Which Country Consumes the Most Beef?

Uruguay is the country that consumes the most beef per person, at about 132 pounds (60 kg) a person in 2012. Argentina had reigned as the leading country for beef consumption, but in 2012, the country fell behind Uruguay with a rate of 129 pounds (58.5 kg) per person. The drop in the amount of beef consumed in Argentina was thought to be partly the result of government policies that were intended to keep domestic prices down but might have decreased profits for cattle ranchers and reduced the amount of beef produced in the country.

More about beef:

  • Americans’ beef consumption tends to be much lower than that of people in many other countries, at about 57.5 pounds (26 kg) per person in 2012.

  • In 1956, Argentina’s annual beef consumption peaked at 222 lbs (100.7 kg) of beef per person.

  • India became the leading exporter of cattle in 2012, even though cows are considered sacred in the Hindu religion, one of the country's main religions.
More Info: fao.org

Discussion Comments

Hazali

I know that we can't only use one example to represent an entire nation of people, but in relation to the first bullet point, it's funny how my family is American as well, and we don't consume beef that much, if at all. I mean, while it's true that Americans do eat hamburgers, I think the difference is that we don't eat beef religiously, as in a plate full of beef ribs. On a final note, I'm actually quite surprised the India became the leading cattle exporter not too long ago. This is shocking to me, because I know that they revile at the mere thought of eating beef, especially considering that cows are sacred. Perhaps they changed their way of thinking a bit.

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