Global poultry meat production reaches 138 million tons

The increase in global meat production over the past five years was mainly driven by more efficient poultry meat production as the poultry industry continued to evolve and industrialize in many parts of the world.

Meredith Johnson Headshot
Fresh chicken legs on the retail tray. Top view. Isolated on a white.
Fresh chicken legs on the retail tray. Top view. Isolated on a white.
Fotofermer | BigStock.com

The increase in global meat production over the past five years was mainly driven by more efficient poultry meat production as the poultry industry continued to evolve and industrialize in many parts of the world. 

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), global poultry meat production reached 119 million metric tons (mmt) in 2020 and has increased by over 13% since 2015 (Figure 1). This growth can mostly be attributed to advances in breeding genetics that allow birds to meet production requirements in a shorter amount of time, as well as improvements in feed, slaughter and processing technologies. 

Poultry meat production continues to grow at a faster rate than production of other protein sources, such as pork, beef and sheep, and grew by almost 1% in 2020, according to data from the FAO (Table 1). 

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), broiler production in the U.S. is expected to rise 0.93% from 2022 to 2023, a slower rate than the increase seen in the 2021 to 2022 time period, 1.26%. Turkey production is projected to rebound and grow by 7.39% from 2022 to 2023 after recovery from a -6.6% rate between 2021 and 2022 (Figure 2).

For 2022, the FAO projects global poultry meat production will grow to 138 mmt, or 0.77% greater than 2021’s value, and that consumption will reach 137.5 mmt, or 0.73% more than in 2021 (Figure 3).

Poultry meat exports are expected to increase to 16.2 mmt in 2022, while imports will come to approximately 14.9 mmt. Research from the FAO has found that, in terms of meat consumption, the main motivations that have shifted consumer preferences to poultry meat, compared to red meat, in higher income countries relate to animal welfare and health.

In 2022, the FAO projected that China will continue to be the biggest poultry meat producing country at 24 mmt, followed closely by the U.S. at approximately 23 mmt and Brazil at 15 mmt (Figure 4). In terms of consumption by region, the Americas consumed the most poultry meat in 2019 at 44 kg per capita, followed by Oceania at 36.16 kg and Europe at 25 kg (Table 2). In the Americas, Oceania and Africa, poultry meat is the most consumed protein source, with pork leading in Europe and Asia.

All meat prices will remain high in the near future but are expected to drop closer to long-term levels after recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic (Figure 5). Specifically, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the FAO, poultry meat prices will resemble grain prices due to feed being a large expense in poultry production.

Annual per capita poultry meat consumption in Malaysia 2015-19

Annual per capita poultry meat consumption in Jamaica 2015-19

Annual per capita poultry meat consumption in the Bahamas 2015-19

Annual per capita poultry meat consumption in Saudi Arabia 2015-19

Annual per capita poultry meat consumption in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2015-19

Annual per capita poultry meat consumption in Argentina 2015-19

Annual per capita poultry meat consumption in Fiji 2015-19

Annual per capita poultry meat consumption in Israel 2015-19

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