Daily number of animals slaughtered for meat in South Africa
South Africa: Daily number of animals slaughtered for meat was 8,667 animals in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
8,667 animals
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
22nd
of 198 countries
All-time high
9,967 animals
in 2016
All-time low
5,619 animals
in 1970
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Daily number of animals slaughtered for meat 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 animals.
Analysis
In 2024, daily number of animals slaughtered for meat in South Africa stood at 8,667 animals.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, daily number of animals slaughtered for meat in South Africa peaked at 9,967 animals in 2016 and was at its lowest, 5,619 animals, in 1970.
That places South Africa 22nd 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 South Africa, year by year
| Year | animals | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 6,016 animals | — |
| 1962 | 6,140 animals | +2.0% |
| 1963 | 6,236 animals | +1.6% |
| 1964 | 6,605 animals | +5.9% |
| 1965 | 6,701 animals | +1.5% |
| 1966 | 6,786 animals | +1.3% |
| 1967 | 6,027 animals | -11.2% |
| 1968 | 5,753 animals | -4.5% |
| 1969 | 5,753 animals | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 5,619 animals | -2.3% |
| 1971 | 6,117 animals | +8.9% |
| 1972 | 6,680 animals | +9.2% |
| 1973 | 7,147 animals | +7.0% |
| 1974 | 7,003 animals | -2.0% |
| 1975 | 6,318 animals | -9.8% |
| 1976 | 7,022 animals | +11.1% |
| 1977 | 7,378 animals | +5.1% |
| 1978 | 8,180 animals | +10.9% |
| 1979 | 9,165 animals | +12.0% |
| 1980 | 8,234 animals | -10.2% |
| 1981 | 7,085 animals | -14.0% |
| 1982 | 7,356 animals | +3.8% |
| 1983 | 8,022 animals | +9.1% |
| 1984 | 8,192 animals | +2.1% |
| 1985 | 8,085 animals | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 7,740 animals | -4.3% |
| 1987 | 7,622 animals | -1.5% |
| 1988 | 6,395 animals | -16.1% |
| 1989 | 6,367 animals | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 7,301 animals | +14.7% |
| 1991 | 8,079 animals | +10.7% |
| 1992 | 8,425 animals | +4.3% |
| 1993 | 8,411 animals | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 7,460 animals | -11.3% |
| 1995 | 5,975 animals | -19.9% |
| 1996 | 6,142 animals | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 5,984 animals | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 5,912 animals | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 6,200 animals | +4.9% |
| 2000 | 7,444 animals | +20.1% |
| 2001 | 6,085 animals | -18.3% |
| 2002 | 6,948 animals | +14.2% |
| 2003 | 6,896 animals | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 7,329 animals | +6.3% |
| 2005 | 7,630 animals | +4.1% |
| 2006 | 8,364 animals | +9.6% |
| 2007 | 8,485 animals | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 7,962 animals | -6.2% |
| 2009 | 7,871 animals | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 7,942 animals | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 7,986 animals | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 7,932 animals | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 8,621 animals | +8.7% |
| 2014 | 9,229 animals | +7.1% |
| 2015 | 9,767 animals | +5.8% |
| 2016 | 9,967 animals | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 9,597 animals | -3.7% |
| 2018 | 9,071 animals | -5.5% |
| 2019 | 8,463 animals | -6.7% |
| 2020 | 8,867 animals | +4.8% |
| 2021 | 8,968 animals | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 8,797 animals | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 8,649 animals | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 8,667 animals | +0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6,224 animals | 5,753 animals | 6,786 animals | 9 |
| 1970s | 7,063 animals | 5,619 animals | 9,165 animals | 10 |
| 1980s | 7,510 animals | 6,367 animals | 8,234 animals | 10 |
| 1990s | 6,989 animals | 5,912 animals | 8,425 animals | 10 |
| 2000s | 7,501 animals | 6,085 animals | 8,485 animals | 10 |
| 2010s | 8,858 animals | 7,932 animals | 9,967 animals | 10 |
| 2020s | 8,790 animals | 8,649 animals | 8,968 animals | 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 daily number of animals slaughtered for meat in South Africa?
- Daily number of animals slaughtered for meat in South Africa was 8,667 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 9,967 animals in 2016.
- What is the lowest daily number of animals slaughtered for meat recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 5,619 animals in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for daily number of animals slaughtered for meat?
- South Africa ranks 22nd out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is daily number of animals slaughtered for meat rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.1%. 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 Daily number of animals slaughtered for meat. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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