Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat was 2.85 million animals in 2024. ▼ Falling
Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in United Kingdom, 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 United Kingdom stood at 2.85 million animals.
The figure is up 3.1% on the previous year and up 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in United Kingdom peaked at 5.36 million animals in 1975 and was at its lowest, 2.16 million animals, in 2001.
United Kingdom ranks 23rd of 197 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.02 million animals | 3.58 million animals | 4.28 million animals | 9 |
| 1970s | 4.17 million animals | 3.46 million animals | 5.36 million animals | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.93 million animals | 3.38 million animals | 4.31 million animals | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.11 million animals | 2.28 million animals | 3.81 million animals | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.44 million animals | 2.16 million animals | 2.66 million animals | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.73 million animals | 2.62 million animals | 2.84 million animals | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.80 million animals | 2.75 million animals | 2.85 million animals | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More agriculture & rural data for United Kingdom
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 25.62 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 0.6% (2025)
- Rural population 11.59 million (2025)
- Rural population growth -0.2% (2025)
- Rural population 16.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.6% (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.6% (2025)
- Land under cereal production 3.09 million hectares (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in United Kingdom?
- Yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat in United Kingdom was 2.85 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 5.36 million animals in 1975.
- What is the lowest yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.16 million animals in 2001.
- How does United Kingdom rank for yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat?
- United Kingdom ranks 23rd out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is yearly number of animals slaughtered for meat rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.
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CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).