Animals slaughtered for meat in United States
United States: Animals slaughtered for meat was 32.16 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
32.16 million
Change on year
down 3.3%
World rank
4th
of 198 countries
All-time high
48.73 million
in 1976
All-time low
29.32 million
in 2015
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Animals slaughtered for meat in United States, 1961–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, animals slaughtered for meat in United States stood at 32.16 million.
That represents a change of down 3.3% on the previous year and up 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, animals slaughtered for meat in United States peaked at 48.73 million in 1976 and was at its lowest, 29.32 million, in 2015.
That places United States 4th out of 198 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Animals slaughtered for meat in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 34.55 million | — |
| 1962 | 34.77 million | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 35.27 million | +1.5% |
| 1964 | 39.31 million | +11.4% |
| 1965 | 40.96 million | +4.2% |
| 1966 | 41.04 million | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 40.41 million | -1.5% |
| 1968 | 41.03 million | +1.6% |
| 1969 | 40.58 million | -1.1% |
| 1970 | 39.56 million | -2.5% |
| 1971 | 39.73 million | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 39.34 million | -1.0% |
| 1973 | 36.40 million | -7.5% |
| 1974 | 40.50 million | +11.3% |
| 1975 | 46.87 million | +15.7% |
| 1976 | 48.73 million | +4.0% |
| 1977 | 48.07 million | -1.3% |
| 1978 | 44.27 million | -7.9% |
| 1979 | 36.93 million | -16.6% |
| 1980 | 36.79 million | -0.4% |
| 1981 | 38.15 million | +3.7% |
| 1982 | 39.26 million | +2.9% |
| 1983 | 40.14 million | +2.2% |
| 1984 | 41.27 million | +2.8% |
| 1985 | 40.05 million | -3.0% |
| 1986 | 41.05 million | +2.5% |
| 1987 | 38.79 million | -5.5% |
| 1988 | 37.89 million | -2.3% |
| 1989 | 36.33 million | -4.1% |
| 1990 | 35.28 million | -2.9% |
| 1991 | 34.37 million | -2.6% |
| 1992 | 34.49 million | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 34.75 million | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 35.69 million | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 37.29 million | +4.5% |
| 1996 | 38.58 million | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 38.11 million | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 37.14 million | -2.6% |
| 1999 | 37.64 million | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 37.59 million | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 36.58 million | -2.7% |
| 2002 | 36.97 million | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 36.69 million | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 33.76 million | -8.0% |
| 2005 | 33.31 million | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 34.60 million | +3.9% |
| 2007 | 35.21 million | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 35.50 million | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 34.45 million | -3.0% |
| 2010 | 35.28 million | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 35.09 million | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 33.86 million | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 33.35 million | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 30.86 million | -7.5% |
| 2015 | 29.32 million | -5.0% |
| 2016 | 31.19 million | +6.4% |
| 2017 | 32.82 million | +5.2% |
| 2018 | 33.70 million | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 34.26 million | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 33.37 million | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 34.36 million | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 34.81 million | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 33.25 million | -4.5% |
| 2024 | 32.16 million | -3.3% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 32.16 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 161,025, 199.7× the median. (64 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 38.66 million | 34.55 million | 41.04 million | 9 |
| 1970s | 42.04 million | 36.40 million | 48.73 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 38.97 million | 36.33 million | 41.27 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 36.33 million | 34.37 million | 38.58 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 35.46 million | 33.31 million | 37.59 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.97 million | 29.32 million | 35.28 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.59 million | 32.16 million | 34.81 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More agriculture & rural data for United States
- 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 0.4694 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 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 1.22 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 11.96 % change on previous year (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0094 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 673.66 current US$ per person (2021)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.1831 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is animals slaughtered for meat in United States?
- Animals slaughtered for meat in United States was 32.16 million in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest animals slaughtered for meat recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 48.73 million in 1976.
- What is the lowest animals slaughtered for meat recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.32 million in 2015.
- How does United States rank for animals slaughtered for meat?
- United States ranks 4th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is animals slaughtered for meat rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States 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).