Meat production in Iceland
Iceland: Meat production was 34,130 tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
34,130 tonnes
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
156th
of 202 countries
All-time high
35,969 tonnes
in 2018
All-time low
17,727 tonnes
in 1971
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Meat production in Iceland, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2024, meat production in Iceland stood at 34,130 tonnes.
The figure is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 5.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, meat production in Iceland peaked at 35,969 tonnes in 2018 and was at its lowest, 17,727 tonnes, in 1971.
Iceland ranks 156th of 202 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Meat production in Iceland, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 19,470 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 21,256 tonnes | +9.2% |
| 1963 | 20,453 tonnes | -3.8% |
| 1964 | 19,437 tonnes | -5.0% |
| 1965 | 20,707 tonnes | +6.5% |
| 1966 | 19,649 tonnes | -5.1% |
| 1967 | 21,773 tonnes | +10.8% |
| 1968 | 18,513 tonnes | -15.0% |
| 1969 | 20,033 tonnes | +8.2% |
| 1970 | 18,235 tonnes | -9.0% |
| 1971 | 17,727 tonnes | -2.8% |
| 1972 | 20,143 tonnes | +13.6% |
| 1973 | 20,061 tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 22,034 tonnes | +9.8% |
| 1975 | 23,394 tonnes | +6.2% |
| 1976 | 23,204 tonnes | -0.8% |
| 1977 | 23,051 tonnes | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 25,001 tonnes | +8.5% |
| 1979 | 25,960 tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1980 | 25,136 tonnes | -3.2% |
| 1981 | 26,043 tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1982 | 25,311 tonnes | -2.8% |
| 1983 | 24,852 tonnes | -1.8% |
| 1984 | 24,043 tonnes | -3.3% |
| 1985 | 25,148 tonnes | +4.6% |
| 1986 | 24,364 tonnes | -3.1% |
| 1987 | 22,910 tonnes | -6.0% |
| 1988 | 19,570 tonnes | -14.6% |
| 1989 | 19,273 tonnes | -1.5% |
| 1990 | 18,813 tonnes | -2.4% |
| 1991 | 18,968 tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 18,887 tonnes | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 19,319 tonnes | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 19,642 tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 20,004 tonnes | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 19,386 tonnes | -3.1% |
| 1997 | 20,173 tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 21,135 tonnes | +4.8% |
| 1999 | 23,290 tonnes | +10.2% |
| 2000 | 24,460 tonnes | +5.0% |
| 2001 | 24,603 tonnes | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 26,191 tonnes | +6.5% |
| 2003 | 27,469 tonnes | +4.9% |
| 2004 | 26,386 tonnes | -3.9% |
| 2005 | 26,390 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 27,394 tonnes | +3.8% |
| 2007 | 29,033 tonnes | +6.0% |
| 2008 | 29,789 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2009 | 29,882 tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 30,423 tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 30,607 tonnes | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 32,114 tonnes | +4.9% |
| 2013 | 32,513 tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 32,330 tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 32,952 tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 33,989 tonnes | +3.1% |
| 2017 | 35,439 tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2018 | 35,969 tonnes | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 35,319 tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 34,670 tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 34,392 tonnes | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 33,756 tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 33,432 tonnes | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 34,130 tonnes | +2.1% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 34,130 tonnes is below the median for high income countries, which is 301,415 tonnes, 11% of the median. (65 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 34,130 tonnes is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 452,315 tonnes, 8% of the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 20,143 tonnes | 18,513 tonnes | 21,773 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 21,881 tonnes | 17,727 tonnes | 25,960 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 23,665 tonnes | 19,273 tonnes | 26,043 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 19,962 tonnes | 18,813 tonnes | 23,290 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 27,160 tonnes | 24,460 tonnes | 29,882 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 33,166 tonnes | 30,423 tonnes | 35,969 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 34,076 tonnes | 33,432 tonnes | 34,670 tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
More agriculture & rural data for Iceland
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 19.96 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0365 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 3,593 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.8983 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.0578 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 3.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 3.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is meat production in Iceland?
- Meat production in Iceland was 34,130 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 recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 35,969 tonnes in 2018.
- What is the lowest meat production recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 17,727 tonnes in 1971.
- How does Iceland rank for meat production?
- Iceland ranks 156th out of 202 countries with data for 2024.
- Is meat production rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iceland 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. 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
Expressed in tonnes. Includes cattle, poultry, sheep/mutton, goat, pigmeat, and wild game.