It may seem to us that Ukrainians eat a lot of meat. Like, all these kebabs, sausages for breakfast, sausage for a sandwich, and more cutlets. But in fact, Ukraine is far from being at the “tops” in terms of the amount of meat consumption. Moreover, among Europeans, we consume almost the least meat. But let’s first take a look at the general world statistics.
Who eats more meat?
Globally, in the world, we consume about 350 million tons of meat per year. Raw material production doubled in 30 years from 1988 to 2018. And production is expected to continue to grow. By 2050, according to the forecasts of researchers, global meat consumption will reach 460 million to 570 million tons, which is twice as much as in 2008.
There are more people, and as the demand for meat grows, it is obvious that the number of raw materials consumed will increase. Even even though now there is a global trend towards vegetarianism and other methods of eating without meat.
But let’s look at the real numbers in the context of the countries that consume the most meat during the year. Please also note that Ukraine is only listed for global comparison. Also, note that the number of kilograms of meat per person does not mean that every person in this country consumes that amount of pork or beef. This means that many of the inhabitants of the country consume much more, and some consume less than the amount indicated. Therefore, the statistics indicate the average number of kilograms of meat per person per year:
- USA — 124 kg;
- Australia — 122 kg;
- Argentina — 109 kg;
- New Zealand — 101 kg;
- Spain — 100 kg;
- African countries — 20 kg;
- Ukraine — 6 kg.
Often the amount of meat consumed as compared to the level of income in a country. After all, meat in poor countries is still a luxury that not everyone can afford.
For example, most Western European countries consume 80 to 90 kilograms of meat per person. And, say, the average Ethiopian consumes only 7 kg per year. This is 10 times less than the average European. The level of income of Ethiopia is several times less than in European countries, and therefore there is still a direct connection with the level of development of the country.
What type of meat is consumed the most?
Of course, one of the most popular types of meat on the entire planet is chicken. This is followed by pork and beef, together they account for more than 92% of the world’s meat production. In 2018, the distribution was as follows:
- Poultry — 127 million tonnes;
- Pigs — 121 million tonnes;
- Beef and buffalo — 72 million tonnes;
- Sheep and goats — 15 million tonnes;
- Other (including duck, goose, camel, horse, etc.) — 11 million tonnes.
Previously, the statistics on types of meat were headed by pork and beef, but every year the amount of consumption of this meat in comparison with chicken is decreasing. In Ukraine, there is also a trend and growth in demand for poultry. In particular, during the year one Ukrainian consumes almost 25 kg of chicken, and pork — less than 10 kg. But it should be noted that in addition to fresh meat, the average Ukrainian consumes about 5 kg of meat products: sausages, snacks, sausages, dumplings, etc. That is, in general, we consume about 20 kg of pork throughout the year.
