Animals slaughtered for meat in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Animals slaughtered for meat was 2.85 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
2.85 million
Change on year
up 3.1%
World rank
24th
of 198 countries
All-time high
5.36 million
in 1975
All-time low
2.16 million
in 2001
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Animals slaughtered for meat in United Kingdom, 1961–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, animals slaughtered for meat in United Kingdom stood at 2.85 million.
The figure is up 3.1% on the previous year and up 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, animals slaughtered for meat in United Kingdom peaked at 5.36 million in 1975 and was at its lowest, 2.16 million, in 2001.
United Kingdom ranks 24th of 198 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Animals slaughtered for meat in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 4.27 million | — |
| 1962 | 4.28 million | +0.2% |
| 1963 | 4.26 million | -0.4% |
| 1964 | 3.86 million | -9.3% |
| 1965 | 3.58 million | -7.2% |
| 1966 | 3.87 million | +8.0% |
| 1967 | 4.21 million | +8.7% |
| 1968 | 4.01 million | -4.7% |
| 1969 | 3.81 million | -5.1% |
| 1970 | 4.05 million | +6.4% |
| 1971 | 3.89 million | -3.8% |
| 1972 | 3.65 million | -6.3% |
| 1973 | 3.46 million | -5.2% |
| 1974 | 4.63 million | +34.0% |
| 1975 | 5.36 million | +15.8% |
| 1976 | 4.44 million | -17.2% |
| 1977 | 4.11 million | -7.4% |
| 1978 | 4.03 million | -1.9% |
| 1979 | 4.06 million | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 4.25 million | +4.9% |
| 1981 | 3.98 million | -6.5% |
| 1982 | 3.63 million | -8.8% |
| 1983 | 3.93 million | +8.2% |
| 1984 | 4.31 million | +9.8% |
| 1985 | 4.29 million | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 3.94 million | -8.0% |
| 1987 | 4.11 million | +4.3% |
| 1988 | 3.38 million | -17.8% |
| 1989 | 3.44 million | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 3.52 million | +2.4% |
| 1991 | 3.62 million | +2.6% |
| 1992 | 3.78 million | +4.5% |
| 1993 | 3.47 million | -8.2% |
| 1994 | 3.64 million | +4.8% |
| 1995 | 3.81 million | +4.7% |
| 1996 | 2.40 million | -37.1% |
| 1997 | 2.28 million | -4.7% |
| 1998 | 2.33 million | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 2.29 million | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 2.43 million | +5.9% |
| 2001 | 2.16 million | -10.8% |
| 2002 | 2.28 million | +5.5% |
| 2003 | 2.27 million | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 2.35 million | +3.1% |
| 2005 | 2.41 million | +2.9% |
| 2006 | 2.64 million | +9.6% |
| 2007 | 2.66 million | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 2.63 million | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 2.51 million | -4.5% |
| 2010 | 2.71 million | +7.8% |
| 2011 | 2.84 million | +4.7% |
| 2012 | 2.68 million | -5.5% |
| 2013 | 2.62 million | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 2.67 million | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 2.65 million | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 2.78 million | +4.9% |
| 2017 | 2.75 million | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 2.81 million | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 2.83 million | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 2.83 million | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 2.75 million | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 2.81 million | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 2.77 million | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 2.85 million | +3.1% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 2.85 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 161,025, 17.7× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 2.85 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 433,650, 6.6× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.02 million | 3.58 million | 4.28 million | 9 |
| 1970s | 4.17 million | 3.46 million | 5.36 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.93 million | 3.38 million | 4.31 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.11 million | 2.28 million | 3.81 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.44 million | 2.16 million | 2.66 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.73 million | 2.62 million | 2.84 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.80 million | 2.75 million | 2.85 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More agriculture & rural data for United Kingdom
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.2731 % 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 0.0861 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.8055 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 0.2384 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 8.26 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0064 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 368.63 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1852 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is animals slaughtered for meat in United Kingdom?
- Animals slaughtered for meat in United Kingdom was 2.85 million in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest animals slaughtered for meat recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 5.36 million in 1975.
- What is the lowest animals slaughtered for meat recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.16 million in 2001.
- How does United Kingdom rank for animals slaughtered for meat?
- United Kingdom ranks 24th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is 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 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).