Beef and buffalo meat production tonnes in South Africa
South Africa: Beef and buffalo meat production tonnes was 1.10 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Beef and buffalo meat production tonnes in South Africa, 1961–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for beef and buffalo meat production tonnes in South Africa is 1.10 million, 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 and buffalo meat production tonnes in South Africa peaked at 1.10 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 355,000, 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 and buffalo meat production tonnes in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 390,310 | — |
| 1962 | 391,154 | +0.2% |
| 1963 | 429,000 | +9.7% |
| 1964 | 453,000 | +5.6% |
| 1965 | 450,000 | -0.7% |
| 1966 | 430,000 | -4.4% |
| 1967 | 378,000 | -12.1% |
| 1968 | 355,000 | -6.1% |
| 1969 | 390,000 | +9.9% |
| 1970 | 388,176 | -0.5% |
| 1971 | 415,957 | +7.2% |
| 1972 | 466,552 | +12.2% |
| 1973 | 488,394 | +4.7% |
| 1974 | 527,036 | +7.9% |
| 1975 | 515,035 | -2.3% |
| 1976 | 508,549 | -1.3% |
| 1977 | 543,690 | +6.9% |
| 1978 | 588,683 | +8.3% |
| 1979 | 642,044 | +9.1% |
| 1980 | 584,678 | -8.9% |
| 1981 | 542,000 | -7.3% |
| 1982 | 582,000 | +7.4% |
| 1983 | 588,000 | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 620,000 | +5.4% |
| 1985 | 650,000 | +4.8% |
| 1986 | 604,000 | -7.1% |
| 1987 | 596,000 | -1.3% |
| 1988 | 545,000 | -8.6% |
| 1989 | 542,000 | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 609,000 | +12.4% |
| 1991 | 681,000 | +11.8% |
| 1992 | 720,500 | +5.8% |
| 1993 | 658,000 | -8.7% |
| 1994 | 557,000 | -15.3% |
| 1995 | 523,000 | -6.1% |
| 1996 | 480,000 | -8.2% |
| 1997 | 789,000 | +64.4% |
| 1998 | 522,000 | -33.8% |
| 1999 | 558,000 | +6.9% |
| 2000 | 582,000 | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 572,000 | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 579,000 | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 635,000 | +9.7% |
| 2004 | 683,000 | +7.6% |
| 2005 | 746,000 | +9.2% |
| 2006 | 832,000 | +11.5% |
| 2007 | 829,000 | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 798,000 | -3.7% |
| 2009 | 803,000 | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 897,000 | +11.7% |
| 2011 | 878,000 | -2.1% |
| 2012 | 875,000 | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 953,107 | +8.9% |
| 2014 | 1.00 million | +5.0% |
| 2015 | 1.07 million | +7.2% |
| 2016 | 1.09 million | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 1.01 million | -6.9% |
| 2018 | 1.00 million | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 1.04 million | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 1.04 million | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 1.05 million | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 1.01 million | -4.3% |
| 2023 | 1.03 million | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 1.10 million | +6.7% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1.10 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 60,060, 18.3× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1.10 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 39,552, 27.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Beef and buffalo meat production tonnes in South Africa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | +64.4% | 480,000 | 789,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 407,385 | 355,000 | 453,000 | 9 |
| 1970s | 508,412 | 388,176 | 642,044 | 10 |
| 1980s | 585,368 | 542,000 | 650,000 | 10 |
| 1990s | 609,750 | 480,000 | 789,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 705,900 | 572,000 | 832,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 982,036 | 875,000 | 1.09 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.05 million | 1.01 million | 1.10 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More agriculture & rural data for South Africa
- 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 0.1917 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 0.0002 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 1.49 hectares per person (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is beef and buffalo meat production tonnes in South Africa?
- Beef and buffalo meat production tonnes in South Africa was 1.10 million in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest beef and buffalo meat production tonnes recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.10 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest beef and buffalo meat production tonnes recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 355,000 in 1968.
- How does South Africa rank for beef and buffalo meat production tonnes?
- South Africa ranks 15th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is beef and buffalo meat production tonnes 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Beef and buffalo meat production tonnes. 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).