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Mapped: Countries That Eat the Most Meat Per Capita
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Key Takeaways
- The Kingdom of Tonga, a remote island nation located east of Australia, is the world’s leading meat eater.
- Other meat-loving countries include Mongolia (primarily goat and lamb), the U.S. (mostly chicken and beef), and Israel (also heavily chicken and beef).
Meats are some of the world’s most popular sources of protein, though regional appetites are often shaped by differences in wealth, culture, and local agriculture.
In this graphic, we visualize the countries that eat the most meat at a per capita level based on data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO).
Data & Discussion
The data for this visualization comes from the UN FAO, accessed via World Population Review. It measures the annual amount of meat consumed per person, in kilograms, across countries worldwide in 2022.
| Rank | Country | Meat Consumption per capita (kg) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tonga | 148 |
| 2 | Mongolia | 132 |
| 3 | St. Vincent and the Grenadines | 124 |
| 4 | Hong Kong SAR | 123 |
| 5 | United States | 123 |
| 6 | Marshall Islands | 118 |
| 7 | Argentina | 113 |
| 8 | Israel | 113 |
| 9 | Macau | 113 |
| 10 | Australia | 112 |
| 11 | Bahamas | 108 |
| 12 | Nauru | 108 |
| 13 | Samoa | 105 |
| 14 | Spain | 105 |
| 15 | Brazil | 98.8 |
| 16 | Portugal | 98.4 |
| 17 | French Polynesia | 96.2 |
| 18 | Belarus | 94.5 |
| 19 | Croatia | 94.2 |
| 20 | Iceland | 93.4 |
| 21 | Antigua and Barbuda | 92.9 |
| 22 | Chile | 92.1 |
| 23 | Saint Lucia | 91.8 |
| 24 | Canada | 91.0 |
| 25 | Ireland | 90.7 |
| 26 | Saint Kitts and Nevis |
89.7 |
| 27 | Barbados | 88.9 |
| 28 | Qatar | 88.8 |
| 29 | Taiwan | 88.5 |
| 30 | Montenegro | 88.4 |
| 31 | Bahrain | 88.1 |
| 32 | New Zealand | 86.6 |
| 33 | Luxembourg | 86.1 |
| 34 | France | 84.6 |
| 35 | United Kingdom | 84.1 |
| 36 | Latvia | 83.7 |
| 37 | South Korea | 83.4 |
| 38 | United Arab Emirates |
83.2 |
| 39 | New Caledonia | 82.5 |
| 40 | Kuwait | 82.4 |
| 41 | Russia | 81.7 |
| 42 | Poland | 81.6 |
| 43 | Lithuania | 81.4 |
| 44 | Bolivia | 79.8 |
| 45 | Dominica | 79.4 |
| 46 | Greece | 78.9 |
| 47 | Panama | 78.7 |
| 48 | Austria | 78.0 |
| 49 | Grenada | 77.6 |
| 50 | Guyana | 77.5 |
| 51 | Mexico | 77.5 |
| 52 | Seychelles | 76.7 |
| 53 | Hungary | 76.6 |
| 54 | Cyprus | 76.3 |
| 55 | Serbia | 74.6 |
| 56 | Italy | 73.6 |
| 57 | Norway | 72.2 |
| 58 | Finland | 71.6 |
| 59 | Germany | 71.3 |
| 60 | Malaysia | 70.8 |
| 61 | China | 70.6 |
| 62 | Kazakhstan | 70.2 |
| 63 | Estonia | 68.9 |
| 64 | Tuvalu | 68.2 |
| 65 | Sweden | 68.1 |
| 66 | Romania | 67.9 |
| 67 | Denmark | 67.0 |
| 68 | Switzerland | 66.7 |
| 69 | Gabon | 65.4 |
| 70 | Malta | 65.4 |
| 71 | South Africa | 65.2 |
| 72 | Netherlands | 65.1 |
| 73 | Jamaica | 64.9 |
| 74 | Belgium | 64.5 |
| 75 | Uruguay | 63.8 |
| 76 | Colombia | 62.9 |
| 77 | Trinidad and Tobago |
62.6 |
| 78 | Micronesia | 62.4 |
| 79 | Bulgaria | 60.8 |
| 80 | Cuba | 60.6 |
| 81 | Slovakia | 60.6 |
| 82 | Slovenia | 60.4 |
| 83 | Japan | 60.4 |
| 84 | Costa Rica | 60.3 |
| 85 | Mauritius | 60.1 |
| 86 | Armenia | 59.5 |
| 87 | Turkmenistan | 59.0 |
| 88 | Suriname | 58.9 |
| 89 | Papua New Guinea | 58.8 |
| 90 | Saudi Arabia | 58.5 |
| 91 | Dominican Republic | 57.8 |
| 92 | Zimbabwe | 56.6 |
| 93 | Peru | 54.3 |
| 94 | Vietnam | 53.6 |
| 95 | Ecuador | 53.3 |
| 96 | Albania | 53.2 |
| 97 | Belize | 52.0 |
| 98 | Fiji | 51.9 |
| 99 | Republic of the Congo |
49.1 |
| 100 | Chad | 48.9 |
| 101 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 48.9 |
| 102 | Ukraine | 48.0 |
| 103 | Turkey | 46.8 |
| 104 | Guatemala | 46.0 |
| 105 | Libya | 45.5 |
| 106 | Oman | 44.9 |
| 107 | El Salvador | 42.9 |
| 108 | Kiribati | 42.9 |
| 109 | Uzbekistan | 42.4 |
| 110 | North Macedonia | 42.3 |
| 111 | Azerbaijan | 40.5 |
| 112 | Lebanon | 40.3 |
| 113 | Georgia | 40.2 |
| 114 | Honduras | 39.5 |
| 115 | Maldives | 38.9 |
| 116 | Moldova | 38.8 |
| 117 | Cape Verde | 38.8 |
| 118 | Kyrgyzstan | 38.2 |
| 119 | Jordan | 37.9 |
| 120 | Venezuela | 36.9 |
| 121 | Tajikistan | 35.9 |
| 122 | Central African Republic | 35.7 |
| 123 | Vanuatu | 35.3 |
| 124 | Philippines | 35.1 |
| 125 | Mauritania | 33.7 |
| 126 | Nicaragua | 32.5 |
| 127 | Egypt | 32.4 |
| 128 | Paraguay | 32.2 |
| 129 | Iran | 31.9 |
| 130 | Morocco | 31.5 |
| 131 | Malawi | 30.8 |
| 132 | Tunisia | 30.2 |
| 133 | Laos | 30.0 |
| 134 | Timor-Leste | 29.8 |
| 135 | Comoros | 29.3 |
| 136 | Botswana | 29.3 |
| 137 | Namibia | 27.9 |
| 138 | Eswatini | 26.1 |
| 139 | Thailand | 25.9 |
| 140 | Burkina Faso | 24.9 |
| 141 | Gambia | 23.3 |
| 142 | Angola | 23.3 |
| 143 | Iraq | 22.0 |
| 144 | South Sudan | 21.7 |
| 145 | Sao Tome and Principe | 21.3 |
| 146 | Senegal | 21.1 |
| 147 | Pakistan | 21.1 |
| 148 | Liberia | 20.4 |
| 149 | Myanmar | 20.1 |
| 150 | Haiti | 19.7 |
| 151 | Sudan | 19.4 |
| 152 | Indonesia | 19.2 |
| 153 | Zambia | 18.1 |
| 154 | Algeria | 18.1 |
| 155 | Benin | 17.8 |
| 156 | Ghana | 17.7 |
| 157 | Nepal | 16.8 |
| 158 | Syria | 16.6 |
| 159 | Solomon Islands | 16.1 |
| 160 | Yemen | 16.0 |
| 161 | Bhutan | 15.7 |
| 162 | Cameroon | 15.0 |
| 163 | Djibouti | 14.7 |
| 164 | Guinea-Bissau | 13.7 |
| 165 | Guinea | 12.9 |
| 166 | Cambodia | 12.4 |
| 167 | Sri Lanka | 11.9 |
| 168 | Tanzania | 11.8 |
| 169 | Somalia | 11.3 |
| 170 | Ivory Coast | 11.2 |
| 171 | Lesotho | 11.2 |
| 172 | Mozambique | 11.1 |
| 173 | Kenya | 10.9 |
| 174 | Togo | 10.7 |
| 175 | Uganda | 9.6 |
| 176 | Sierra Leone | 9.5 |
| 177 | Mali | 7.7 |
| 178 | Nigeria | 7.6 |
| 179 | Niger | 7.6 |
| 180 | Afghanistan | 6.8 |
| 181 | India | 6.6 |
| 182 | Ethiopia | 6.6 |
| 183 | Rwanda | 6.2 |
| 184 | Madagascar | 5.5 |
| 185 | Bangladesh | 4.4 |
| 186 | DR Congo | 4.0 |
| 187 | Burundi | 3.7 |
Top 5 Beef Eaters
The top five beef eaters are Argentina (46 kg/person), Zimbabwe (44.4), the U.S. (38), Israel (36.1), and Brazil (34.6).
Argentina leads thanks to its long-standing asado culture (traditional Argentinian barbeque), where beef is both a national tradition and a staple of everyday meals. Close behind is Zimbabwe, where beef plays a large part in the national diet, making the country an outlier in the massive Africa region.
Top 5 Pork Eaters
The top five pork eaters are Croatia (57.4 kg/person), Spain (56.5), Montenegro (53.5), Hong Kong (52.6), and Poland (51.6).
At the top are Croatia and Spain, where pork features prominently in everything from cured meats to regional stews. Montenegro and Hong Kong also rank highly, each with strong cultural preferences for pork across everyday meals.
In Montenegrin cuisine, one of the most well-known specialties is Njeguški pršut, a dry-cured ham similar to Italian prosciutto.
Top 5 Chicken Eaters
The top five chicken eaters are Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (94.1kg/person), Tonga (90.6), Marshall Islands (74.8), Samoa (74.8), and Israel (70.8).
All of these countries, with the exception of Israel, are island nations. Chicken is an affordable, accessible protein source that is easier to raise in places with limited land.
Top 5 Goat & Lamb Eaters
The top five goat and lamb eaters are Mongolia (68.5 kg/person), Bahrain (23.4), New Caledonia (21.9), Turkmenistan (20.3), and Chad (19.0).
Mongolia eats the most goat and lamb by a wide margin, reflecting its pastoral lifestyle. The country’s landscape is harsh and infertile, making crops difficult to grow. The fat of the animal is also vital for survival in the cold.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
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