Land animals slaughtered for meat in China
China: Land animals slaughtered for meat was 11.87 billion animals in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Land animals slaughtered for meat in China, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in animals.
Analysis
In 2024, land animals slaughtered for meat in China stood at 11.87 billion animals. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 34.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land animals slaughtered for meat in China peaked at 11.87 billion animals in 2024 and was at its lowest, 445.00 million animals, in 1961.
China ranks 1st of 198 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 499.89 million animals | 445.00 million animals | 564.00 million animals | 9 |
| 1970s | 732.40 million animals | 575.00 million animals | 905.00 million animals | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.22 billion animals | 940.00 million animals | 1.70 billion animals | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.74 billion animals | 1.85 billion animals | 5.83 billion animals | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.85 billion animals | 6.03 billion animals | 8.13 billion animals | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.45 billion animals | 8.43 billion animals | 10.84 billion animals | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.45 billion animals | 11.07 billion animals | 11.87 billion animals | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
More agriculture & rural data for China
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.30 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 6.7% (2025)
- Rural population 473.41 million (2025)
- Rural population growth -1.5% (2025)
- Rural population 33.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.7% (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.7% (2025)
- Land under cereal production 99.99 million hectares (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land animals slaughtered for meat in China?
- Land animals slaughtered for meat in China was 11.87 billion animals in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land animals slaughtered for meat recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 11.87 billion animals in 2024.
- What is the lowest land animals slaughtered for meat recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 445.00 million animals in 1961.
- How does China rank for land animals slaughtered for meat?
- China ranks 1st out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is land animals slaughtered for meat rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Land animals slaughtered for meat. 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).
About this data
This data is based on the country of production, not consumption.