Millions of people throughout the world consume meat products as part of their daily diet, whether it’s fast food or as a healthy lifestyle choice. The following meat industry statistics show how the sale and production of meat is, in fact, a growing industry.
In the following article, you will find general stats and facts about the meat industry in the United States and worldwide. You’ll gain information on how meat is produced and how many people are employed by this industry globally and locally. You’ll also be given some information on its effects on the environment.
The Top 10 Meat Industry Facts and Stats
- It takes 2.5 lbs of grain to produce 1 lb of beef.
- COVID-19 infections were more prevalent in meatpacking-dependent counties in the US.
- The global meat industry is worth more than $2 trillion.
- The plant-based meat industry is now a $20 billion niche.
- China was the world’s top meat producer in 2019.
- The U.S. meat industry directly employs more than 500,000 people.
- 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from meat and dairy production.
- Approximately 8 million adults in the U.S. do not eat meat.
- Global per capita meat consumption was projected to decline by 3% in 2020.
- Global meat consumption to jump 1.4% yearly through 2023.
General Meat Industry Stats and Facts
These facts and stats will show you interesting information about the industry that produces and sells meat, both in the United States and worldwide. It’s essential information based on data gathered from reliable sources.
1. In 2016, the global value of processed meat was around $714 billion.
(Statista)
It is estimated that, by 2022, the value of processed meat worldwide will be around $1.5 trillion.
2. Out of all processed meat, chicken is the most popular worldwide, according to meat production statistics.
(Statista)
Poultry has a 38% share of the global processed meat market, while beef has a 33% share of the same market.
3. It takes 2.5 lbs of grain to produce 1 lb of beef.
(American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture)
Before, it was believed it took 16 lbs of grain to produce 1 lb of beef due to a misinterpretation of information from the USDA. Meat industry facts from 2020 provide differing numbers and claim that beef production takes much less grain.
This is because a calf lives almost exclusively on mother’s milk for the first six to eight months. Furthermore, 50–70% of beef feed comprises forage and food humans don’t consume.
4. Asia produces the majority of meat in the world.
(Statista)
In 2016, Asia was responsible for meat amounting to 140 million metric tons. This consisted of mostly pork and poultry, as they were the most popular. It would appear that sheep meat is the least popular.
5. COVID-19 infections were more prevalent in meatpacking-dependent counties in the U.S.
(Investigate Midwest, USDA)
The meatpacking industry ran into problems (meatpacking-dependent counties in particular) after the pandemic outbreak.
COVID-19 hit the counties in which the meatpacking industry is the main employer the hardest. Statistics show there were 10 times more COVID-19 cases in meatpacking-dependent counties than in other areas in the U.S.
6. Meat and poultry production make the majority of agriculture in the United States.
(North American Meat Institute)
In 2017 alone, the country produced 52 billion pounds of meat and 48 billion pounds of poultry.
7. When it comes to global meat consumption in 2018, around 26,767 billion pounds of beef was consumed by the United States as a country.
(NCBA)
Overall, around 57.2 pounds of beef were consumed per capita in the United States in that year.
8. Inhumane treatment of animals in U.S. factory farms persists.
(The Humane League)
Animal abuse in the meat industry is still a reason for concern. This is particularly true of factory farms, where most animal products in the U.S. (pork, beef, chicken, even salmon) come from.
These factories aim to produce large quantities of meat at as low a cost as possible. Therefore, they resort to various cost-saving techniques to achieve this goal, investing minimal resources in keeping animals alive and healthy.
Unfortunately, these techniques often resorted to throughout the meatpacking industry history can get very cruel, as they entail treating animals like production machines, preventing them from engaging in natural behaviors, and keeping them in extreme confinement.
What’s more, animals on factory farms often get maimed or operated on without an anesthetic and get forcibly impregnated.
9. In 2017, the export of meat from the United States was valued at $7.27 billion.
(North American Meat Institute)
Poultry exports in that same year were valued at $4.5 billion.
10. The United States produces the most beef out of all countries in the world, according to meat production stats.
(Beef2Live)
The country produces 20% of all beef produced globally. Brazil produces the second-largest amount at 15%, and the European Union produces around 13% of the global beef supply.
11. Industrial meat production may present a threat to human health.
(MarketWatch)
One of the gravest problems in the world concerning meat production is the transmission of zoonotic diseases.
This is because large numbers of animals usually live in small confined spaces ideal for the spread of various diseases such as bird or animal flu, which are subsequently transmitted to humans.
According to statistics and meat industry facts from 2020, over 25% of infectious diseases and over 50% of zoonotic diseases are attributable to agricultural factors.
12. The top producer of beef in the United States is Tyson Foods.
(Motley Fool)
The other three companies that contribute to the majority of beef production in the country are Cargill, JBS USA, and National Beef. These are just some of the many different meat companies that operate within the United States.
Meat Industry Facts and Statistics
If you want to know more information on meat production throughout the world and locally in the United States, this is the section you’re looking for. Here, you will be given some interesting data on meat production, including beef, poultry, pork, and others.
13. Globally, around 80 billion animals are slaughtered for the production of meat.
(Our World in Data)
This includes beef, poultry, pork, and sheep. The meat is then exported from various countries worldwide, and the trade contributes significantly to varying economies. This is a supply and demand scenario where the meat is produced to meet the growing needs of the world, meat consumption statistics reveal.
14. Millions of dollars are spent on the dairy and meat industry lobbying against climate change actions.
(Inside Climate News)
Research shows that U.S. dairy and meat companies spent a whopping $2.5 billion lobbying to sow doubt about the connection between climate change and animal agriculture between 2000 and 2019.
Additionally, meat industry facts for 2020 reveal they also spent $750 million on national political candidates between 2000 and 2020.
15. In 1961, the production of cattle worldwide was around 28 million tonnes per year.
(Our World in Data)
In 2014, cattle production amounted to around 68 million tonnes. That’s a massive increase in the production of cattle meat in just over five decades.
16. The global meat industry is worth more than $2 trillion.
(IDTechEx)
The U.S. alone produced about 100 billion lbs of meat.
17. Texas produces the most beef out of all the states in the US.
(Beef2Live)
After Texas, the two states that produce almost as much beef are Nebraska and Kansas. Texas has always been a state that makes a lot of beef, especially if you look at the history of meat consumption in America and where the meat comes from.
18. Meat companies in the United States produce around 25.8 billion pounds of beef every year.
(NBC News)
In addition to beef, the country produces pork (23.2 billion pounds), chicken (38.4 billion pounds), turkey (5.8 billion pounds), as well as lamb, veal, and mutton (286 million pounds).
19. The plant-based meat industry is now a $20 billion niche.
(CNBC)
Global meat consumption statistics indicate that consumers are becoming increasingly interested in plant-based meat products. This became apparent in 2019 when global Google searches for “plant-based meat” hit record-high figures.
The main reasons for transition include concerns for animal welfare, meat security in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, etc.
Experts believe this trend is likely to continue and predict that the meat substitute industry will reach $23.2 billion in revenue by 2024.
20. America’s meatpacking facilities operated more than 95% of capacity in 2020 compared to 2019.
(USDA)
The U.S. meatpacking facilities shut down in large numbers during the pandemic’s peak, causing a shortage of meat protein on the market.
The 2020 reopening led the U.S. meat-packing industry to work at full capacity.
21. In 2014, around one-quarter of the pork produced in the United States was exported.
(NBC News)
The US produced around 24 billion pounds of the meat, and 60% was made into sausage, bacon, and similar products.
22. China was the world’s top meat producer in 2019.
(WorldAtlas)
Producing 88,156,383 tons of meat products in 2019 ranked China at the very top of the world meat production list.
Europe (63,845,936 tons) and the U.S. (46,832,946 tons) followed China as the largest meat producers in the world.
Meat Industry Employment Statistics
The meat production industry employs millions of people worldwide to work in the agricultural sector and in the packing and sale of meat products. This industry greatly contributes to many different economies around the world.
23. The U.S. meat industry directly employs more than 500,000 people.
(The Market Works)
The American meat industry indirectly generates at least two million additional working opportunities in the packaging, processing, and transportation sectors.
Retail, foodservice, and cold meat industry sectors shouldn’t be left out from the list of jobs created by this industry either.
24. $1.02 trillion was the total economic output of the US meat and poultry industry in 2016.
(North American Meat Institute)
This made up around 5.6% of the gross domestic product in that year in the United States.
25. In 2017, employees who worked in meatpacking and processing plants earned around $14.98 hourly, as well as benefits.
(North American Meat Institute)
Those working with poultry earned around $13.58 hourly. This information on meat industry jobs is from 2017. The employees were also working for benefits as well as an hourly wage.
26. The US meat and poultry industry provides around 5.4 million jobs.
(North American Meat Institute)
That amounts to around $257 billion spent in wages to employees of the businesses in the industry.
27. Globally, animal agriculture and farming employ around 26% of the world’s workers.
(The Guardian)
While we’re no longer living in a world that relies on farming more than any other industry, agriculture is still a big part of the global economy.
Meat Industry Environmental Impact
In 2020, we cannot afford to sit back and not think about the environment. Meat production affects the environment, primarily through modern factory farming methods. We must know how meat production affects the environment to enable us to develop solutions that better the state of the earth.
28. Agricultural animals in the U.S. produce more excrement than the entire U.S. population.
(PETA)
Animal factory farms produce 500 million tons of manure annually. This is one form of meat industry pollution of the environment.
Due to the lack of animal sewage processing facilities, manure is usually sprayed over fields or stored in waste lagoons. Runoff from factory farms (as well as viruses and bacteria from excrement) often ends up in lakes or rivers, contaminating them.
What’s more, factory farms often try to evade water pollution limits by spraying liquidized manure into the air. Because of this, nearby residents are exposed to all the pathogens and toxins from the manure via inhalation.
29. It takes around 4,000 gallons of water to make 2 pounds of beef.
(The Guardian)
For chicken, around 1,100 gallons of water are used to create two pounds of poultry. And it takes 1,600 gallons of water to make two pounds of pork. This is a clear example of the relationship between the meat industry and climate change.
30. 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from meat and dairy production.
(CarbonBrief)
Cows, sheep, and other four-stomached agricultural animals favored in the American meat industry are the number one greenhouse gas producers.
Ruminants such as cows and sheep have specialized bacteria in their stomach that allow them to break down tough and fibrous material like grass. Throughout digestion, the animals belch out methane, a 28–34 times stronger greenhouse gas than CO2 over a 100-year time frame.
The effect of the meat industry on global warming is more than apparent. Statistics show that to keep global warming under 2 °C, the world must change its dietary habits and divert from animal products to plant-based alternatives.
31. Various types of water pollution arise from animal agriculture and factory farming methods.
(The Guardian)
These include nutrient pollution, sediment, pesticides, pathogens, emerging pollutants, and organic matter pollution. These various types of pollution significantly affect water quality, making it unhealthy and, ultimately, toxic.
32. The Midwest could lose its native prairies and grasslands because of the meat industry.
(Clean Water Action)
It’s no news that the meat industry affects the environment significantly in many ways. Animals like cows grow slowly and consume a lot of feed.
Providing the feed usually requires plowing millions of acres of land and planting monoculture crops. This large-scale land cultivation causes deforestation in South America and the loss of grasslands in the Midwest.
33. Globally, livestock creates 13 billion tons of waste matter every year.
(The World Counts)
This is one of the many meat industry problems that we are faced with. What to do with this waste is a huge environmental issue, and there are no solid solutions that are beneficial to the environment as a whole.
34. Gases emitted from cattle make up 18% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the world.
(The World Counts)
This is a large number of greenhouse gases simply from raising livestock. In fact, this 18% is larger than the number of emissions that come from transport. It cannot be ignored that this is a huge environmental problem that needs to be addressed in the coming years.
Meat Consumption Statistics
If you want to know how much meat is consumed, who is consuming it, and where it is being consumed, you will soon have your answers. Here, you will find a selection of facts and statistics that show trends in the worldwide consumption of meat.
35. Approximately 8 million adults in the U.S. don’t eat meat.
(LIVESTRONG.com)
Recent vegan vs. meat-eater statistics prove that the number of people opting to eliminate meat from their diet is growing.
The main reasons for boycotting the meat processing industry include:
- Compassion towards animals
- Eating less expensively
- Health reasons
- Avoiding additives and antibiotics found in meat
- Disliking the taste of meat
- Reducing the environmental impact
- Religious reasons
- Body fitness goals
- Reducing cholesterol and fat levels
36. American meat consumption statistics show that an average American man consumes 4.8 oz of meat a day.
(North American Meat Institute)
Female Americans consume slightly lower amounts of meat—3.13 oz a day.
According to the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, one should eat 5.7 oz of meat a day to maintain a healthy and balanced diet.
This is because lean meat contains many vital nutrients such as protein, essential amino acids, iron, zinc, selenium, niacin, magnesium, B-complex vitamins, etc.
37. Americans ate 65.2 lbs of chicken per capita in 2018.
(USDA, Vox)
Despite traditionally being more popular throughout the American meat industry history, beef was left in second place with 54.6 lbs per capita in 2018.
Meat industry statistics for 2021 testify that the trend persists, revealing that Americans ate a whopping 1.4 billion chicken wings in February 2021 alone, during Super Bowl season.
38. In 2016, 115 million tons of poultry were consumed throughout the world.
(Statista)
In that same year, 115 million tons of pork and 66 million tons of beef and veal were consumed globally.
39. Global beef consumption was at 63 million tons in 2010, and by 2017, it was at 67 million tons, according to meat industry statistics.
(Statista)
It is estimated that by 2021, the world will be consuming around 72 million tons of beef.
40. In 2016, the country that consumed the most beef was Uruguay.
(Beef2Live)
Argentina consumed the second-largest amount of beef, and Hong Kong came in third for most beef consumed. All three of these countries consumed more than 100 pounds of beef per capita.
41. Global meat consumption per capita was projected to decline by 3% in 2020.
(True Animal Protein Price Coalition)
That was the most drastic estimated decline in the global meat processing industry since 2000.
Factors causing a change in meat consumption are the changing attitudes of the population and overall wealth. According to the global meat consumption statistics, another likely reason is the pandemic outbreak that recently affected the primary income of many.
42. In 2017, Israel was the country that consumed the most poultry per capita than any other country.
(Helgi Library)
The United States was the country that consumed the second-largest amount of poultry per capita.
43. Global meat consumption is predicted to increase by 1.4% a year throughout 2023.
(IFT)
Despite the increasing interest in alternative protein sources, reports indicate that meat consumption won’t decline. Consequently, world meat production will continue expanding to cater to the increased global demand.
The Middle East and Africa are expected to record the fastest growth due to rising income levels and living standards. On the other hand, the U.S. should register an increase lower than 1% in the forecast period.
FAQs
How much is the meat industry worth?
(North American Meat Institute)
If you look at beef industry statistics, the United States exports a lot of meat to other countries worldwide. In 2017, the US exported beef and beef-style meat to the value of $7.27 billion. The meat industry in the USA is vast, and meat production contributes significantly to the economy.
In addition to beef, other US meats that were exported included pork and poultry. Pork to the value of $6.49 billion was exported in 2017. In that same year, poultry, to the value of $4.5 billion, was exported from the US.
How much is the meat industry worth globally?
(Statista)
The global meat industry is currently worth more than $2 trillion. In 2018, the global meat sector held a value of $945.7 billion. If you look at US beef consumption alone, this number will start to make sense as the beef industry is enormous and makes only a portion of the overall industry.
The amount of meat consumed by country throughout the world is quite large, and meat sales contribute significantly to various economies worldwide. The beef cattle industry alone is worth billions.
It is estimated that the global meat sector will be worth around $1142.9 billion by the year 2023. This shows how valuable it is to be an international meat company in the world right now.
How much money does the meat industry make?
(IDTechEx)
Meat is a huge global business worth over $2 billion that earns companies millions in annual revenue.
JBS, the largest meat company in the world, generates over $50 million in annual revenue.
Is the meat industry growing?
(Our World in Data)
The worldwide industry of meat is growing and continues to grow. The amount of meat consumed throughout the world has increased by four times in the past five decades. Currently, the world produces an excess of 320 million tons of meat every year, which is thought to be a growing number.
The beef and cattle industry, as well as the other meat industries, continue to grow as the earth’s population increases. Around 80 billion animals are killed for food every single year. Despite a global movement emerging that supports a plant-based diet, the production and sale of meat continue to rise.
Conclusion
The meat industry statistics show that the production and sale of meat worldwide are not slowing down. While many people are moving towards a plant-based diet, the industry is still thriving throughout the world. However, we can’t ignore that factory farming practices affect the environment, and the world needs to take notice and create environmentally friendly solutions.
Sources:
- CNBC
- Beef2Live
- Beef2Live
- Beef2Live
- Helgi Library
- IDTechEx
- IFT
- Inside Climate News
- Investigate Midwest
- LIVESTRONG.com
- MarketWatch
- Motley Fool
- NBC News
- NCBA
- North American Meat Institute
- Our World in Data
- PETA
- Statista
- Statista
- Statista
- The Guardian
- The Humane League
- The Market Works
- The World Counts
- True Animal Protein Price Coalition
- USDA
- USDA
- USDA
- Vox
- WorldAtlas
