Latest global egg statistics make for positive reading

The latest FAO egg statistics offer encouraging news as production continues to rise.

Hard boiled eggs for sale on the street in Lichinga, Mozambique, a country that grew egg production by 163% between 2008 and 2018. Vincent Guyonnet, DVM
Hard boiled eggs for sale on the street in Lichinga, Mozambique, a country that grew egg production by 163% between 2008 and 2018. Vincent Guyonnet, DVM

Sadly, by the time you read this, the COVID-19 virus will have forced most of us to stay confined for a number of weeks and we may still be limited in our opportunities to travel to other countries or regions. So, let’s take a virtual journey together across the egg industries of the world. 

At the start of each year, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) updates its database, FAOSTAT, for the agricultural sector.  The breath of the data gathered is wide, ranging from of Kiwi fruit production to that of greasy wool, but let’s fly over the latest figures, 2018 data, for hen egg production.

Going up

Between 2008 and 2018, global egg production grew by 24.3% - ahead of all other terrestrial animal production sectors except for chicken meat (+41.4%).

Of the 208 countries and territories in the FAO database, in 161 egg production increased. It fell in 47 countries and remained flat in one territory -  Wallis and Futuna.  Wallis and Fortuna are small, South Pacific islands volcanic islands about 500 kms from Fiji, with a population of 11,000 and only 2,500 laying hens. Fiji, by the way, recorded a 169% increase in egg production over the same period. 

The largest drop in egg production occurred in Nigeria, down by 100,000 tonnes. This was the equivalent of the entire egg production of the Dominican Republic – the most popular tourist destination in the Caribbean, receiving 6 million visitors annually.

Flying high

China was, once again, the main driver of egg production globally. China’s  3.6 million tonne increase was more than the combined effort of 144 other countries also recording increases over the period.

The highest percentage rise in output, however, was recorded by the Kingdom of Bhutan, a landlocked nation of mountain peaks between India and China. Production rose by a staggering 1,349%, permitting annual consumption of 93 eggs per person, slightly above that recorded in neighboring India.

In Africa, where eggs are particularly needed, Mozambique (+163%) along with Rwanda and Benin led the way.

Between 2008 and 2018, 81 countries expanded production at a higher rate than the 24.3% global average. Egg production makes a significant impact on food security worldwide – a good reason to celebrate this new FAO data.

When comparing 2017 and 2018, the global industry grew by 1.9%, adding another 1.4 million tonnes of eggs  - equivalent to the UK and South Korea’s production combined! Eighty-eight countries grew at a faster rate than the world average.  Let us consider a few exotic examples, such as São Tomé and Príncipe (+44.2%) off the Western equatorial coast of Africa, and Mongolia (+40.4%), a sparsely populated nation, bordered by China and the Russian Federation, and where about 30% of the population still embraces the nomadic way of life.  Let’s complete our tour of the “Egg World” with a stopover in the Seychelles in the India Ocean.  Egg production over the past year grew by 30.5%, likely driven by the rising flow of tourists attracted by its famous white sand beaches and snorkeling. 

Let us hope that growth will continue even in places affected by the fall in tourism that is but one of the results of the novel coronavirus, as eggs are a great source of nutrition and income for many around the world.

 

 

 

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