Global production of meat 2016-2024, by type
In 2024, the world's production of poultry is projected to amount to approximately 138.75 million metric tons, up from about 115 million metric tons in 2016. During this time period, poultry has overtaken pork as the most produced type of meat worldwide.
Chicken production worldwide
The number of chickens worldwide has increased significantly over the last decades, reaching approximately 25.9 billion chickens globally, up from nearly 11 billion in 1990. Chicken farming could be done for the purpose of producing eggs or for the sole purpose of meat, the latter being called broiler chicken. In 2023, the United States was the leading global producer of broiler chicken, with more than 21 million metric tons of broiler meat produced. Brazil, China, and the European Union were also on top of the list of chicken meat producing countries in that year. As for egg laying hens, China was by far the leading egg producing country in the world, generating an output of some 586.3 billion eggs in 2021.
Leading meat-producing companies worldwide
As of March 2023, Hormel was the leading meat producer worldwide with a market capitalization of 21.4 billion U.S. dollars. Tyson Foods was the second leading meat producer. Tyson is an American company based in Springdale, Arkansas that specializes in the processing of chicken, beef and pork. In 2021, Tyson Foods generated revenues exceeding 43 billion U.S. dollars.
