Beef production in South Africa
South Africa: Beef production was 1.10 million tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
1.10 million tonnes
Change on year
up 6.7%
World rank
15th
of 198 countries
All-time high
1.10 million tonnes
in 2024
All-time low
355,000 tonnes
in 1968
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Beef production in South Africa, 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 South Africa is 1.10 million tonnes, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.7% on the previous year and up 10.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, beef production in South Africa peaked at 1.10 million tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 355,000 tonnes, in 1968.
South Africa ranks 15th of 198 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Beef production in South Africa, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 390,310 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 391,154 tonnes | +0.2% |
| 1963 | 429,000 tonnes | +9.7% |
| 1964 | 453,000 tonnes | +5.6% |
| 1965 | 450,000 tonnes | -0.7% |
| 1966 | 430,000 tonnes | -4.4% |
| 1967 | 378,000 tonnes | -12.1% |
| 1968 | 355,000 tonnes | -6.1% |
| 1969 | 390,000 tonnes | +9.9% |
| 1970 | 388,176 tonnes | -0.5% |
| 1971 | 415,957 tonnes | +7.2% |
| 1972 | 466,552 tonnes | +12.2% |
| 1973 | 488,394 tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1974 | 527,036 tonnes | +7.9% |
| 1975 | 515,035 tonnes | -2.3% |
| 1976 | 508,549 tonnes | -1.3% |
| 1977 | 543,690 tonnes | +6.9% |
| 1978 | 588,683 tonnes | +8.3% |
| 1979 | 642,044 tonnes | +9.1% |
| 1980 | 584,678 tonnes | -8.9% |
| 1981 | 542,000 tonnes | -7.3% |
| 1982 | 582,000 tonnes | +7.4% |
| 1983 | 588,000 tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 620,000 tonnes | +5.4% |
| 1985 | 650,000 tonnes | +4.8% |
| 1986 | 604,000 tonnes | -7.1% |
| 1987 | 596,000 tonnes | -1.3% |
| 1988 | 545,000 tonnes | -8.6% |
| 1989 | 542,000 tonnes | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 609,000 tonnes | +12.4% |
| 1991 | 681,000 tonnes | +11.8% |
| 1992 | 720,500 tonnes | +5.8% |
| 1993 | 658,000 tonnes | -8.7% |
| 1994 | 557,000 tonnes | -15.3% |
| 1995 | 523,000 tonnes | -6.1% |
| 1996 | 480,000 tonnes | -8.2% |
| 1997 | 789,000 tonnes | +64.4% |
| 1998 | 522,000 tonnes | -33.8% |
| 1999 | 558,000 tonnes | +6.9% |
| 2000 | 582,000 tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 572,000 tonnes | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 579,000 tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 635,000 tonnes | +9.7% |
| 2004 | 683,000 tonnes | +7.6% |
| 2005 | 746,000 tonnes | +9.2% |
| 2006 | 832,000 tonnes | +11.5% |
| 2007 | 829,000 tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 798,000 tonnes | -3.7% |
| 2009 | 803,000 tonnes | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 897,000 tonnes | +11.7% |
| 2011 | 878,000 tonnes | -2.1% |
| 2012 | 875,000 tonnes | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 953,107 tonnes | +8.9% |
| 2014 | 1.00 million tonnes | +5.0% |
| 2015 | 1.07 million tonnes | +7.2% |
| 2016 | 1.09 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 1.01 million tonnes | -6.9% |
| 2018 | 1.00 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 1.04 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 1.04 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 1.05 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 1.01 million tonnes | -4.3% |
| 2023 | 1.03 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 1.10 million tonnes | +6.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 407,385 tonnes | 355,000 tonnes | 453,000 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 508,412 tonnes | 388,176 tonnes | 642,044 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 585,368 tonnes | 542,000 tonnes | 650,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 609,750 tonnes | 480,000 tonnes | 789,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 705,900 tonnes | 572,000 tonnes | 832,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 982,036 tonnes | 875,000 tonnes | 1.09 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.05 million tonnes | 1.01 million tonnes | 1.10 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More agriculture & rural data for South Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0283 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 186.56 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.812 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3618 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is beef production in South Africa?
- Beef production in South Africa was 1.10 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.10 million tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest beef production recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 355,000 tonnes in 1968.
- How does South Africa rank for beef production?
- South Africa ranks 15th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is beef production rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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
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