In this resource, updated with the latest available data, we aggregate and explore trends in animal slaughter around the world using UN FAO data tracked since 1960.

Key Findings

• In 2023, the number of land animals slaughtered was over 85.4 billion, a 1.79% increase over 2022. This growth rate is more than double the global human population growth rate of 0.88%.
• The rise in absolute slaughter numbers is largely driven by small-bodied animals, especially chickens and ducks, whose per capita slaughter has risen steadily since 1960.
• Absolute slaughter numbers are trending upwards on almost every continent for most species. A notable exception is cow slaughter, which is declining in Europe.
• For fishes, slaughter appears to be flat or declining globally, except in Africa where it is increasing.
• China, the United States, and Brazil dominate in terms of absolute numbers of animals slaughtered. However, per capita figures show different leaders, such as New Zealand for cows and Denmark for pigs.

AI suggested related articles

• Citations/Global Animal Slaughter Statistics And Charts- 2018 (Faunalytics) (0.90)
• How many animals are farmed and slaughtered each year (0.76)
• Citations/Attitudes Towards Chickens & Fishes- A Study Of Brazil, Canada, China, & India (Faunalytics) (0.75)