10 Countries with the Highest Chicken Meat Consumption

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia — Chicken is a widely consumed source of animal protein around the world. Demand is being driven by population growth and changing diets, while its relatively affordable price makes it an option for people across income groups.

Data from World Population Review show that China had the highest chicken meat consumption in 2022, followed by the United States and Brazil. Indonesia also ranked among the world’s top 10 consumers. The list is as follows:

China recorded chicken meat consumption of 24.436 million tonnes in 2022, well above the United States, at 18.111 million tonnes.

Brazil ranked third, with consumption of 10.131 million tonnes, while Indonesia was seventh, at 4.077 million tonnes.

However, measured by per-capita consumption, the United States ranked higher, at 53.54 kilogrammes per person per year, compared with China’s 17.69 kilogrammes.

Indonesia recorded per-capita consumption of 14.80 kilogrammes per person per year. India had the lowest per-capita consumption among the 10 countries, at 3.49 kilogrammes per person per year.

Global chicken consumption has also risen over the long term. Our World in Data records that in 1961, about two chickens were slaughtered for every person in the world each year. By 2022, that figure had risen to around nine per person.

Rising incomes in several countries have also boosted demand for meat, as people in wealthier countries tend to consume more. Not only has the number of chickens slaughtered increased, but the birds have also become heavier, causing meat output to grow more rapidly.

Meanwhile, the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2026–2035 projects that global poultry meat consumption will reach 177 million tonnes by 2035, measured on a ready-to-cook basis. The projection reflects poultry’s cost competitiveness, relatively short production cycles and improvements in feed-conversion efficiency. Most of the additional demand is expected to come from Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa.

With demand continuing to rise, the challenge is not only to meet protein needs, but also to ensure food production can meet public demand while taking animal welfare into account.