Animals slaughtered for meat in North Korea
North Korea: Animals slaughtered for meat was 135,659 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Animals slaughtered for meat in North Korea, 1961–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for animals slaughtered for meat in North Korea is 135,659, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, animals slaughtered for meat in North Korea peaked at 280,000 in 1988 and was at its lowest, 125,000, in 1997.
That places North Korea 120th 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.
Animals slaughtered for meat in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 134,400 | — |
| 1962 | 133,000 | -1.0% |
| 1963 | 134,400 | +1.1% |
| 1964 | 135,800 | +1.0% |
| 1965 | 136,000 | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 137,000 | +0.7% |
| 1967 | 138,000 | +0.7% |
| 1968 | 140,000 | +1.4% |
| 1969 | 144,000 | +2.9% |
| 1970 | 146,000 | +1.4% |
| 1971 | 150,000 | +2.7% |
| 1972 | 153,000 | +2.0% |
| 1973 | 156,000 | +2.0% |
| 1974 | 163,000 | +4.5% |
| 1975 | 170,000 | +4.3% |
| 1976 | 175,000 | +2.9% |
| 1977 | 183,000 | +4.6% |
| 1978 | 190,000 | +3.8% |
| 1979 | 197,000 | +3.7% |
| 1980 | 205,000 | +4.1% |
| 1981 | 210,000 | +2.4% |
| 1982 | 215,000 | +2.4% |
| 1983 | 230,000 | +7.0% |
| 1984 | 237,000 | +3.0% |
| 1985 | 250,000 | +5.5% |
| 1986 | 260,000 | +4.0% |
| 1987 | 275,000 | +5.8% |
| 1988 | 280,000 | +1.8% |
| 1989 | 253,000 | -9.6% |
| 1990 | 230,000 | -9.1% |
| 1991 | 200,000 | -13.0% |
| 1992 | 202,000 | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 207,000 | +2.5% |
| 1994 | 210,000 | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 280,000 | +33.3% |
| 1996 | 145,000 | -48.2% |
| 1997 | 125,000 | -13.8% |
| 1998 | 130,000 | +4.0% |
| 1999 | 133,000 | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 133,500 | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 143,000 | +7.1% |
| 2002 | 144,000 | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 145,000 | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 142,000 | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 143,000 | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 144,000 | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 145,000 | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 145,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 145,000 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 145,300 | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 145,300 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 146,500 | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 146,500 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 143,122 | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 140,682 | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 138,781 | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 138,605 | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 139,033 | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 139,122 | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 138,728 | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 137,954 | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 135,571 | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 136,017 | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 135,659 | -0.3% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 135,659 is below the median for low income countries, which is 467,376, 29% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 135,659 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 117,197, 1.2× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Animals slaughtered for meat in North Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | -48.2% | 280,000 | 145,000 |
| 1995 | +33.3% | 210,000 | 280,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 136,956 | 133,000 | 144,000 | 9 |
| 1970s | 168,300 | 146,000 | 197,000 | 10 |
| 1980s | 241,500 | 205,000 | 280,000 | 10 |
| 1990s | 186,200 | 125,000 | 280,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 142,950 | 133,500 | 145,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 142,294 | 138,605 | 146,500 | 10 |
| 2020s | 136,786 | 135,571 | 138,728 | 5 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More agriculture & rural data for North Korea
- Rural population growth -0.6% (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.0251 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 0.0976 hectares per person (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.0957 hectares per person (2025)
- Rural population 35.8% (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.0256 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.6454 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population 9.52 million (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3581 units per person (2025)
- Land animals slaughtered for meat, per square kilometre 170.04 animals per square kilometre (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is animals slaughtered for meat in North Korea?
- Animals slaughtered for meat in North Korea was 135,659 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest animals slaughtered for meat recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 280,000 in 1988.
- What is the lowest animals slaughtered for meat recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 125,000 in 1997.
- How does North Korea rank for animals slaughtered for meat?
- North Korea ranks 120th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is animals slaughtered for meat rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North Korea 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).