Poultry production in South Africa

South Africa: Poultry production was 1.92 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
1.92 million tonnes
Change on year
up 3.1%
World rank
17th
of 198 countries
All-time high
1.96 million tonnes
in 2022
All-time low
34,927 tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024

Poultry production in South Africa, 1961–2024

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M196119922024

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.

Analysis

In 2024, poultry production in South Africa stood at 1.92 million tonnes.

That represents a change of up 3.1% on the previous year and up 11.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, poultry production in South Africa peaked at 1.96 million tonnes in 2022 and was at its lowest, 34,927 tonnes, in 1961.

That places South Africa 17th out of 198 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 63,643 tonnes 34,927 tonnes 101,105 tonnes 9
1970s 165,576 tonnes 107,502 tonnes 215,356 tonnes 10
1980s 305,196 tonnes 235,450 tonnes 363,894 tonnes 10
1990s 596,336 tonnes 498,978 tonnes 710,756 tonnes 10
2000s 1.03 million tonnes 821,420 tonnes 1.39 million tonnes 10
2010s 1.65 million tonnes 1.48 million tonnes 1.82 million tonnes 10
2020s 1.91 million tonnes 1.87 million tonnes 1.96 million tonnes 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 14 Iran 2.28 million tonnes compare
  2. 15 United Kingdom 2.00 million tonnes compare
  3. 16 Thailand 1.99 million tonnes compare
  4. 18 Peru 1.90 million tonnes compare
  5. 19 Colombia 1.82 million tonnes compare
  6. 20 Spain 1.74 million tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is poultry production in South Africa?
Poultry production in South Africa was 1.92 million tonnes in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest poultry production recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 1.96 million tonnes in 2022.
What is the lowest poultry production recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 34,927 tonnes in 1961.
How does South Africa rank for poultry production?
South Africa ranks 17th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
Is poultry production rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 11.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Poultry production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Poultry production
Unit
tonnes
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 11,571 data points, 1961–2024
Last refreshed

Expressed in tonnes.