11 Countries with the Highest Beef Consumption Per Person

While ago I was talking with a friend and since we are both meat lovers, we ended up discussing the countries with the highest beef consumption per person.

Beef is a favorite type of meat to many out there. Being a complete meat fanatic, I find it hard to imagine a world without the consumption of meat, of course with beef being on the top of that list, although poultry and pork might be given extra points here and there. As for the rest of the world – there is a widespread consumption of beef that cannot be understated, even though there are 1.15 billion Hindus who don’t consume it at all. Usually, meat consuming lifestyles are dependent on either cultures or religions. That’s why Hindus do not eat beef while Muslims abstain from pork. These then determine the availability of the meat as well. In Muslim countries like Pakistan and Saudia Arabia, it’s impossible to find pork. In certain cities of India, it is extremely difficult to find any cow meat because, in adherence to their religion, the cow is considered to be a God. However, it is interesting that in South America beef is the favorite type of meat, as you will see later on our list.

When it comes to the meat consumption per capita in 2014 in the world and meat consumption by country in 2015, the results are similar. If you want to learn more about meat consumption in previous years, head on over to the article about countries that eat the most meat. On the other hand, if you want to know what country eats the most pork per person, check out our piece on countries that eat the most pork per person in the world. As for the world pork consumption, New Zealand leads that race. However, with the increase in health awareness and change in people’s lifestyles, people have progressed towards different diets, avoiding red meat and preferring chicken or other vegetarian and vegan alternatives. The country that eats the least meat is Bangladesh where only 4 kilograms of meat is consumed in a whole year per person on average.

When it comes to our list, we have referred to Beef2live, which is an online source ready to give you all sorts of information about beef and beef consumption. Further, we also visited the ever-reliable Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development that offers a variety of world meat consumption statistics, such as the annual meat consumption per person, for example. We filtered their reports only to consider statistics relevant to beef consumption per capita. To determine our final ranking, we have taken into consideration rankings based on ‘per capita’ consumption from both sources, calculated their average and lined up countries according to the results. So, without further ado, let’s see the list of countries with the highest beef consumption per person.

11. Israel

The beef industry is massive in Israel and has experienced steady growth in the last several years.

10. Chile

Beef is a staple food in Chile, and despite recent health scares pertaining to red meat, it looks like the people’s love for beef isn’t going anywhere.

9. Kazakhstan

In Kazakhstan, the next one on the list of countries with the highest beef consumption per person, beef is the primary type of meat that is consumed. Beef consumption is 39% compared to other types of meat e.g., poultry, horse, and pork. Their goal is to convert the country to a prime beef exporter.

8. Canada

According to statistics, Canadian consumption of beef has declined since 1999 where people have started to opt for a “healthier” lifestyle, focusing on vegetables and reducing the amount of red beef in their diets. Chicken and turkey consumption has maintained its popularity in Canada.

7. Australia

Beef consumption in Australia used to be one of the highest, but it has now been replaced by pork and chicken which used to be rarely consumed. The decline in beef consumption has been linked to high beef prices.

6. Paraguay

One of the leading exporters of beef, Paraguay definitely had to be on this list of countries with the highest beef consumption per person. Beef consumption in this country is said to grow quite steadily over the years as well. Beef soup is a favorite dish in the country.

5. Brazil

Coming in number three in this list, Brazil has a slightly higher consumption rate in poultry than beef and veal. This is said to be because of the high prices of beef in the country. However, compared to other countries, it’s still one of the biggest consumers of beef in the world maintaining the South Americans’ love for beef!

4. USA

Even though consumption has fallen by around 20 pounds per person in a year, the US still loves good old beef.

3. Hong Kong

While beef consumption has soared in Hong Kong, their high ranking may inadvertently be due to smuggling of beef across the border.

2. Argentina

People in Argentina love beef to the extent that some political movements were stopped and fought against when they mentioned slowing down beef consumption, or cutting it down completely.

1. Uruguay

Topping the list of countries with the highest beef consumption per person, Uruguay simply caps off a dominant performance in this ranking by South America.