Which Countries Eat the Most Meat in 2024?

United States

Many western nations have an extremely elevated level of meat consumption. US meat consumption in 2018 was the highest it has been in decades. Americans eat a staggering amount of poultry, pork, and beef. 20KG of beef is consumed per person, per year. Pork comes in second at around 55KG a year, and poultry tops the highest consumption per year at 100kg. There is a common misconception that western values are shifting towards veganism and new-age diets, as western nations are the main contributors to ranching and meat eating throughout the world.

Meat isn't all that terrible. Although it is a more inefficient method of farming, meat consumption can increase health benefits within the body. This may be a reason why more underdeveloped areas have poor nutrition, other than the fact that poverty is rampant. Farming animals is a much more intensive and costly endeavor. Red meat consumption contains creatine and amino acids that help in the creation of muscles and tissues.

However, over-consumption can lead to an increased risk of heart and stroke disease.

Brazil

It is interesting to note that a country's economic power is positively correlated with its meat consumption. Brazil has enjoyed a drastic increase in its economic power in the last two decades and has increased from nearly 25kg of meat per person in 1961 to about 98kg in 2013. This does not seem to be related to increased agricultural farming, but can be interpreted otherwise. The well-being of a country may be closely related to its purchase of luxury goods, in which meat can also be considered. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, ranching and meat importation can be very costly, as it is extremely difficult to preserve for long trips, and is extremely inefficient to grow.

Furthermore, emissions from meat-producing areas negatively impact the environment - especially with cows. Cows are notoriously difficult to raise and require much more grazing space, water, power, and attention than their counterparts. Poultry seems to be the easiest and most beneficial animal to raise in terms of emissions and care.

Canada

Unsurprisingly, Canada is also high on the list, but surprisingly lower than Brazil. In 2003, Canadians consumed around 80kg of meat per person, which is lower than households consumed in the late 70s and the early 2000s. Canada has stayed relatively consistent, but they are still one of the largest meat-eaters in the world. This can be attributed to its short history, where Canada is only just over 150 years old. They are considered a former commonwealth nation and still recognize the UK royal family as the head of parliament.

The UK has slightly lower annual consumption than Canada but remains just as consistent as its former colonial power. Canada's chief trading partner is also the United States, and almost 80% of the population is situated within a 2-hour drive of the US border. This has greatly influenced the diet in Canada, which also has a robust economy.