11 Countries that Eat the Least Meat in the World

This list of 11 countries that eat the least meat in the world might not surprise you too much. Meat consumption is closely related to living standards, culture, dietary habits as well as the economic situation in the country and GDP. With this being said, it is not a surprise that most countries on our list are developing countries while the list of the Countries that Eat the Most Meat is comprised of developed countries.  Meat production requires a lot of resources and the environmental impact is enormous.

You’ve probably been around at least one vegan/vegetarian who kept talking about meat eating and the environmental impact of meat production. Agriculture and livestock production (which involves meat, eggs and dairy products) causes around 15% of all emissions that contribute to global warming. Enormous quantities of water and grains are needed to feed the livestock, especially cattle because they consume much more food than poultry. According to data published by PETA, one cow used for milk can drink up to 50 gallons of water per day and even twice as much if the weather is hot. Calculations show that it takes 683 gallons of water to produce 1 gallon of milk and 2,400 gallons to produce 1 pound of beef. Additionally large quantities of land are used to grow crops to feed cattle and the amount of pollution they produce is enormous. You might be surprised to find out that Uruguay is the country with the highest beef consumption in the world (at 140 pounds per capita). The answer to the question of which country eats the most chicken might also surprise you since data for 2017 shows that it is Israel (128 pounds per capita) followed closely by the United States of America (108 pounds per capita).

When it comes to reasons why certain countries have lower meat intake (it’s probably not because of the environment) they vary from cultural beliefs to an inability to produce enough food for the livestock and thus being dependent on imported meat. According to a study on meat consumption, people in high income countries derive nutritional energy mainly from carbohydrates and fat with substantial consumption of meat and dairy. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO) meat consumption by country (per capita) is expected to rise even more by 2030. Consequently, meat production and trade will also rise.

Some people eat less meat or avoid certain types of meat due to cultural and/or religious reasons. For example, predominantly Muslim countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Algeria etc. have a 0 pound per capita of pork meat consumption. The reason for this is because eating pork is not allowed in Islam which directly influences the levels of pork consumption in the world. If you wonder what country eats the most pork, the OECD states that it is the European Union (comprised of 28 countries) with 72.3 pounds per capita. It is followed by China with 69.7 pounds per capita. Eating beef in India is culturally not acceptable (cow is considered to be a holy animal) although some people do consume beef. Even still, that number is considerably lower (1.1 pounds per capita) than in countries where culture and tradition do not influence meat consumption.

In order to create this list of 11 countries that eat the least meat in the world, I used data published by OECD on meat consumption around the world in 2017. Their website also offers data for meat consumption by country for 2015 and 2016. The list of countries that eat the least meat in the world did not change much but the position of countries on the list did change. For example, Bangladesh was the country with the lowest meat consumption but India surpassed it. I checked data for consumption of beef and veal, poultry, sheep meat and pork meat for each of the countries (newest data) on the list.  Since this data is originally written in kilograms, I converted it to pounds using a Kilograms to Pounds Converter. Countries are listed according to their meat consumption per capita. Those with lower numbers are placed higher on our list. Let’s take a look at some countries that eat the least meat in the world.

11. Zambia

Meat consumption per capita (lb/per capita):  31.1

In Zambia 23% of protein supplies (per capita) come from animal sources with beef being the preferred choice. Beef and veal consumption is 20.07 pounds per capita, pork meat consumption 3.31 pounds per capita, poultry 5.95 per capita and sheep meat consumption is 1.10 per capita. Despite having high meat consumption when compared to some other countries on our list, Zambia is still among the countries with lowest meat consumption.

10. Haiti

Meat consumption per capita (lb/per capita):  30.0

Haiti is an example of a country that has problems with livestock development and consequently meat consumption is pretty low. This is closely connected to agriculture and availability of food for livestock which is very scarce. Sheep meat consumption is 1.32 pounds per capita, beef and veal is 8.16 pounds per capita, poultry meat 13.2 and pork meat is 7.28 pounds per capita.

9. Pakistan

Meat consumption per capita (lb/per capita):  28.7

It seems that Pakistan definitely deserves to be among countries that eat the least meat in the world, since sheep meat consumption is 4.63 pounds per capita, beef and veal 14.1 pounds per capita, poultry meat 9.92 and pork meat is 0.0 pounds per capita. Since Pakistan is Islamic country, it is expected that pork meat intake is low/non-existent. While eating pork is not forbidden, importing pork or products that contain pork (fat) is. In other words, if you are a pork lover, you will have to search for it somewhere across the Pakistani border.

8. Indonesia

Meat consumption per capita (lb/per capita):  27.14

Indonesia’s poultry sector has grown significantly since the 1980s. It is primarily made up of chicken and broiler farms but it also contains duck broilers and quails. This country does not import or export chicken meat and protein intake is mostly based on poultry (67%). This explains the higher poultry consumption of 15.9 pounds per capita. In Indonesia beef and veal consumption is 4.85 pounds per capita, pork meat consumption is 5.1 pounds per capita, and sheep meat consumption is 0.88 per capita.

7. Ghana

Meat consumption per capita (lb/per capita):  20.14

The livestock subsector contributed to only 1.3% to the GDP in 2014 with over 90% of meat products being imported from Europe and Burkina Faso. This implies that prices of meat are automatically higher and not many people can afford it. Ghanaian professor, Gabriel Ayum Teye, stated that the country is spending millions on importing meat while the same money could be invested in production, especially because Ghana has vast potential in the meat industry. Higher production would also mean more jobs for locals. Until things change for the better, meat consumption in Ghana remains pretty low. Sheep meat consumption is 3.75 pounds per capita, beef and veal 1.54 pounds per capita, poultry meat 13.09 and pork meat is 1.76 pounds per capita. Now let’s what’s next on our list of countries that eat the least meat in the world?

6. Mozambique

Meat consumption per capita (lb/per capita):  16.1

Mozambique has good climatic conditions and land for development of livestock, but despite that most meat products were imported from South Africa. This year might bring significant changes as it was just announced that Mozambique banned imports of meat from South Africa because of the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. In Mozambique beef and veal consumption is 1.98 pounds per capita, pork meat consumption 8.82 pounds per capita, poultry 3.53 per capita and sheep meat consumption is 1.76 per capita.

5. Tanzania

Meat consumption per capita (lb/per capita):  15.4

Unlike the majority of other countries we mentioned on our list of 11 countries that eat the least meat in the world, more than 95% of meat in Tanzania comes from local animals. Tanzania beef and veal consumption is 9.04 pounds per capita, pork meat consumption 0.66 pounds per capita, poultry 3.31 per capita and sheep meat consumption is 2.43 per capita.

4. Nigeria

Meat consumption per capita (lb/per capita):  13.2

In Nigeria beef and veal consumption is 3.75 pounds per capita, pork meat consumption 2.43 pounds per capita, poultry 1.98 per capita and sheep meat consumption is 5.07 per capita. GDP in Nigeria is growing steadily which supports the rise of a middle class as well. This means that more people will be able to afford meat, especially beef, which is confirmed by an increased demand for beef.

3. Ethiopia

Meat consumption per capita (lb/per capita):  9.92

Next in line on our list of countries that eat the least meat in the world is Ethiopia where beef and veal consumption is 5.73 pounds per capita, pork meat consumption 0 pounds per capita, poultry 1.32 per capita and sheep meat consumption is 2.87 per capita. It is even more interesting that Ethiopia is home to one of the largest livestock populations in Africa. The country’s red meat industry made significant progress and shows great potential for the future. This might explain higher consumption of beef and sheep meat consumption.

2. Bangladesh

Meat consumption per capita (lb/per capita):  7.5

In Bangladesh beef and veal consumption is 1.98 pounds per capita, pork meat consumption 0 pounds per capita, poultry 2.87 per capita and sheep meat consumption is 2.65 per capita. Meat consumption is very low in Bangladesh and the media investigated the cause behind this. Due to the beef ban in India, imports of beef in Bangladesh decreased and prices rose, and the poor and middle class cannot afford buying beef for their families. Since most Bangladeshis are Muslim, they do not eat pork which explains 0 pounds of pork per capita. In 2015, Bangladesh was at the top of the list but now it has moved to number two.

1. India

Meat consumption per capita (lb/per capita):  6.61

In India beef and veal consumption is 1.10 pounds per capita, pork meat consumption 0.44 pounds per capita, poultry 3.97 per capita and sheep meat consumption is 1.10 per capita. The majority of the country practices a vegetarian died, which is why the meat consumption numbers are so low. We definitely have a winner on our list of 11 countries that eat the least meat in the world.