Global meat production in China
China: Global meat production was 97.86 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
97.86 million
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
1st
of 202 countries
All-time high
97.86 million
in 2024
All-time low
2.22 million
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Global meat production in China, 1961–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
China recorded 97.86 million for global meat production in 2024. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 13.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, global meat production in China peaked at 97.86 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.22 million, in 1961.
That places China 1st out of 202 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Global meat production in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.22 million | — |
| 1962 | 2.68 million | +20.8% |
| 1963 | 4.28 million | +59.5% |
| 1964 | 5.54 million | +29.5% |
| 1965 | 6.36 million | +14.8% |
| 1966 | 6.88 million | +8.2% |
| 1967 | 7.24 million | +5.2% |
| 1968 | 7.18 million | -0.9% |
| 1969 | 7.03 million | -2.1% |
| 1970 | 6.99 million | -0.5% |
| 1971 | 8.00 million | +14.4% |
| 1972 | 8.84 million | +10.5% |
| 1973 | 8.93 million | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 8.96 million | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 9.24 million | +3.1% |
| 1976 | 9.16 million | -0.8% |
| 1977 | 9.22 million | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 10.05 million | +9.0% |
| 1979 | 12.16 million | +21.0% |
| 1980 | 13.65 million | +12.2% |
| 1981 | 14.26 million | +4.5% |
| 1982 | 15.21 million | +6.7% |
| 1983 | 15.77 million | +3.6% |
| 1984 | 17.20 million | +9.1% |
| 1985 | 19.44 million | +13.0% |
| 1986 | 20.54 million | +5.6% |
| 1987 | 22.38 million | +9.0% |
| 1988 | 24.82 million | +10.9% |
| 1989 | 26.19 million | +5.6% |
| 1990 | 28.11 million | +7.3% |
| 1991 | 31.40 million | +11.7% |
| 1992 | 34.38 million | +9.5% |
| 1993 | 38.39 million | +11.7% |
| 1994 | 43.06 million | +12.2% |
| 1995 | 49.92 million | +15.9% |
| 1996 | 45.51 million | -8.8% |
| 1997 | 52.23 million | +14.8% |
| 1998 | 56.79 million | +8.7% |
| 1999 | 59.42 million | +4.6% |
| 2000 | 60.13 million | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 61.04 million | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 62.34 million | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 64.43 million | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 66.08 million | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 69.39 million | +5.0% |
| 2006 | 71.04 million | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 68.92 million | -3.0% |
| 2008 | 73.08 million | +6.0% |
| 2009 | 76.63 million | +4.8% |
| 2010 | 79.21 million | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 79.43 million | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 83.51 million | +5.1% |
| 2013 | 84.82 million | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 86.35 million | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 86.97 million | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 85.38 million | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 85.78 million | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 86.42 million | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 77.78 million | -10.0% |
| 2020 | 77.74 million | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 90.12 million | +15.9% |
| 2022 | 93.59 million | +3.9% |
| 2023 | 97.66 million | +4.3% |
| 2024 | 97.86 million | +0.2% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 97.86 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 286,984, 341.0× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- China's 97.86 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 166,924, 586.2× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Global meat production in China 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | +59.5% | 2.68 million | 4.28 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.49 million | 2.22 million | 7.24 million | 9 |
| 1970s | 9.15 million | 6.99 million | 12.16 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 18.95 million | 13.65 million | 26.19 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 43.92 million | 28.11 million | 59.42 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 67.31 million | 60.13 million | 76.63 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.57 million | 77.78 million | 86.97 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 91.39 million | 77.74 million | 97.86 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
More agriculture & rural data for China
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.0314 % 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 0.0951 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.0082 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 0.3742 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 1.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0666 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 923.03 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.48 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is global meat production in China?
- Global meat production in China was 97.86 million in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest global meat production recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 97.86 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest global meat production recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.22 million in 1961.
- How does China rank for global meat production?
- China ranks 1st out of 202 countries with data for 2024.
- Is global meat production rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Global meat production. 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).