Animals slaughtered for meat in South Africa
South Africa: Animals slaughtered for meat was 3.16 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
3.16 million
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
22nd
of 198 countries
All-time high
3.64 million
in 2016
All-time low
2.05 million
in 1970
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Animals slaughtered for meat in South Africa, 1961–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 3.16 million for animals slaughtered for meat in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, animals slaughtered for meat in South Africa peaked at 3.64 million in 2016 and was at its lowest, 2.05 million, in 1970.
South Africa ranks 22nd of 198 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Animals slaughtered for meat in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.20 million | — |
| 1962 | 2.24 million | +2.0% |
| 1963 | 2.28 million | +1.6% |
| 1964 | 2.41 million | +5.9% |
| 1965 | 2.45 million | +1.5% |
| 1966 | 2.48 million | +1.3% |
| 1967 | 2.20 million | -11.2% |
| 1968 | 2.10 million | -4.5% |
| 1969 | 2.10 million | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 2.05 million | -2.3% |
| 1971 | 2.23 million | +8.9% |
| 1972 | 2.44 million | +9.2% |
| 1973 | 2.61 million | +7.0% |
| 1974 | 2.56 million | -2.0% |
| 1975 | 2.31 million | -9.8% |
| 1976 | 2.56 million | +11.1% |
| 1977 | 2.69 million | +5.1% |
| 1978 | 2.99 million | +10.9% |
| 1979 | 3.35 million | +12.0% |
| 1980 | 3.01 million | -10.2% |
| 1981 | 2.59 million | -14.0% |
| 1982 | 2.69 million | +3.8% |
| 1983 | 2.93 million | +9.1% |
| 1984 | 2.99 million | +2.1% |
| 1985 | 2.95 million | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 2.83 million | -4.3% |
| 1987 | 2.78 million | -1.5% |
| 1988 | 2.33 million | -16.1% |
| 1989 | 2.32 million | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 2.67 million | +14.7% |
| 1991 | 2.95 million | +10.7% |
| 1992 | 3.08 million | +4.3% |
| 1993 | 3.07 million | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 2.72 million | -11.3% |
| 1995 | 2.18 million | -19.9% |
| 1996 | 2.24 million | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 2.18 million | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 2.16 million | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 2.26 million | +4.9% |
| 2000 | 2.72 million | +20.1% |
| 2001 | 2.22 million | -18.3% |
| 2002 | 2.54 million | +14.2% |
| 2003 | 2.52 million | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 2.67 million | +6.3% |
| 2005 | 2.79 million | +4.1% |
| 2006 | 3.05 million | +9.6% |
| 2007 | 3.10 million | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 2.91 million | -6.2% |
| 2009 | 2.87 million | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 2.90 million | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 2.92 million | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 2.90 million | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 3.15 million | +8.7% |
| 2014 | 3.37 million | +7.1% |
| 2015 | 3.56 million | +5.8% |
| 2016 | 3.64 million | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 3.50 million | -3.7% |
| 2018 | 3.31 million | -5.5% |
| 2019 | 3.09 million | -6.7% |
| 2020 | 3.24 million | +4.8% |
| 2021 | 3.27 million | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 3.21 million | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 3.16 million | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 3.16 million | +0.2% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 3.16 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 300,000, 10.5× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 3.16 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 250,645, 12.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.27 million | 2.10 million | 2.48 million | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.58 million | 2.05 million | 3.35 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.74 million | 2.32 million | 3.01 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.55 million | 2.16 million | 3.08 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.74 million | 2.22 million | 3.10 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.23 million | 2.90 million | 3.64 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.21 million | 3.16 million | 3.27 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More agriculture & rural data for South Africa
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.1917 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0002 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 1.49 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0283 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 186.56 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.812 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is animals slaughtered for meat in South Africa?
- Animals slaughtered for meat in South Africa was 3.16 million in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest animals slaughtered for meat recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 3.64 million in 2016.
- What is the lowest animals slaughtered for meat recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.05 million in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for animals slaughtered for meat?
- South Africa ranks 22nd out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is animals slaughtered for meat rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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).