The 10 World’s Most Consumed of Animal Meat
The 10 World’s Most Consumed of Animal Meat– There are 10 World’s Most Consumed of Animal
Meat by Humans
based on data released by the FAO Statistical Database (FAOSTAT), United
Nations (UN) in 2022 and 2023. However, as humans need a large amount of nutrition,
animal meat can provide the nutrition of the human body so that they support daily activities
and can do something eagerly. In general, meat is something that comes from
animals including spleen, kidney, brain, and other tissues that can be eaten by
humans and contain many important nutrients for the human body.
Here are the rank and description of 10 world's most consumed
animal meat by humans based on data from the FAO Statistical database (FAOSTAT)
in 2023 and 2022. This data shows the amount of meat that is produced the most
in the world which is
certainly in line with the demand for meat consumption. The higher the
production of meat produced, of course, the higher the demand of meat for human
consumption.
Table Rank 12 World’s Most Consumed Animal Meat by Humans in 2022 and 2023
Rank |
Production of Meat from Animal |
Total Meat Production (in Tons) |
Total Meat Production (in Tons) |
in 2022 |
in 2023 |
||
1 |
Chicken |
123.6 million tons |
126.5 million tons |
2 |
Pig |
122.5 million tons |
124.6 million tons |
3 |
Cattle |
69.3 million tons |
69.4 million tons |
4 |
Sheep
(lamb) |
10.2 million Tons |
11.5 million tons |
5 |
Goat |
6.3 million Tons |
7.4 million tons |
6 |
Buffalo |
6.9 million tons |
7.09 million tons |
7 |
Duck |
6 million tons |
7.05 million tons |
9 |
Geese |
4.4 million tons |
5.21 million tons |
8 |
Turkey |
5 million tons |
5.20 million tons |
10 |
Horse |
775 thousand tons |
810 thousand tons |
11 |
Rabbit |
756 thousand tons |
681 thousand tons |
12 |
Camel |
604 thousand tons |
612 thousand tons |
Source:
FAOSTAT, 2025 |
The Histogram Rank of 10 World’s Most Consumed Animal Meat in 2023 and 2022
Brief Description World’s Most Consumed of Animal Meat
1.Chicken Meat
As one of the most slaughtered animals by humans in the world,
chicken is one of the most popular poultry animals among the people of the
world. Nutritionally, chicken meat is a highly nutritious food ingredient that
is easy to obtain / economically affordable, tastes good, and has a soft
texture, so it is widely loved by the world and is commonly used to meet the
need for protein.
Historically, chicken is expected to come from Southwest Asia and has spread across the nations. Commonly, there are some popular breeds of chicken for meat production. Some of the chicken breeds are Cornish Cross, Bresse, Buckeye, Chantecler, Croad Langshan, Delaware, Dorking, Egyptian Fayoumi, Freedom Ranger, Ginger Broiler, Jersey Giant, Kosher King, New Hampshire Red, Orpington, Turken. Statistically, chicken meat still becomes the world’s most consumed meat by humans in 2023.
In 2023, the world’s production of chicken meat reached 126
million tons. Based on the country's producers, the United
States of America (USA), China, Brazil, Russia, India, and Indonesia still
become the biggest country producers of chicken meat in 2023. Most of their
production is to fulfill domestic consumption.
2. Pig Meat / Pork
Historically, pigs were domesticated in Mesopotamia around 13,000
BC and still became one of the most raised animals in the world. Commonly,
there are some popular breeds of pig for meat production. Some of them are
Berkshire, Chester White, Duroc, Hampshire, Landrace, Poland China, Spotted,
and Yorkshire. Pork is one of the livestock products which has popular meat in some
countries especially China, the people of the Americas, Europe, and several
asian countries. Statistically, China still is the world's largest pork's
country producer in 2022 and 2023, followed by the United States.
Nutritionally, pork contains nutrients such as carbohydrates,
protein, vitamins, and minerals, and a lot of thiamin (vitamin B1). These
substances help the digest organ to process carbohydrates and support the work
of the nervous system. In 2023, the production of Pig Meat all over the world reached 124 million tons.
According to the FAO Statistical Corporate
Database (FAOSTAT) in 2023, the countries that have the highest production of Pig meat are China, United States of
America, Germany, Russia, and Brazil.
3.Cattle Meat / Beef
Beef is one of the foodstuffs from cattle that contains nutrients
in the form of water, protein, fat, minerals, and a small number of
carbohydrates. Basically, beef/cattle meat still becomes one of the most
favored meats in the world and many people know with any kind of beef steak that most people in the world know
how delicious steak is made from beef. Besides goat, beef is one of the most
popular types of meat for livestock. Commonly, there are some popular cattle species for beef production.
Specifically, some of the cattle species are Angus, Belted Galloway, Brahman,
Charolais, Dexter, Gelbvieh, Hereford, Holstein, Limousin, Piedmontese, Red
Angus, Scottish Highland, Shorthorn, Simmental, Texas Longhorn, Watusi.
Statistically, beef is a ruminant meat with huge production all over the world by
2022 and 2023.
Furthermore, in 2023, the beef production was around 69.4 million
tons according to FAO Statistical Corporate Database (FAOSTAT). In addition,
some of the countries that have huge production of cattle's meat are the United States of America, Brazil, China, Argentina, and
Australia.
4.Sheep Meat
Lamb comes from sheep which are usually slaughtered when they are
between one month and one year old. In this world, some of of the popular sheep
species, which is raised for meat, namely Suffolk, Cheviot, Charollais,
Katahdin, Icelandic Sheep, Tunis Barbari, Blackbelly, Welsh Mountain Sheep,
Shropshire, Texel, Dorset Horn, Hampshire Down, Rambouillet, Dorper, and Romney.
In 2023, the world’s sheep production
is around 11.5 million tons. Based on these countries, China, India, Australia, New Zealand, Algeria,
Turkiye, and the United Kingdom still become
the biggest producers of sheep meat in 2023.
5.Goat Meat
Goats are widely spread across the world and their meat has become the source of human nutrition since the early times
of human civilization. Commonly, to date, there are some popular of goat breeds
for meat production including Boer goat, Spanish goat, Savanna goat, Myotonic
goat, Kiko Goat, Texmaster goat, Tennessee goat, Kalahari Red, and Pygmy goats.
In addition, in the year of 2023, the world’s goat meat production is still 7.4 million
tons. According to FAO Statistical Corporate Database (FAOSTAT), there are some
countries with huge production of goat meat and becoming the biggest producers
in the world. These countries include China,
India, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Bangladesh.
6. Buffalo Meat
Buffalo also has become one of the most favorable meats. In terms of buffalo meat
production, there are some popular buffalo
breeds, namely Murrah, Surti, Nili Ravi, Kundhi, Mehsana, Bhadawari, Carabao,
Jafarabadi, Azi-kheli. In some areas in Indonesia, such as in Toraja, South
Sulawesi, buffalo became super expensive
animals with high aesthetic value.
Meanwhile in 2023, the buffalo’s meat production reached 7.09
million tons. Based on the country’s regional production in 2022, India, Pakistan, China, Egypt, and
Nepal have huge production of buffalo meat and
still become the biggest country producers of
all nations in the world.
7.Duck Meat
Duck is a type of meat that some people like. Nutritionally, in
every 100-gram duck meat and skin have a few mineral nutrients such as Copper,
Iron, Phosphorus, Potassium, Selenium, and Zinc. In addition to mineral
content, duck meat also contains vitamins such as Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2,
Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, and Vitamin K.
Based on meat productions, there are some popular duck breeds for meat
productions. These species include Pekin duck, Rouen duck, Muscovy duck, Jumbo
Pekin duck, Swedish, Khaki Campbell, Magpie, moulard, and Aylesbury duck. In
Chinese Cuisine, Duck meat was immensely popular in several dishes, namely
Peking duck, Braised duck, Salted duck, Tea-smoked duck, Duck blood and vermicelli
soup.
Furthermore, the world’s production of Duck meat in 2023 achieved
7 million tons. Furthermore,
according to the FAO Statistical Corporate
Database (FAOSTAT), there are some countries with huge productions of duck meat, namely China, France, Taiwan,
Vietnam, and the Republic of Korea.
8. Geese Meat
One of the other popular meats is geese meat. Geese meat is also
in great demand by the world as a source of nutrition. Statistically, according
to FAO Statistical Corporate Database (FAOSTAT), the world’s production of
Geese meat reached 5.21 million tons. In addition, there are some countries
with the biggest production of geese meat. Those countries are China, Egypt,
Myanmar, Madagascar, and Taiwan.
Commonly, there are some popular breeds of goose for meat production. Some of these geese
are Embden goose, Pilgrim, Toulouse goose, African goose, and Chinese goose.
Relating to the culinary, there are some popular cuisines made from geese meat.
These dishes are Gänsebraten, Martinigans, Stegt gås.
9.Turkey Meat
Turkey's meat also becomes one of the most favorable meats and the
biggest consumer of this meat comes from Europe and the United States of
America. Basically, meat from this species is served at Thanksgiving (The United States and Canada) and
Christmas. Based on its species, there are some popular breeds of turkey for
meat production. These are Beltsville Small
White Turkey, Black Spanish Turkey, Bourbon Red Turkey, Broad-Breasted White
Turkey, Bronze Turkey, Midget White Turkey, Royal Palm Turkey, Slate Turkey,
and White Holland Turkey.
The World’s production of turkey’s meat in 2023 reached 5.2
million tons according to FAO Statistical Corporate Database. Statistically,
based on countries' regions, the United States of
America, Brazil, Germany, Poland, Italy, and France still become the biggest country producers of turkey’s meat in 2023.
10. Horse Meat
Horse meat is still one of the world's most favorable meats. Based on various cuisines, there are some popular dishes made from horse meat. These dishes are Qarta, Zhaya, Zhal,
Laħam taż-żiemel, Pastissada de caval, Pezzetti di cavallo, Polpette di
cavallo, and Basashi. In 2023, the world’s production of horse meat reached 810
thousand tons. Based on the country's bases,
there are some countries which have become
the country's biggest producers including Kazakhstan,
China, Mongolia, Mexico, and Russia.
11.Rabbit Meat
Rabbits (Lepus nigricollis)
are a group of animals that are extremely popular because of their cuteness. In
addition to the aesthetic benefits, rabbit meat is delicious, and some people like it with rabbit meat. Based on
its species, there are some popular rabbit breeds for meat production. Some of
them are New Zealand, California, Flemish giant, American Chinchilla rabbit,
Argente, Creme D’Argent, Florida White, Harlequin, Palomino, Satin, and Silver
Fox rabbits. In some countries, there are some cuisines made from rabbit meat,
namely Lapin à la moutarde, Coniglio all’ischitana, Fenkata, Conejo al ajillo.
Statistically, this meat is generally consumed in Europe, the
Americas, and parts of the Middle East. Rabbit meat has fine fibers and
slightly pale color, so rabbit meat can be grouped into white meat groups like
chicken meat. The high content of protein and unsaturated fatty acids make
rabbit meat excellent for maintaining healthy body tissues. Statistically, in
2023, the world's production of rabbit meat reached 681 thousand tons. Some of
the countries with huge productions rabbit’s
meat production include China, North Korea,
Egypt, Russia, and Ukraine.
12. Camel Meat
Camel meat is another meat that has huge production in the Middle East and Africa
regions. Based on the dishes, there are some popular dishes from camel meat.
These are Camel Meat Kabsa, Camel Burger,
Camel Marinade, Camel Meat Karahi, Saba Butt, Machboos, majboos, mishkak,
muthal, and reshmi kebab. In 2023, statistically, the world’s production of
camel’s meat reached 612 thousand tons. Based on the country's bases, there are some countries with huge production including Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia.
Source Article 10 World’s Most Consumed of Animal Meat
FAO Statistical Database. Livestock Primary (Meat Total List).
Accessed via http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QL on April 20th, 2025.