Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in Germany
Germany: Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat was 3.03 million animals in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
3.03 million animals
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
23rd
of 198 countries
All-time high
7.81 million animals
in 1986
All-time low
3.02 million animals
in 2022
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in Germany, 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 Germany stood at 3.03 million animals.
The figure is down 16.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in Germany peaked at 7.81 million animals in 1986 and was at its lowest, 3.02 million animals, in 2022.
That places Germany 23rd out of 198 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in Germany, year by year
| Year | animals | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 7.35 million animals | — |
| 1962 | 7.61 million animals | +3.5% |
| 1963 | 7.76 million animals | +2.1% |
| 1964 | 7.42 million animals | -4.4% |
| 1965 | 7.02 million animals | -5.4% |
| 1966 | 7.38 million animals | +5.2% |
| 1967 | 7.30 million animals | -1.1% |
| 1968 | 7.21 million animals | -1.3% |
| 1969 | 7.10 million animals | -1.5% |
| 1970 | 7.37 million animals | +3.8% |
| 1971 | 7.37 million animals | +0.1% |
| 1972 | 6.60 million animals | -10.5% |
| 1973 | 6.47 million animals | -2.0% |
| 1974 | 7.13 million animals | +10.2% |
| 1975 | 7.07 million animals | -0.9% |
| 1976 | 7.26 million animals | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 6.95 million animals | -4.2% |
| 1978 | 7.11 million animals | +2.3% |
| 1979 | 7.31 million animals | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 7.33 million animals | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 7.42 million animals | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 7.21 million animals | -2.8% |
| 1983 | 7.14 million animals | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 7.67 million animals | +7.4% |
| 1985 | 7.58 million animals | -1.1% |
| 1986 | 7.81 million animals | +3.1% |
| 1987 | 7.81 million animals | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 7.22 million animals | -7.5% |
| 1989 | 6.89 million animals | -4.6% |
| 1990 | 7.35 million animals | +6.7% |
| 1991 | 7.60 million animals | +3.3% |
| 1992 | 6.16 million animals | -18.9% |
| 1993 | 5.33 million animals | -13.5% |
| 1994 | 4.84 million animals | -9.1% |
| 1995 | 4.75 million animals | -1.9% |
| 1996 | 4.98 million animals | +4.9% |
| 1997 | 4.95 million animals | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 4.61 million animals | -6.9% |
| 1999 | 4.56 million animals | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 4.29 million animals | -6.0% |
| 2001 | 4.36 million animals | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 4.27 million animals | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 3.97 million animals | -7.1% |
| 2004 | 4.14 million animals | +4.3% |
| 2005 | 3.77 million animals | -8.9% |
| 2006 | 3.81 million animals | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 3.72 million animals | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 3.82 million animals | +2.8% |
| 2009 | 3.79 million animals | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 3.80 million animals | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 3.72 million animals | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 3.65 million animals | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 3.52 million animals | -3.6% |
| 2014 | 3.61 million animals | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 3.58 million animals | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 3.64 million animals | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 3.55 million animals | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 3.44 million animals | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 3.40 million animals | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 3.28 million animals | -3.6% |
| 2021 | 3.27 million animals | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 3.02 million animals | -7.5% |
| 2023 | 3.03 million animals | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 3.03 million animals | +0.0% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 3.03 million animals is above the median for high income countries, which is 161,025 animals, 18.8× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Germany's 3.03 million animals is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 433,650 animals, 7.0× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.35 million animals | 7.02 million animals | 7.76 million animals | 9 |
| 1970s | 7.06 million animals | 6.47 million animals | 7.37 million animals | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.41 million animals | 6.89 million animals | 7.81 million animals | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.51 million animals | 4.56 million animals | 7.60 million animals | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.99 million animals | 3.72 million animals | 4.36 million animals | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.59 million animals | 3.40 million animals | 3.80 million animals | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.12 million animals | 3.02 million animals | 3.28 million animals | 5 |
Countries ranked near Germany
- 20 Nigeria 3.31 million animals compare
- 21 Colombia 3.23 million animals compare
- 22 South Africa 3.16 million animals compare
- 24 United Kingdom 2.85 million animals compare
- 25 Bangladesh 2.81 million animals compare
- 26 Zimbabwe 2.74 million animals compare
More agriculture & rural data for Germany
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0087 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 527.18 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.6813 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1786 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.9% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in Germany?
- Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in Germany was 3.03 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 7.81 million animals in 1986.
- What is the lowest yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.02 million animals in 2022.
- How does Germany rank for yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat?
- Germany ranks 23rd out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Germany 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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