Meat statistics show a food system shaped by poultry’s scale, strong U.S. availability, and concentrated international trade. OECD-FAO projects total meat consumption at 29.3 kilograms per person per year in 2034, while USDA sources provide more detailed figures for beef, pork, chicken, turkey, and eggs.
Contents
- Global meat consumption
- U.S. meat and egg availability
- Beef imports and export markets
- Poultry’s role in the U.S. market
- U.S. agricultural export value
- Global production outlook
- Chicken production and trade in 2026
Global meat consumption
The OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2025–2034 projects total meat consumption to reach 29.3 kilograms per capita per year in 2034. The projection is 3% higher than the baseline level used in that outlook. Because this is a forward-looking estimate, it describes an expected 2034 level rather than a measured result.
Consumption is distributed unevenly across the global population. High-income countries accounted for 35% of global meat consumption in 2024, while representing 17% of the world’s population. Those two figures describe the same 2024 global comparison: the high-income group’s share of consumption was larger than its population share.
For readers comparing household meals with international figures, the units matter. The OECD-FAO figure is kilograms per person per year, while the U.S. figures below are reported as pounds of per-person availability. Availability is not identical to the amount eaten at the table, so these measures should not be treated as interchangeable consumption totals.
U.S. meat and egg availability
The USDA Economic Research Service chart on per capita availability of red meat and poultry projects total U.S. red meat and poultry availability at 226 pounds per person in 2025 and 227 pounds in 2026. These are USDA projections, not retrospective measurements.
The same chart gives the following comparison for major categories:
| Category | 2025 projection | 2026 projection | Change shown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broiler availability | 102.7 lb | 102.8 lb | 0.1 lb higher |
| Turkey availability | 13.0 lb | 13.6 lb | 0.6 lb higher |
| Beef availability | 58.5 lb | 56.9 lb | 1.6 lb lower |
| Pork availability | 49.7 lb | 50.9 lb | 1.2 lb higher |
| Red meat and poultry total | 226 lb | 227 lb | 1 lb higher |
| Table eggs | 21.5 dozen | 22.9 dozen | 1.4 dozen higher |
Broiler availability is projected at 102.7 pounds per person in 2025 and 102.8 pounds in 2026. That makes broiler the largest individual meat category listed in the chart for both years. Turkey is projected at 13.0 pounds in 2025 and 13.6 pounds in 2026.
Beef availability is projected at 58.5 pounds per person in 2025, falling to 56.9 pounds in 2026. Pork moves in the opposite direction, from a projected 49.7 pounds in 2025 to 50.9 pounds in 2026. The total therefore rises by one pound even though the listed beef projection declines.
The chart also projects U.S. table egg availability at 21.5 dozen per person in 2025 and 22.9 dozen in 2026. Eggs are reported in dozens, not pounds, so they are a separate availability measure rather than a component that can be added to the meat total.
Beef imports and export markets
USDA ERS reports that U.S. beef imports reached a record 4.635 billion pounds in 2024. The 2024 total was more than 24% above the previous record, which was set in 2023. Both values refer to U.S. beef imports measured by weight; the report’s comparison is a year-over-year record comparison.
U.S. beef exports were concentrated among a small number of destinations in 2024. The top five U.S. beef export markets accounted for 78% of total U.S. beef exports by volume. Japan and South Korea together represented about 42% of U.S. beef exports, while China accounted for 16%.
Mexico and Canada combined accounted for nearly 20% of U.S. beef exports in 2024. These shares are not additive with the global consumption figures above because they describe export destinations and use U.S. beef export volume as their denominator.
| 2024 U.S. beef trade measure | Reported figure |
|---|---|
| Beef imports | 4.635 billion lb |
| Increase over previous import record | More than 24% |
| Top five export markets’ share | 78% by volume |
| Japan and South Korea combined | About 42% |
| China’s share | 16% |
| Mexico and Canada combined | Nearly 20% |
Poultry’s role in the U.S. market
USDA ERS identifies the United States as the world’s largest producer of poultry meat and the world’s second-largest exporter of poultry meat. In the U.S. domestic market, poultry meat accounted for 51% of total red meat and poultry disappearance in 2024.
The USDA ERS poultry and eggs material also reports that 13.6% of poultry meat produced in the United States was exported in 2024. “Disappearance” and “production exported” are different measures: the first describes the domestic market accounting measure, while the second describes the share of domestic production sent abroad.
Disease has also affected poultry production historically. More than 50 million chickens and turkeys died of, or were destroyed because of, highly pathogenic avian influenza between December 2014 and June 2015. That figure covers the stated outbreak period and should not be read as a current annual loss estimate.
The poultry figures help explain why meat statistics need category detail. Poultry is the largest listed U.S. availability group through broilers, the United States leads world poultry meat production, and exports remain a significant part of the production system. At the same time, the historical HPAI total demonstrates that production statistics can be affected by animal-health events over a defined period.
U.S. agricultural export value
USDA Foreign Agricultural Service trade data put total U.S. agricultural exports at $175.98 billion in 2024. Beef, pork, and poultry made up separate portions of that total.
Beef and beef products represented 5.9% of total U.S. agricultural exports and generated $10.45 billion in 2024. Pork and pork products represented 4.9% and generated $8.63 billion. Poultry meat and products excluding eggs represented 3.1% and generated $5.53 billion.
| U.S. agricultural export category, 2024 | Share of agricultural exports | Export value |
|---|---|---|
| Beef and beef products | 5.9% | $10.45 billion |
| Pork and pork products | 4.9% | $8.63 billion |
| Poultry meat and products, excluding eggs | 3.1% | $5.53 billion |
| All U.S. agricultural exports | 100% reference total | $175.98 billion |
The category percentages and dollar values are reported by USDA FAS for 2024. They are export-value statistics, not production weights or per-person food availability. Poultry’s category excludes eggs, while the broader agricultural total includes products beyond meat and poultry.
Global production outlook
USDA FAS Meat forecasts compare 2024–2025 production with a 2015–2024 average basis. Global beef production is forecast at 61.66 million tons for 2024–2025, compared with 58.21 million tons on the 2015–2024 average basis. Global chicken meat production is forecast at 103.72 million tons for 2024–2025, compared with 97.33 million tons for the average basis.
Global pork production is forecast at 116.45 million tons for 2024–2025, compared with 109.96 million tons on the 2015–2024 average basis. These pairs are forecast-versus-average reference points; the average basis is not a forecast for one particular year.
| Global production measure | 2024–2025 forecast | 2015–2024 average basis |
|---|---|---|
| Beef | 61.66 million tons | 58.21 million tons |
| Chicken meat | 103.72 million tons | 97.33 million tons |
| Pork | 116.45 million tons | 109.96 million tons |
The three livestock categories use different production totals and should be compared only as the separate USDA FAS series reported here. The figures do not establish a nutritional ranking, retail price, or household preference.
Chicken production and trade in 2026
USDA FAS Livestock and Poultry: World Markets and Trade forecasts global chicken meat production at 110.728 million tons in 2026. A separate USDA FAS top-countries summary forecasts U.S. chicken meat production at 22.190 million tons and China’s at 17.300 million tons in 2026.
The country-level World Markets and Trade figures list U.S. chicken meat production at 22.2 million tons, China at 17.3 million tons, Brazil at 15.8 million tons, and the European Union at 12.3 million tons in 2026. The top-countries summary gives the U.S. figure with three decimal places, 22.190 million tons, and China’s with three decimal places, 17.300 million tons. The difference in displayed precision is a reporting-format issue, not a separate year.
Global chicken meat exports are forecast at 14.8 million tons in 2026. Brazil’s chicken meat exports are forecast to rise to nearly 5.2 million tons, while China’s are forecast to reach 1.4 million tons. China’s chicken meat imports are forecast at 250,000 tons.
The USDA FAS China Chicken Meat PSD table reports China’s 2026 production at 17.3 million tons, exports at 1.400 million tons, and imports at 250,000 tons. It also states that imports are forecast to equal 2% of consumption and exports 8% of production. These are forecast shares tied to the China 2026 PSD table, not general global percentages.
One additional USDA FAS World Markets and Trade swine-trade table projects China pork exports to China’s market from the United States at 3,259 thousand head in 2026. This measure is expressed in head, unlike the chicken figures expressed in tons, so it should be kept separate from meat-weight comparisons.
Together, the 2026 forecasts describe a large chicken market with production concentrated among the United States, China, Brazil, and the European Union, plus substantial international trade. They are forecasts for 2026 and should be read as projections rather than completed-year results.