Beef production in Ireland
Ireland: Beef production was 602,600 tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
602,600 tonnes
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
26th
of 198 countries
All-time high
643,800 tonnes
in 1999
All-time low
112,798 tonnes
in 1964
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Beef production in Ireland, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 602,600 tonnes for beef production in 2024.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 3.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, beef production in Ireland peaked at 643,800 tonnes in 1999 and was at its lowest, 112,798 tonnes, in 1964.
That places Ireland 26th out of 198 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Beef production in Ireland, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 144,539 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 125,689 tonnes | -13.0% |
| 1963 | 129,513 tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1964 | 112,798 tonnes | -12.9% |
| 1965 | 112,943 tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 135,257 tonnes | +19.8% |
| 1967 | 222,957 tonnes | +64.8% |
| 1968 | 192,949 tonnes | -13.5% |
| 1969 | 197,955 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1970 | 216,339 tonnes | +9.3% |
| 1971 | 236,040 tonnes | +9.1% |
| 1972 | 204,507 tonnes | -13.4% |
| 1973 | 207,300 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1974 | 342,000 tonnes | +65.0% |
| 1975 | 420,000 tonnes | +22.8% |
| 1976 | 328,000 tonnes | -21.9% |
| 1977 | 384,800 tonnes | +17.3% |
| 1978 | 388,700 tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 387,900 tonnes | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 446,400 tonnes | +15.1% |
| 1981 | 316,300 tonnes | -29.1% |
| 1982 | 344,900 tonnes | +9.0% |
| 1983 | 353,000 tonnes | +2.3% |
| 1984 | 402,281 tonnes | +14.0% |
| 1985 | 448,226 tonnes | +11.4% |
| 1986 | 509,443 tonnes | +13.7% |
| 1987 | 483,620 tonnes | -5.1% |
| 1988 | 459,100 tonnes | -5.1% |
| 1989 | 432,400 tonnes | -5.8% |
| 1990 | 515,000 tonnes | +19.1% |
| 1991 | 557,100 tonnes | +8.2% |
| 1992 | 568,200 tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 528,500 tonnes | -7.0% |
| 1994 | 447,800 tonnes | -15.3% |
| 1995 | 481,100 tonnes | +7.4% |
| 1996 | 538,400 tonnes | +11.9% |
| 1997 | 569,500 tonnes | +5.8% |
| 1998 | 594,800 tonnes | +4.4% |
| 1999 | 643,800 tonnes | +8.2% |
| 2000 | 576,900 tonnes | -10.4% |
| 2001 | 579,400 tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 540,000 tonnes | -6.8% |
| 2003 | 568,000 tonnes | +5.2% |
| 2004 | 563,600 tonnes | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 546,000 tonnes | -3.1% |
| 2006 | 537,300 tonnes | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 580,800 tonnes | +8.1% |
| 2008 | 537,300 tonnes | -7.5% |
| 2009 | 514,500 tonnes | -4.2% |
| 2010 | 559,100 tonnes | +8.7% |
| 2011 | 547,100 tonnes | -2.1% |
| 2012 | 495,400 tonnes | -9.4% |
| 2013 | 517,600 tonnes | +4.5% |
| 2014 | 582,100 tonnes | +12.5% |
| 2015 | 564,100 tonnes | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 588,400 tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2017 | 617,000 tonnes | +4.9% |
| 2018 | 622,540 tonnes | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 619,800 tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 633,380 tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 594,510 tonnes | -6.1% |
| 2022 | 621,420 tonnes | +4.5% |
| 2023 | 599,520 tonnes | -3.5% |
| 2024 | 602,600 tonnes | +0.5% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 602,600 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 42,740 tonnes, 14.1× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 602,600 tonnes is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 86,510 tonnes, 7.0× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Beef production in Ireland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | +65.0% | 207,300 tonnes | 342,000 tonnes |
| 1967 | +64.8% | 135,257 tonnes | 222,957 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 152,733 tonnes | 112,798 tonnes | 222,957 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 311,559 tonnes | 204,507 tonnes | 420,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 419,567 tonnes | 316,300 tonnes | 509,443 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 544,420 tonnes | 447,800 tonnes | 643,800 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 554,380 tonnes | 514,500 tonnes | 580,800 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 571,314 tonnes | 495,400 tonnes | 622,540 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 610,286 tonnes | 594,510 tonnes | 633,380 tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More agriculture & rural data for Ireland
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 22.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0106 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,391 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.9559 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3541 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is beef production in Ireland?
- Beef production in Ireland was 602,600 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 643,800 tonnes in 1999.
- What is the lowest beef production recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 112,798 tonnes in 1964.
- How does Ireland rank for beef production?
- Ireland ranks 26th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is beef production rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland 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).