Meat production reached 374 million tonnes worldwide in 2024, according to FAO agricultural production statistics. The United States produced 55.0 billion pounds of red meat that year, while beef, pork, lamb, mutton, and turkey each showed different production patterns. These statistics help put everyday cooking ingredients into a broader global and agricultural context.
Contents
- Global meat production
- U.S. red meat output
- U.S. cattle, hog, and sheep slaughter
- The U.S. meat-animal economy
- Turkey production and recent change
- Where U.S. turkeys are produced
- Longer-term U.S. beef and turkey figures
Global meat production
The FAO agricultural production statistics series reports world meat production of 374 million tonnes in 2024. That was an increase of 7 million tonnes from 2023. The same source records a 55% increase in global meat production from 2000 to 2022, showing the scale of the longer-term expansion even though the two periods use different endpoints.
The OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2025–2034 gives a separate 2024 estimate of 365 million tonnes. It reports that global meat production was up 1.3% in 2024 and that global meat exports recovered to 40.2 million tonnes. Exports rose 2% during that year. The difference between the 374-million-tonne FAO figure and the 365-million-tonne OECD-FAO figure should be read as a difference between published statistical series, definitions, or estimation frameworks, not as an unsupported conversion or calculation.
| Global measure | Reported figure | Measurement period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| World meat production | 374 million tonnes | 2024 | FAO agricultural production statistics 2010–2024 |
| Change in world production | 7 million tonnes higher | 2023 to 2024 | FAO agricultural production statistics 2010–2024 |
| Long-term global growth | 55% | 2000 to 2022 | FAO Statistical Yearbook 2024 |
| Global meat production estimate | 365 million tonnes | 2024 | OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2025–2034 |
| Global meat exports | 40.2 million tonnes | 2024 | OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2025–2034 |
For readers thinking about food supply, production and exports answer different questions. Production measures meat produced, while exports measure the quantity traded internationally. The OECD-FAO export figure therefore describes cross-border trade, not total meat available to households in a particular country.
U.S. red meat output
USDA NASS Livestock Slaughter 2024 Summary reports total U.S. red meat production of 55.0 billion pounds in 2024, 1% higher than in 2023. Commercial plants accounted for 54.9 billion pounds, while on-farm red meat slaughter totaled 91.0 million pounds. These figures distinguish the principal commercial channel from slaughter reported on farms.
Within the 2024 U.S. summary, pork production was 27.8 billion pounds and beef production was 27.0 billion pounds. Veal production totaled 45.3 million pounds, while lamb and mutton production totaled 139 million pounds. The categories are reported in different scales because beef and pork output were measured in billions of pounds, while veal and lamb and mutton were measured in millions.
The 2024 red-meat figures can be read together as a snapshot of output, but they should not be treated as a recipe for estimating retail availability. Production reporting and retail supply are separate measures, and the supplied USDA summaries do not provide a retail-yield calculation for these categories.
U.S. cattle, hog, and sheep slaughter
The USDA NASS summary also reports the number of animals commercially slaughtered in the United States during 2024. Commercial cattle slaughter totaled 31.8 million head, and the average live weight of commercially slaughtered cattle was 1,399 pounds. Commercial hog slaughter totaled 130 million head, with an average live weight of 288 pounds.
Commercial sheep and lamb slaughter totaled 2.21 million head. These head counts describe animals processed, whereas production totals describe pounds of meat. Keeping those units separate matters: a slaughter count cannot be substituted for a meat-output figure without additional yield information.
| U.S. commercial slaughter measure | 2024 figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cattle slaughter | 31.8 million head | USDA NASS Livestock Slaughter 2024 Summary |
| Average cattle live weight | 1,399 pounds | USDA NASS Livestock Slaughter 2024 Summary |
| Hog slaughter | 130 million head | USDA NASS Livestock Slaughter 2024 Summary |
| Average hog live weight | 288 pounds | USDA NASS Livestock Slaughter 2024 Summary |
| Sheep and lamb slaughter | 2.21 million head | USDA NASS Livestock Slaughter 2024 Summary |
For cooking decisions, these numbers provide scale rather than a direct guide to portion size. A live-weight statistic describes the animal before processing, not the weight of a finished cut in a butcher case or kitchen.
The U.S. meat-animal economy
The USDA NASS Meat Animals Production and Income 2024 Summary reports combined meat-animal production and income production of 86,476 million pounds in 2024. Meat-animal marketings totaled 102,586 million pounds. The value of production was 109,422 million dollars, cash receipts were 139,408 million dollars, and the value of home consumption was 818 million dollars. Gross income reached 140,225 million dollars.
The same summary reports that U.S. cattle and calves cash receipts from marketings rose to 112 billion dollars in 2024. Cattle and calf marketings totaled 59.3 billion pounds. Hogs and pigs generated 27.3 billion dollars in cash receipts, with marketings totaling 43.3 billion pounds.
These are economic and marketing measures, not all the same type of production measure. Cash receipts describe money received from marketings; marketings describe the reported quantity marketed; and value of home consumption concerns meat used at home. The figures therefore help explain the scale of the U.S. meat-animal sector without implying that one measure can be derived from another.
Turkey production and recent change
Turkey provides a useful poultry-specific view of U.S. meat production. USDA ERS Turkey Sector: Background & Statistics reports U.S. turkey meat production of 5.12 billion pounds in 2024. U.S. turkey production value was 3.69 billion dollars that year, and total turkey production was 200 million birds.
The first half of 2025 produced 2.33 billion pounds of turkey meat. USDA ERS reports that this was 9.7% below the same period in 2024. The 2025 full-year figure in the source is a projection of 4.807 billion pounds, so it should be distinguished from the reported 2024 total and the measured first-half 2025 output.
| U.S. turkey measure | Figure | Period or status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey meat production | 5.12 billion pounds | 2024 | USDA ERS Turkey Sector: Background & Statistics |
| Turkey production value | 3.69 billion dollars | 2024 | USDA ERS Turkey Sector: Background & Statistics |
| Total turkey production | 200 million birds | 2024 | USDA ERS Turkey Sector: Background & Statistics |
| Turkey meat production | 2.33 billion pounds | First half of 2025 | USDA ERS Turkey Sector: Background & Statistics |
| Change from same period | 9.7% lower | First half 2025 vs. first half 2024 | USDA ERS Turkey Sector: Background & Statistics |
| Turkey meat production | 4.807 billion pounds | Projected full year 2025 | USDA ERS Turkey Sector: Background & Statistics |
The first-half figure and the full-year projection are not interchangeable. One covers six months of production and the other is an annual forecast. That distinction is especially important when comparing a partial year with a full-year total.
Where U.S. turkeys are produced
USDA ERS reports the following 2024 turkey production by state: Minnesota produced 32.0 million turkeys, North Carolina produced 27.0 million, and Arkansas produced 25.0 million. Indiana produced 20.0 million, Missouri produced 15.5 million, and Virginia produced 15.3 million.
Iowa produced 10.9 million turkeys, Pennsylvania produced 7.7 million, and the U.S. total was 200 million birds. These figures show that production is distributed across several states, with Minnesota the largest named producer in this set.
| State | Turkeys produced in 2024 |
|---|---|
| Minnesota | 32.0 million |
| North Carolina | 27.0 million |
| Arkansas | 25.0 million |
| Indiana | 20.0 million |
| Missouri | 15.5 million |
| Virginia | 15.3 million |
| Iowa | 10.9 million |
| Pennsylvania | 7.7 million |
The state values are bird counts, while the national turkey-production series also includes pounds of meat. A bird count does not specify average dressed weight or usable meat yield, so it should not be converted into pounds without a separate source and method.
Longer-term U.S. beef and turkey figures
USDA ERS Cattle & Beef Statistics & Information reports U.S. beef production of 24.5 billion pounds in 2004, 26.4 billion pounds in 2007, 25.5 billion pounds in 2011, and 24.7 billion pounds in 2014. The series reports 27.6 billion pounds in 2020 and 28.7 billion pounds in 2024.
The USDA ERS turkey series reports 5.82 billion pounds of turkey meat in 2019, 5.74 billion in 2020, 5.56 billion in 2021, 5.22 billion in 2022, and 5.46 billion in 2023. It then reports 5.12 billion pounds in 2024 and a projected 4.807 billion pounds for 2025.
| Year | U.S. beef production | U.S. turkey meat production |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 24.5 billion pounds | — |
| 2007 | 26.4 billion pounds | — |
| 2011 | 25.5 billion pounds | — |
| 2014 | 24.7 billion pounds | — |
| 2019 | — | 5.82 billion pounds |
| 2020 | 27.6 billion pounds | 5.74 billion pounds |
| 2021 | — | 5.56 billion pounds |
| 2022 | — | 5.22 billion pounds |
| 2023 | — | 5.46 billion pounds |
| 2024 | 28.7 billion pounds | 5.12 billion pounds |
| 2025 | — | 4.807 billion pounds projected |
The two series illustrate why meat production statistics are best read with the product, unit, geography, and measurement status attached. Beef figures in this historical series are U.S. annual production totals; turkey figures include reported annual values through 2024 and a projection for 2025. Together with the global estimates, they provide context for the livestock and poultry products that reach kitchens and food markets.