Meat consumption varied substantially across the countries and regions listed for 2023. The OWID/FAO daily meat consumption per person dataset records 429.947 daily grams per person in Tonga, compared with 226.411 daily grams per person in Northern Europe (FAO). The figures below are measurements for 2023, expressed as daily grams per person; they are not forecasts.
Table of contents
- What these meat consumption statistics measure
- The highest reported country and territory figures
- North America, the Americas, and Oceania
- South America and the Caribbean
- Europe’s reported daily consumption
- Asia-Pacific and other individual markets
What these meat consumption statistics measure
Every number in this article is reported as daily grams of meat consumption per person for 2023. The source label supplied with each observation is the OWID/FAO daily meat consumption per person dataset. Because the unit is grams per person per day, the figures are useful for comparing the listed geographies on the same measurement basis.
The dataset includes individual countries and territories as well as regional aggregates. It also includes entries marked “(FAO),” such as Northern America (FAO), Oceania (FAO), and South America (FAO). Those labels should be kept distinct from similarly named entries. For example, Oceania is listed at 260.664 daily grams per person, while Oceania (FAO) is listed at 260.658. South America is listed at 240.879, while South America (FAO) is listed at 240.877.
The source label is retained here as provided: OWID/FAO daily meat consumption per person dataset. The supplied research record identifies this as legacy research and says it was not independently verified, so these figures should be read as reported dataset values rather than as a new verification of the underlying series.
The highest reported country and territory figures
Tonga has the highest figure among the individual country and territory entries listed here, at 429.947 daily grams per person in 2023. Mongolia follows at 372.985, and the Marshall Islands records 344.160. The United States appears next at 334.411, while Macao records 332.134.
| Geography | Daily grams per person | Measurement period |
|---|---|---|
| Tonga | 429.947 | 2023 |
| Mongolia | 372.985 | 2023 |
| Marshall Islands | 344.160 | 2023 |
| United States | 334.411 | 2023 |
| Macao | 332.134 | 2023 |
These five observations span island states, a country in East and Central Asia, the United States, and Macao. The table is a direct comparison of the reported values; it does not convert grams into another unit or infer annual totals.
The next group of country and territory entries remains above 300 daily grams per person. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines records 324.540. Australia records 319.945, followed by Argentina at 314.932 and the Bahamas at 314.812. Belarus records 306.082.
The figures then move below 300 for Nauru at 299.250, Samoa at 298.749, Israel at 297.890, and Hong Kong at 294.328. Brazil records 286.493. These values are all 2023 daily per-person observations from the same OWID/FAO dataset.
North America, the Americas, and Oceania
Several entries describe North America or wider regional groupings. Northern America (FAO) records 326.740 daily grams per person in 2023. North America records 276.170, while Canada records 259.699. The United States, listed separately, records 334.411. These are distinct entries in the dataset and should not be treated as interchangeable geographic definitions.
The broader Americas (FAO) entry records 260.027 daily grams per person. South America records 240.879, and South America (FAO) records 240.877. The two South America values are very close, but both labels and both reported measurements are retained because they are separate dataset entries.
Oceania records 260.664 daily grams per person, while Oceania (FAO) records 260.658. Australia, an individual country entry, records 319.945. The country figure and the two regional figures answer different comparison questions: one concerns Australia, and the others concern the named Oceania aggregates.
| Regional or country entry | Daily grams per person in 2023 |
|---|---|
| Northern America (FAO) | 326.740 |
| North America | 276.170 |
| United States | 334.411 |
| Canada | 259.699 |
| Americas (FAO) | 260.027 |
| Oceania | 260.664 |
| Oceania (FAO) | 260.658 |
| Australia | 319.945 |
The high-income countries grouping records 253.790 daily grams per person in 2023. It is a grouping entry rather than a single country, so it belongs alongside the regional and income-group observations rather than in a country ranking.
South America and the Caribbean
The listed South American country figures include Argentina at 314.932 daily grams per person in 2023, Brazil at 286.493, Chile at 269.973, and Guyana at 243.066. Bolivia records 231.315. These country entries sit alongside the South America aggregate values of 240.879 and 240.877 for South America (FAO).
The Caribbean and nearby island entries in the dataset include Saint Vincent and the Grenadines at 324.540 daily grams per person, the Bahamas at 314.812, Antigua and Barbuda at 263.996, Saint Lucia at 247.464, and Saint Kitts and Nevis at 243.387. The range within this group is visible directly in the reported measurements: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is listed above 300 daily grams per person, while Saint Kitts and Nevis is listed at 243.387.
French Polynesia records 269.776 daily grams per person, and Tuvalu records 233.076. These entries are presented separately from Oceania because the dataset names them as individual territories rather than as the regional aggregates discussed above.
Europe’s reported daily consumption
The European country observations listed for 2023 include Denmark at 277.452 daily grams per person, Spain at 276.137, Croatia at 273.178, Portugal at 272.110, Ireland at 269.534, and Iceland at 268.631. Montenegro records 265.369.
The figures continue with Russia at 232.247, the United Kingdom at 231.342, Serbia at 230.685, Poland at 228.247, Luxembourg at 227.479, and Latvia at 226.438. The dataset also lists Southern Europe (FAO) at 229.370 and Northern Europe (FAO) at 226.411.
| European entry | Daily grams per person in 2023 |
|---|---|
| Denmark | 277.452 |
| Spain | 276.137 |
| Croatia | 273.178 |
| Portugal | 272.110 |
| Ireland | 269.534 |
| Iceland | 268.631 |
| Montenegro | 265.369 |
| Southern Europe (FAO) | 229.370 |
| Northern Europe (FAO) | 226.411 |
The country values and FAO regional values should be read as separate observations. In particular, Southern Europe (FAO) is not a substitute for the individual entries for Spain, Croatia, Portugal, or other countries, and Northern Europe (FAO) is not a substitute for the United Kingdom, Ireland, Iceland, or the individual country values.
Asia-Pacific and other individual markets
The Asia-Pacific entries show several different reported levels. Mongolia records 372.985 daily grams per person in 2023, while Macao records 332.134 and Hong Kong records 294.328. Israel records 297.890, Taiwan records 250.685, and South Korea records 230.137.
The Pacific island observations include Tonga at 429.947, the Marshall Islands at 344.160, Nauru at 299.250, Samoa at 298.749, Tuvalu at 233.076, and New Caledonia at 245.444 daily grams per person. The dataset also lists French Polynesia at 269.776 and the regional Oceania values at 260.664 and 260.658, depending on the label.
Belarus records 306.082 daily grams per person, and Russia records 232.247. These entries are included as individual country observations, just as the United States, Australia, Argentina, and Brazil are individual entries elsewhere in the list.
For wild game cooking readers, the most useful takeaway from these statistics is the importance of keeping the comparison frame visible. A country, a territory, a regional aggregate, and an FAO-labeled regional entry are not the same kind of observation. Each number here is tied to a named geography, a 2023 measurement period, and the same daily-grams-per-person unit. That makes the figures suitable for a clearly labeled comparison of reported meat consumption, while leaving questions about particular meats, preparation methods, or household choices outside the scope of this dataset.