Daily number of animals slaughtered for meat in Ireland
Ireland: Daily number of animals slaughtered for meat was 5,221 animals in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
5,221 animals
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
35th
of 198 countries
All-time high
5,844 animals
in 1999
All-time low
1,338 animals
in 1964
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Daily number of animals slaughtered for meat in Ireland, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in animals.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 5,221 animals for daily number of animals slaughtered for meat in 2024.
That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and up 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, daily number of animals slaughtered for meat in Ireland peaked at 5,844 animals in 1999 and was at its lowest, 1,338 animals, in 1964.
That places Ireland 35th 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.
Daily number of animals slaughtered for meat in Ireland, year by year
| Year | animals | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1,754 animals | — |
| 1962 | 1,604 animals | -8.5% |
| 1963 | 1,641 animals | +2.3% |
| 1964 | 1,338 animals | -18.4% |
| 1965 | 1,344 animals | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 1,692 animals | +25.9% |
| 1967 | 2,608 animals | +54.1% |
| 1968 | 2,236 animals | -14.3% |
| 1969 | 2,279 animals | +1.9% |
| 1970 | 2,476 animals | +8.7% |
| 1971 | 2,506 animals | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 2,145 animals | -14.4% |
| 1973 | 2,383 animals | +11.1% |
| 1974 | 3,721 animals | +56.1% |
| 1975 | 4,789 animals | +28.7% |
| 1976 | 3,550 animals | -25.9% |
| 1977 | 3,992 animals | +12.5% |
| 1978 | 4,035 animals | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 3,999 animals | -0.9% |
| 1980 | 4,567 animals | +14.2% |
| 1981 | 3,247 animals | -28.9% |
| 1982 | 3,386 animals | +4.3% |
| 1983 | 3,452 animals | +1.9% |
| 1984 | 3,826 animals | +10.8% |
| 1985 | 4,160 animals | +8.7% |
| 1986 | 4,647 animals | +11.7% |
| 1987 | 4,351 animals | -6.4% |
| 1988 | 3,984 animals | -8.4% |
| 1989 | 3,753 animals | -5.8% |
| 1990 | 4,326 animals | +15.3% |
| 1991 | 4,696 animals | +8.5% |
| 1992 | 4,704 animals | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 4,384 animals | -6.8% |
| 1994 | 3,934 animals | -10.2% |
| 1995 | 4,148 animals | +5.4% |
| 1996 | 4,520 animals | +9.0% |
| 1997 | 4,932 animals | +9.1% |
| 1998 | 5,266 animals | +6.8% |
| 1999 | 5,844 animals | +11.0% |
| 2000 | 5,166 animals | -11.6% |
| 2001 | 5,186 animals | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 4,881 animals | -5.9% |
| 2003 | 5,105 animals | +4.6% |
| 2004 | 4,972 animals | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 4,617 animals | -7.1% |
| 2006 | 4,859 animals | +5.3% |
| 2007 | 4,852 animals | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 4,562 animals | -6.0% |
| 2009 | 4,385 animals | -3.9% |
| 2010 | 4,703 animals | +7.3% |
| 2011 | 4,500 animals | -4.3% |
| 2012 | 4,065 animals | -9.7% |
| 2013 | 4,353 animals | +7.1% |
| 2014 | 4,791 animals | +10.1% |
| 2015 | 4,561 animals | -4.8% |
| 2016 | 4,779 animals | +4.8% |
| 2017 | 5,073 animals | +6.2% |
| 2018 | 5,195 animals | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 5,075 animals | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 5,156 animals | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 4,910 animals | -4.8% |
| 2022 | 5,237 animals | +6.7% |
| 2023 | 5,125 animals | -2.2% |
| 2024 | 5,221 animals | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1,833 animals | 1,338 animals | 2,608 animals | 9 |
| 1970s | 3,360 animals | 2,145 animals | 4,789 animals | 10 |
| 1980s | 3,937 animals | 3,247 animals | 4,647 animals | 10 |
| 1990s | 4,675 animals | 3,934 animals | 5,844 animals | 10 |
| 2000s | 4,859 animals | 4,385 animals | 5,186 animals | 10 |
| 2010s | 4,709 animals | 4,065 animals | 5,195 animals | 10 |
| 2020s | 5,130 animals | 4,910 animals | 5,237 animals | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 32 Kenya 6,147 animals compare
- 33 Poland 5,826 animals compare
- 34 Netherlands 5,779 animals compare
- 36 Viet Nam 4,989 animals compare
- 37 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 4,670 animals compare
- 38 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 4,579 animals compare
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 daily number of animals slaughtered for meat in Ireland?
- Daily number of animals slaughtered for meat in Ireland was 5,221 animals 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 daily number of animals slaughtered for meat recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 5,844 animals in 1999.
- What is the lowest daily number of animals slaughtered for meat recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,338 animals in 1964.
- How does Ireland rank for daily number of animals slaughtered for meat?
- Ireland ranks 35th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is daily number of animals slaughtered for meat rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.0%. 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 Daily number of animals slaughtered for meat. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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