The global consumption of meat has more than doubled since 1990, reaching 324 million metric tons in 2020.
Between 1990 and 2020, the volume of poultry consumed worldwide increased from 34.6 million metric tons to more than 130 million metric tons. By weight, poultry is now the most consumed meat type worldwide. The substantial rise in meat demand has led to increased deforestation and greenhouse emissions worldwide - especially from beef. As of 2021, the global cattle population was more than one billion.
Meat consumption worldwide from 1990 to 2021, by meat type*
(in million tons)
*Meat consumption is measured in million metric tons of carcass weight (except for poultry expressed as ready to cook weight). Carcass weight to retail weight conversion factors are: 0.7 for beef and veal, 0.78 for pig meat, and 0.88 for both sheep meat and poultry meat.
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OECD. (July 30, 2021). Meat consumption worldwide from 1990 to 2021, by meat type* (in million tons) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 16, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/274522/global-per-capita-consumption-of-meat/
OECD. "Meat consumption worldwide from 1990 to 2021, by meat type* (in million tons)." Chart. July 30, 2021. Statista. Accessed May 16, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/274522/global-per-capita-consumption-of-meat/
OECD. (2021). Meat consumption worldwide from 1990 to 2021, by meat type* (in million tons). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: May 16, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/274522/global-per-capita-consumption-of-meat/
OECD. "Meat Consumption Worldwide from 1990 to 2021, by Meat Type* (in Million Tons)." Statista, Statista Inc., 30 Jul 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/274522/global-per-capita-consumption-of-meat/
OECD, Meat consumption worldwide from 1990 to 2021, by meat type* (in million tons) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/274522/global-per-capita-consumption-of-meat/ (last visited May 16, 2022)
