Meat production by livestock type in South Africa
South Africa: Meat production by livestock type was 53,993 tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
53,993 tonnes
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
11th
of 60 countries
All-time high
53,993 tonnes
in 2024
All-time low
0 tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Meat production by livestock type 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
South Africa recorded 53,993 tonnes for meat production by livestock type in 2024. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 20.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, meat production by livestock type in South Africa peaked at 53,993 tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0 tonnes, in 1961.
That places South Africa 11th out of 60 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Meat production by livestock type in South Africa, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1963 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1964 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1965 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1966 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1967 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1968 | 0 tonnes | — |
| 1969 | 500 tonnes | — |
| 1970 | 1,000 tonnes | +100.0% |
| 1971 | 1,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 1,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 2,000 tonnes | +100.0% |
| 1974 | 2,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 3,000 tonnes | +50.0% |
| 1976 | 4,000 tonnes | +33.3% |
| 1977 | 5,000 tonnes | +25.0% |
| 1978 | 6,000 tonnes | +20.0% |
| 1979 | 7,000 tonnes | +16.7% |
| 1980 | 9,000 tonnes | +28.6% |
| 1981 | 10,000 tonnes | +11.1% |
| 1982 | 10,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 10,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 10,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 10,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 10,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 10,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 10,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 10,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 11,072 tonnes | +10.7% |
| 1991 | 6,658 tonnes | -39.9% |
| 1992 | 7,137 tonnes | +7.2% |
| 1993 | 8,458 tonnes | +18.5% |
| 1994 | 9,582 tonnes | +13.3% |
| 1995 | 9,911 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 11,000 tonnes | +11.0% |
| 1997 | 13,000 tonnes | +18.2% |
| 1998 | 14,000 tonnes | +7.7% |
| 1999 | 15,000 tonnes | +7.1% |
| 2000 | 16,000 tonnes | +6.7% |
| 2001 | 17,252 tonnes | +7.8% |
| 2002 | 17,000 tonnes | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 19,551 tonnes | +15.0% |
| 2004 | 20,830 tonnes | +6.5% |
| 2005 | 19,500 tonnes | -6.4% |
| 2006 | 24,928 tonnes | +27.8% |
| 2007 | 27,858 tonnes | +11.7% |
| 2008 | 30,764 tonnes | +10.4% |
| 2009 | 33,844 tonnes | +10.0% |
| 2010 | 37,076 tonnes | +9.6% |
| 2011 | 46,000 tonnes | +24.1% |
| 2012 | 43,893 tonnes | -4.6% |
| 2013 | 42,552 tonnes | -3.1% |
| 2014 | 44,791 tonnes | +5.3% |
| 2015 | 51,616 tonnes | +15.2% |
| 2016 | 46,319 tonnes | -10.3% |
| 2017 | 49,334 tonnes | +6.5% |
| 2018 | 50,952 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 50,180 tonnes | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 51,408 tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 51,071 tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 52,015 tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 52,829 tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 53,993 tonnes | +2.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 55.56 tonnes | 0 tonnes | 500 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 3,200 tonnes | 1,000 tonnes | 7,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 9,900 tonnes | 9,000 tonnes | 10,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 10,582 tonnes | 6,658 tonnes | 15,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 22,753 tonnes | 16,000 tonnes | 33,844 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 46,271 tonnes | 37,076 tonnes | 51,616 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 52,263 tonnes | 51,071 tonnes | 53,993 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 meat production by livestock type in South Africa?
- Meat production by livestock type in South Africa was 53,993 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 meat production by livestock type recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 53,993 tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest meat production by livestock type recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 tonnes in 1961.
- How does South Africa rank for meat production by livestock type?
- South Africa ranks 11th out of 60 countries with data for 2024.
- Is meat production by livestock type rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Meat production by livestock type. 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).