Animals slaughtered for meat in New Zealand

New Zealand: Animals slaughtered for meat was 4.68 million in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
4.68 million
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
13th
of 196 countries
All-time high
4.76 million
in 2016
All-time low
2.25 million
in 1966
Years of data
64
1961–2024

Animals slaughtered for meat in New Zealand, 1961–2024

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M5.0M196119922024

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

New Zealand recorded 4.68 million for animals slaughtered for meat in 2024.

That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 9.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, animals slaughtered for meat in New Zealand peaked at 4.76 million in 2016 and was at its lowest, 2.25 million, in 1966.

New Zealand ranks 13th of 196 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 2.57 million 2.25 million 3.03 million 9
1970s 3.28 million 2.83 million 3.87 million 10
1980s 3.02 million 2.60 million 3.24 million 10
1990s 3.25 million 2.71 million 3.88 million 10
2000s 3.70 million 3.27 million 4.21 million 10
2010s 4.27 million 3.82 million 4.76 million 10
2020s 4.65 million 4.58 million 4.73 million 5

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 10 Russia 7.54 million compare
  2. 11 Uzbekistan 6.04 million compare
  3. 12 Türkiye 5.08 million compare
  4. 14 Tanzania 4.59 million compare
  5. 15 Chad 4.34 million compare
  6. 16 France 3.99 million compare

See the full ranking of 198 places →

More agriculture & rural data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is animals slaughtered for meat in New Zealand?
Animals slaughtered for meat in New Zealand was 4.68 million in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest animals slaughtered for meat recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 4.76 million in 2016.
What is the lowest animals slaughtered for meat recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 2.25 million in 1966.
How does New Zealand rank for animals slaughtered for meat?
New Zealand ranks 13th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
Is animals slaughtered for meat rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this New Zealand 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.

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Animals slaughtered for meat in New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 17 August 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/animals-slaughtered-for-meat/new-zealand/

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About this data

Indicator
Animals slaughtered for meat
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
198 places, 11,446 data points, 1961–2024
Last refreshed