Global meat consumption is increasing. Total production across beef, chicken, and pork exceeded 280 million metric tons in the 2024-2025 period, and all three categories have grown over the past decade. But the story is more nuanced than a single trend line. The world is eating more meat overall, yet where that growth is happening, which types of meat are rising or falling, and what’s driving the shifts vary dramatically by region and income level.
The Global Picture: Still Growing
USDA data shows that global chicken production has grown at a compound average rate of 1% per year from 2015 to 2024, reaching about 104 million metric tons. Beef production has grown at 0.73% annually over the same period, hitting nearly 62 million metric tons. Pork, the world’s most produced meat at over 116 million metric tons, has grown more slowly at 0.37% per year and essentially flatlined in the most recent year.
The OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook through 2034 projects this growth will continue, driven primarily by population increases and rising incomes in developing countries. The fastest consumption growth is expected in Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and the United States, alongside the massive markets of China and India.
Rich Countries Are Plateauing
The growth story looks very different when you split the world by income. High-income countries accounted for 35% of global meat consumption in 2024 despite having only 17% of the world’s population. But per capita consumption in these countries is slowing or stagnating. In Canada and the European Union, total meat eaten per person is projected to stay essentially flat over the next decade, with people swapping beef for cheaper poultry rather than eating more meat overall.
Research analyzing 35 countries from 2000 to 2019 found a tipping point: once a country’s GDP per capita crosses roughly $40,000, further economic growth no longer translates into people eating more meat. Below that threshold, rising incomes reliably push meat consumption upward. Above it, the link breaks. This helps explain why wealthy Western nations have largely stopped increasing their intake while middle-income countries in Asia and Latin America are still climbing.
Africa and Asia Are Driving Growth
Africa’s population is projected to grow from 1.5 billion to 1.8 billion over the next decade. That demographic surge alone is expected to drive a 33% increase in the continent’s total meat consumption. Asia tells a similar story. Rising incomes across China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Vietnam have fueled most of the global increase in poultry consumption over the past decade, and that trend is expected to continue.
Beef consumption patterns split along regional lines too. Europe, North America, and Oceania, which historically ate the most beef per person, are projected to see the most significant declines. Meanwhile, the Middle East and Asia are expected to increase their per capita beef intake by roughly 0.6 kilograms per year through 2034.
Chicken Is Winning, Beef Is Losing Share
The clearest shift within the meat category is the steady rise of poultry at the expense of red meat. In the EU and Canada, consumers are actively substituting chicken for beef, pork, and lamb. This isn’t because people are eating less meat. They’re eating roughly the same amount but choosing the cheaper, leaner option. Chicken is less expensive to produce, carries fewer environmental concerns, and faces fewer of the health warnings associated with red and processed meat.
Globally, chicken production grew at nearly three times the rate of pork over the past decade. Beef grew faster than pork but still trails poultry. The pattern holds across both wealthy and developing nations, making chicken the dominant growth category worldwide.
Why Some People Are Cutting Back
Even as total consumption rises, a significant number of individuals in Western countries are actively reducing how much meat they eat. Survey data from Germany offers a window into the motivations. Among people who have reduced their meat intake, 87% cite health reasons, 78% mention climate and environmental protection, and 69% point to animal welfare. Younger people and women are more likely to be motivated by climate concerns, while older adults tend to focus on health.
The health case has grown harder to ignore. Red and processed meat consumption has been linked to cardiovascular disease, several cancers, and type 2 diabetes. Livestock farming accounts for an estimated 14.5% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, and the industry’s heavy antibiotic use contributes to the spread of resistant bacteria. These concerns are reshaping attitudes, especially in Europe, even if they haven’t yet bent the global consumption curve downward.
Plant-Based Alternatives Haven’t Changed the Math
Despite years of hype, plant-based meat substitutes remain a tiny fraction of the overall meat market. The sector has grown into a roughly $30 billion global industry and has expanded beyond its original vegan customer base. In the US, studies show 96% of people who buy plant-based options also buy conventional meat, suggesting these products serve as occasional supplements rather than replacements.
The traditional meat industry still benefits from deeply established supply chains, lower prices, and strong consumer loyalty. Plant-based products face persistent challenges around taste, texture, and premium pricing that have limited their ability to meaningfully displace conventional meat at a global scale. For now, the growth in alternative proteins is adding to the overall protein market rather than subtracting from meat’s share in any significant way.
The Two-Track Future
The global meat trend is best understood as two stories running in parallel. In wealthy nations, per capita consumption has largely peaked and is slowly shifting toward poultry and away from red meat. Health awareness, environmental concerns, and rising beef prices are all applying downward pressure. But total consumption in these countries isn’t dropping dramatically because population growth and strong baseline demand keep the numbers relatively stable.
In the developing world, rising incomes and rapid population growth are pushing meat consumption sharply upward, more than offsetting any declines elsewhere. The net result is that global meat production and consumption continue to climb, and every major agricultural forecast projects that trajectory to hold through at least the mid-2030s. The world is not approaching “peak meat” anytime soon.