Beef, pork, chicken, lamb and, yes, venison. Who eats the most? Let’s get into the real numbers on this question. I know I can’t be the only one who is always “running the numbers.” I did some digging last week, and here’s what I found:
First off, the numbers you’re about to consume, pardon the pun, are as legit. My source on domestic meat consumption is the 2022 Annual Report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. The venison figures come from our Deer Hunters’ 2023 Almanac®, a publication that has meticulously tracked North America’s whitetail harvest information since 1992.
Here are those facts:
Who Eats the Most Beef?
#1: ARGENTINA
87.96 pounds per person, annually.
Human population: 46 Million
Total beef consumption: 4+ billion pounds
Cattle consumed: 6.3 million annually.
Who Eats the Most Pork?
#1: China
78.26 pounds per person, annually.
Human population: 1.4 billion
Total pork consumption: 109 billion pounds, annually.
Hogs consumed: 757 million, annually.
Who Eats the Most Chicken?
#1: Israel
143.08 pounds per person, annually.
Human population: 9 billion
Total chicken consumption: 1.2+ billion pounds, annually.
Chickens consumed: 210 million, annually.
Who Eats the Most Lamb?
#1: Kazakhstan
18.73 pounds per person, annually.
Human population: 19.4 million.
Total sheep consumption: 363+ million pounds, annually.
Hogs consumed: 757 million, annually.
Who Eats the Most (wild) Venison?
#1: United States
28.6 pounds per person, annually.
Deer hunters: 11 million (of course, others eat it, too)
Total wild venison consumption: 315 million pounds, annually.
Wild deer consumed: 7 million, annually.
Final Thoughts on World Meat Consumption
Globally, humans consume more than 50 billion chickens, 2 billion hogs, 635 million turkeys, 630 million rabbits, 600 million sheep, 500 million goats, and 325 million cows, 12 million red deer, 9 million white-tailed deer, annually.
Sources: 2022 United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization. Deer Hunters’ 2023 Almanac®.
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