Land animals slaughtered for meat in China
China: Land animals slaughtered for meat was 11.87 billion in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
11.87 billion
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
1st
of 199 countries
All-time high
11.87 billion
in 2024
All-time low
445.00 million
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Land animals slaughtered for meat in China, 1961–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, land animals slaughtered for meat in China stood at 11.87 billion. 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 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 445.00 million, in 1961.
China ranks 1st of 199 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Land animals slaughtered for meat in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 445.00 million | — |
| 1962 | 460.00 million | +3.4% |
| 1963 | 470.00 million | +2.2% |
| 1964 | 480.00 million | +2.1% |
| 1965 | 500.00 million | +4.2% |
| 1966 | 510.00 million | +2.0% |
| 1967 | 530.00 million | +3.9% |
| 1968 | 540.00 million | +1.9% |
| 1969 | 564.00 million | +4.4% |
| 1970 | 575.00 million | +2.0% |
| 1971 | 605.00 million | +5.2% |
| 1972 | 645.00 million | +6.6% |
| 1973 | 670.00 million | +3.9% |
| 1974 | 710.00 million | +6.0% |
| 1975 | 730.00 million | +2.8% |
| 1976 | 784.00 million | +7.4% |
| 1977 | 825.00 million | +5.2% |
| 1978 | 875.00 million | +6.1% |
| 1979 | 905.00 million | +3.4% |
| 1980 | 940.00 million | +3.9% |
| 1981 | 965.00 million | +2.7% |
| 1982 | 1.01 billion | +4.7% |
| 1983 | 1.04 billion | +3.0% |
| 1984 | 1.07 billion | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 1.12 billion | +4.9% |
| 1986 | 1.28 billion | +14.3% |
| 1987 | 1.40 billion | +9.4% |
| 1988 | 1.70 billion | +21.2% |
| 1989 | 1.70 billion | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 1.85 billion | +8.8% |
| 1991 | 2.14 billion | +15.9% |
| 1992 | 2.38 billion | +11.0% |
| 1993 | 3.09 billion | +30.0% |
| 1994 | 3.41 billion | +10.2% |
| 1995 | 4.08 billion | +19.6% |
| 1996 | 4.15 billion | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 5.07 billion | +22.2% |
| 1998 | 5.38 billion | +6.2% |
| 1999 | 5.83 billion | +8.2% |
| 2000 | 6.19 billion | +6.3% |
| 2001 | 6.03 billion | -2.6% |
| 2002 | 6.22 billion | +3.2% |
| 2003 | 6.54 billion | +5.2% |
| 2004 | 6.50 billion | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 6.88 billion | +5.8% |
| 2006 | 6.83 billion | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 7.33 billion | +7.3% |
| 2008 | 7.80 billion | +6.4% |
| 2009 | 8.13 billion | +4.2% |
| 2010 | 8.43 billion | +3.7% |
| 2011 | 8.68 billion | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 9.25 billion | +6.6% |
| 2013 | 9.12 billion | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 8.84 billion | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 9.23 billion | +4.4% |
| 2016 | 9.52 billion | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 9.93 billion | +4.2% |
| 2018 | 10.62 billion | +7.0% |
| 2019 | 10.84 billion | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 11.07 billion | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 11.27 billion | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 11.40 billion | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 11.63 billion | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 11.87 billion | +2.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 11.87 billion is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 82.58 million, 143.7× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- China's 11.87 billion is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 16.57 million, 715.8× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Land animals slaughtered for meat 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +30.0% | 2.38 billion | 3.09 billion |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 499.89 million | 445.00 million | 564.00 million | 9 |
| 1970s | 732.40 million | 575.00 million | 905.00 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.22 billion | 940.00 million | 1.70 billion | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.74 billion | 1.85 billion | 5.83 billion | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.85 billion | 6.03 billion | 8.13 billion | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.45 billion | 8.43 billion | 10.84 billion | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.45 billion | 11.07 billion | 11.87 billion | 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 land animals slaughtered for meat in China?
- Land animals slaughtered for meat in China was 11.87 billion in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land animals slaughtered for meat recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 11.87 billion in 2024.
- What is the lowest land animals slaughtered for meat recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 445.00 million in 1961.
- How does China rank for land animals slaughtered for meat?
- China ranks 1st out of 199 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 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).