Nigeria was among the largest meat consuming countries this year, according to World Population Review. There were five leading consuming nations. About 1,448,471,400 consume meat in China, 1,406,631,776 in India, 334,805,269 in United States, 229,488,994 in Pakistan, 279,134,505 in Indonesia 216,746,934 in Nigeria.
In 2013, Nigeria was ranked 166 among 173 countries that eat the most meat in grammes per person per day, atlasandboots.com, an online blog noted.
Globally, Statista, an international research firm, said per capita consumption of meat worldwide, was highest in North America, at roughly 97.5 kilos per person in the period between 2018 and 2020.
It maintained that global consumption of meat has more than doubled since 1990, reaching 324 million metric tons in 2020.
It said global consumption of meat has more than doubled since 1990, reaching 324 million metric tons in 2020.
Between 1990 and 2020, it noted that the volume of poultry consumed worldwide increased from 34.6 million metric tons to more than 130 million metric tons.
By weight, poultry is the most consumed meat type worldwide. The substantial rise in meat demand has led to increased deforestation and greenhouse emissions worldwide, especially from beef.
Statista said between 2016 and 2020, the production volume of meat worldwide has increased from 317 million metric tons to 328 million metric tonnes.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) maintained that world consumption of beef should reach a new record last year above 60.0 million tonnes in carcass equivalent. This represented a gain of 1.6 per cent in relation to the consumption observed in 2020 (59.06 million tonnes).
However, global beef markets are expected to remain tight on strong ongoing consumer demand and constrained supply, Rabobank says in a newly-released report.
In its Q1 Global Beef Quarterly, the agribusiness bank said while global beef prices remain high – with cattle prices across most key beef-producing regions at their highest levels in five years – cost pressures are building in the supply chain.
And this will test the willingness of consumers to continue to pay ‘top dollar’ for beef.
“Over the past two years, retail beef prices have been phenomenal,” the report says, largely driven by strong consumer demand and some supply shocks.
“In Q4 2021, beef retail prices in the US were 23 per cent higher than the five-year average and in China, they were 24 per cent above the five-year average,” it said.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation projects that global meat consumption will rise. The fastest growth will occur in low- and middle-income countries, where incomes are steadily climbing.