Beef production in China
China: Beef production was 7.79 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
7.79 million tonnes
Change on year
up 3.5%
World rank
4th
of 198 countries
All-time high
7.79 million tonnes
in 2024
All-time low
59,500 tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Beef production in China, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for beef production in China is 7.79 million tonnes, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
The figure is up 3.5% on the previous year and up 26.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, beef production in China peaked at 7.79 million tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 59,500 tonnes, in 1961.
China ranks 4th of 198 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Beef production in China, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 59,500 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 80,000 tonnes | +34.5% |
| 1963 | 107,000 tonnes | +33.8% |
| 1964 | 120,000 tonnes | +12.1% |
| 1965 | 134,000 tonnes | +11.7% |
| 1966 | 146,000 tonnes | +9.0% |
| 1967 | 152,500 tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1968 | 153,000 tonnes | +0.3% |
| 1969 | 158,000 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 1970 | 158,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 180,000 tonnes | +13.9% |
| 1972 | 193,000 tonnes | +7.2% |
| 1973 | 214,000 tonnes | +10.9% |
| 1974 | 226,000 tonnes | +5.6% |
| 1975 | 235,000 tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1976 | 229,000 tonnes | -2.6% |
| 1977 | 239,000 tonnes | +4.4% |
| 1978 | 239,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 273,000 tonnes | +14.2% |
| 1980 | 300,000 tonnes | +9.9% |
| 1981 | 310,000 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 1982 | 320,000 tonnes | +3.2% |
| 1983 | 357,000 tonnes | +11.6% |
| 1984 | 409,000 tonnes | +14.6% |
| 1985 | 467,000 tonnes | +14.2% |
| 1986 | 589,000 tonnes | +26.1% |
| 1987 | 792,000 tonnes | +34.5% |
| 1988 | 950,400 tonnes | +20.0% |
| 1989 | 1.06 million tonnes | +11.8% |
| 1990 | 1.23 million tonnes | +16.1% |
| 1991 | 1.49 million tonnes | +21.1% |
| 1992 | 1.74 million tonnes | +16.3% |
| 1993 | 2.19 million tonnes | +25.9% |
| 1994 | 2.38 million tonnes | +8.9% |
| 1995 | 2.87 million tonnes | +20.4% |
| 1996 | 3.23 million tonnes | +12.4% |
| 1997 | 3.95 million tonnes | +22.5% |
| 1998 | 4.35 million tonnes | +10.1% |
| 1999 | 5.05 million tonnes | +16.2% |
| 2000 | 5.13 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 5.09 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 5.22 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 5.42 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 2004 | 5.60 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 5.68 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 5.90 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 2007 | 6.26 million tonnes | +6.1% |
| 2008 | 6.18 million tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 6.26 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 6.29 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 6.11 million tonnes | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 6.15 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 6.13 million tonnes | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 6.16 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 6.17 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 6.17 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6.35 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 6.44 million tonnes | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 6.67 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2020 | 6.72 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 6.98 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2022 | 7.18 million tonnes | +3.0% |
| 2023 | 7.53 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2024 | 7.79 million tonnes | +3.5% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 7.79 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 60,060 tonnes, 129.7× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- China's 7.79 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 20,349 tonnes, 382.9× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 123,333 tonnes | 59,500 tonnes | 158,000 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 218,600 tonnes | 158,000 tonnes | 273,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 555,740 tonnes | 300,000 tonnes | 1.06 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.85 million tonnes | 1.23 million tonnes | 5.05 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.68 million tonnes | 5.09 million tonnes | 6.26 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.26 million tonnes | 6.11 million tonnes | 6.67 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.24 million tonnes | 6.72 million tonnes | 7.79 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
More agriculture & rural data for China
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 1.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0666 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 923.03 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3366 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is beef production in China?
- Beef production in China was 7.79 million tonnes 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 beef production recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 7.79 million tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest beef production recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 59,500 tonnes in 1961.
- How does China rank for beef production?
- China ranks 4th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is beef production rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 26.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China 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 Beef production. 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).