Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in Denmark
Denmark: Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat was 436,540 animals in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
436,540 animals
Change on year
down 1.6%
World rank
84th
of 198 countries
All-time high
1.27 million animals
in 1967
All-time low
436,540 animals
in 2024
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in Denmark, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in animals.
Analysis
The most recent figure for yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in Denmark is 436,540 animals, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 64 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in Denmark peaked at 1.27 million animals in 1967 and was at its lowest, 436,540 animals, in 2024.
That places Denmark 84th out of 198 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in Denmark, year by year
| Year | animals | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 961,179 animals | — |
| 1962 | 1.20 million animals | +24.5% |
| 1963 | 1.23 million animals | +3.2% |
| 1964 | 1.02 million animals | -17.2% |
| 1965 | 935,298 animals | -8.5% |
| 1966 | 1.15 million animals | +23.3% |
| 1967 | 1.27 million animals | +10.2% |
| 1968 | 1.26 million animals | -0.9% |
| 1969 | 1.16 million animals | -8.1% |
| 1970 | 1.11 million animals | -4.3% |
| 1971 | 1.06 million animals | -3.8% |
| 1972 | 882,000 animals | -17.2% |
| 1973 | 889,000 animals | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 1.12 million animals | +26.5% |
| 1975 | 1.13 million animals | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 1.14 million animals | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 1.14 million animals | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 1.07 million animals | -5.6% |
| 1979 | 1.13 million animals | +5.7% |
| 1980 | 1.09 million animals | -3.8% |
| 1981 | 1.06 million animals | -3.1% |
| 1982 | 1.02 million animals | -3.5% |
| 1983 | 1.05 million animals | +3.2% |
| 1984 | 1.09 million animals | +3.6% |
| 1985 | 1.03 million animals | -5.4% |
| 1986 | 1.01 million animals | -1.8% |
| 1987 | 961,900 animals | -5.1% |
| 1988 | 887,400 animals | -7.7% |
| 1989 | 816,665 animals | -8.0% |
| 1990 | 787,986 animals | -3.5% |
| 1991 | 836,242 animals | +6.1% |
| 1992 | 857,300 animals | +2.5% |
| 1993 | 800,900 animals | -6.6% |
| 1994 | 774,700 animals | -3.3% |
| 1995 | 745,000 animals | -3.8% |
| 1996 | 734,500 animals | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 722,600 animals | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 662,300 animals | -8.3% |
| 1999 | 638,700 animals | -3.6% |
| 2000 | 622,300 animals | -2.6% |
| 2001 | 615,500 animals | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 626,100 animals | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 593,520 animals | -5.2% |
| 2004 | 606,910 animals | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 531,766 animals | -12.4% |
| 2006 | 492,899 animals | -7.3% |
| 2007 | 498,025 animals | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 495,100 animals | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 486,900 animals | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 500,842 animals | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 519,000 animals | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 496,000 animals | -4.4% |
| 2013 | 495,000 animals | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 485,218 animals | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 460,542 animals | -5.1% |
| 2016 | 495,843 animals | +7.7% |
| 2017 | 471,785 animals | -4.9% |
| 2018 | 493,200 animals | +4.5% |
| 2019 | 466,900 animals | -5.3% |
| 2020 | 451,600 animals | -3.3% |
| 2021 | 456,200 animals | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 450,570 animals | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 443,850 animals | -1.5% |
| 2024 | 436,540 animals | -1.6% |
Denmark compared with similar countries
- Denmark's 436,540 animals is above the median for high income countries, which is 161,025 animals, 2.7× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Denmark's 436,540 animals is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 433,650 animals, 1.0× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.13 million animals | 935,298 animals | 1.27 million animals | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.07 million animals | 882,000 animals | 1.14 million animals | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.00 million animals | 816,665 animals | 1.09 million animals | 10 |
| 1990s | 756,023 animals | 638,700 animals | 857,300 animals | 10 |
| 2000s | 556,902 animals | 486,900 animals | 626,100 animals | 10 |
| 2010s | 488,433 animals | 460,542 animals | 519,000 animals | 10 |
| 2020s | 447,752 animals | 436,540 animals | 456,200 animals | 5 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
- 81 Dominican Republic 479,966 animals compare
- 82 Rwanda 468,904 animals compare
- 83 Afghanistan 467,376 animals compare
- 85 Sweden 433,650 animals compare
- 86 Costa Rica 409,528 animals compare
- 87 Portugal 402,420 animals compare
More agriculture & rural data for Denmark
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 37.33 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0117 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 900.07 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.7939 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1115 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.2% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.2% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in Denmark?
- Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in Denmark was 436,540 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 Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 1.27 million animals in 1967.
- What is the lowest yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 436,540 animals in 2024.
- How does Denmark rank for yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat?
- Denmark ranks 84th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Denmark 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.
Download this data
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