Land animals slaughtered for meat in India
India: Land animals slaughtered for meat was 3.35 billion animals in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Land animals slaughtered for meat in India, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in animals.
Analysis
India recorded 3.35 billion animals for land animals slaughtered for meat in 2024. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 41.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land animals slaughtered for meat in India peaked at 3.35 billion animals in 2024 and was at its lowest, 76.67 million animals, in 1961.
That places India 5th out of 198 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 80.12 million animals | 76.67 million animals | 87.78 million animals | 9 |
| 1970s | 97.88 million animals | 90.00 million animals | 112.00 million animals | 10 |
| 1980s | 207.28 million animals | 125.60 million animals | 350.00 million animals | 10 |
| 1990s | 638.60 million animals | 402.00 million animals | 778.00 million animals | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.23 billion animals | 860.00 million animals | 1.74 billion animals | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.29 billion animals | 1.82 billion animals | 2.72 billion animals | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.11 billion animals | 2.85 billion animals | 3.35 billion animals | 5 |
Countries ranked near India
More agriculture & rural data for India
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 642.24 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 16.2% (2025)
- Rural population 941.42 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.4% (2025)
- Rural population 64.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.5% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.9% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 16.2% (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 16.2% (2025)
- Land under cereal production 107.67 million hectares (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land animals slaughtered for meat in India?
- Land animals slaughtered for meat in India was 3.35 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 3.35 billion animals in 2024.
- What is the lowest land animals slaughtered for meat recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 76.67 million animals in 1961.
- How does India rank for land animals slaughtered for meat?
- India ranks 5th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is land animals slaughtered for meat rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 41.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this India 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.
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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.