals | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.94 million animals | 7.55 million animals | 30.60 million animals | 10 |
| 2000s | 37.27 million animals | 32.45 million animals | 41.40 million animals | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.59 million animals | 37.71 million animals | 40.80 million animals | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.62 million animals | 41.09 million animals | 45.89 million animals | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
More agriculture & rural data for China
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.30 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 6.7% (2025)
- Rural population 473.41 million (2025)
- Rural population growth -1.5% (2025)
- Rural population 33.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.7% (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.7% (2025)
- Land under cereal production 99.99 million hectares (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in China?
- Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in China was 45.89 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 45.89 million animals in 2024.
- What is the lowest yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 506,000 animals in 1961.
- How does China rank for yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat?
- China ranks 1st out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China 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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