Animal protein consumption in South Africa
South Africa: Animal protein consumption was 1.53 grams of protein per day per capita in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.53 grams of protein per day per capita
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
156th
of 192 countries
All-time high
4.47 grams of protein per day per capita
in 1975
All-time low
1.46 grams of protein per day per capita
in 2020
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Animal protein consumption in South Africa, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in grams of protein per day per capita.
Analysis
In 2023, animal protein consumption in South Africa stood at 1.53 grams of protein per day per capita.
That represents a change of down 1.3% on the previous year and down 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, animal protein consumption in South Africa peaked at 4.47 grams of protein per day per capita in 1975 and was at its lowest, 1.46 grams of protein per day per capita, in 2020.
That places South Africa 156th out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Animal protein consumption in South Africa, year by year
| Year | grams of protein per day per capita | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.71 grams of protein per day per capita | — |
| 1962 | 2.65 grams of protein per day per capita | -2.3% |
| 1963 | 2.57 grams of protein per day per capita | -3.2% |
| 1964 | 2.6 grams of protein per day per capita | +1.2% |
| 1965 | 3.27 grams of protein per day per capita | +25.9% |
| 1966 | 3.23 grams of protein per day per capita | -1.2% |
| 1967 | 3.65 grams of protein per day per capita | +13.1% |
| 1968 | 2.78 grams of protein per day per capita | -23.8% |
| 1969 | 2.73 grams of protein per day per capita | -2.0% |
| 1970 | 3.27 grams of protein per day per capita | +19.9% |
| 1971 | 3.04 grams of protein per day per capita | -7.1% |
| 1972 | 3.05 grams of protein per day per capita | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 3.81 grams of protein per day per capita | +25.2% |
| 1974 | 3.91 grams of protein per day per capita | +2.5% |
| 1975 | 4.47 grams of protein per day per capita | +14.4% |
| 1976 | 3.29 grams of protein per day per capita | -26.3% |
| 1977 | 3.09 grams of protein per day per capita | -6.3% |
| 1978 | 3.07 grams of protein per day per capita | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 2.89 grams of protein per day per capita | -5.7% |
| 1980 | 2.62 grams of protein per day per capita | -9.4% |
| 1981 | 3.21 grams of protein per day per capita | +22.6% |
| 1982 | 2.29 grams of protein per day per capita | -28.9% |
| 1983 | 2.43 grams of protein per day per capita | +6.2% |
| 1984 | 2.48 grams of protein per day per capita | +2.2% |
| 1985 | 2.15 grams of protein per day per capita | -13.5% |
| 1986 | 2.13 grams of protein per day per capita | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 2.63 grams of protein per day per capita | +23.8% |
| 1988 | 2.78 grams of protein per day per capita | +5.7% |
| 1989 | 2.48 grams of protein per day per capita | -10.9% |
| 1990 | 2.73 grams of protein per day per capita | +10.1% |
| 1991 | 2.15 grams of protein per day per capita | -21.1% |
| 1992 | 2.59 grams of protein per day per capita | +20.2% |
| 1993 | 2.55 grams of protein per day per capita | -1.3% |
| 1994 | 1.86 grams of protein per day per capita | -27.1% |
| 1995 | 2.43 grams of protein per day per capita | +30.4% |
| 1996 | 1.71 grams of protein per day per capita | -29.5% |
| 1997 | 2.28 grams of protein per day per capita | +33.4% |
| 1998 | 1.78 grams of protein per day per capita | -22.0% |
| 1999 | 1.83 grams of protein per day per capita | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 1.81 grams of protein per day per capita | -1.5% |
| 2001 | 2.09 grams of protein per day per capita | +15.4% |
| 2002 | 2.06 grams of protein per day per capita | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 2.09 grams of protein per day per capita | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 2.85 grams of protein per day per capita | +36.7% |
| 2005 | 2.44 grams of protein per day per capita | -14.6% |
| 2006 | 2.2 grams of protein per day per capita | -9.7% |
| 2007 | 2.16 grams of protein per day per capita | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 2.02 grams of protein per day per capita | -6.7% |
| 2009 | 1.51 grams of protein per day per capita | -25.3% |
| 2010 | 1.7 grams of protein per day per capita | +12.9% |
| 2011 | 1.56 grams of protein per day per capita | -8.2% |
| 2012 | 2.18 grams of protein per day per capita | +39.7% |
| 2013 | 1.81 grams of protein per day per capita | -17.0% |
| 2014 | 1.98 grams of protein per day per capita | +9.4% |
| 2015 | 1.8 grams of protein per day per capita | -9.1% |
| 2016 | 1.68 grams of protein per day per capita | -6.7% |
| 2017 | 1.76 grams of protein per day per capita | +4.8% |
| 2018 | 2.14 grams of protein per day per capita | +21.6% |
| 2019 | 1.77 grams of protein per day per capita | -17.3% |
| 2020 | 1.46 grams of protein per day per capita | -17.5% |
| 2021 | 1.58 grams of protein per day per capita | +8.2% |
| 2022 | 1.55 grams of protein per day per capita | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 1.53 grams of protein per day per capita | -1.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 1.53 grams of protein per day per capita is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.58 grams of protein per day per capita, 43% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 1.53 grams of protein per day per capita is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.24 grams of protein per day per capita, 68% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.91 grams of protein per day per capita | 2.57 grams of protein per day per capita | 3.65 grams of protein per day per capita | 9 |
| 1970s | 3.39 grams of protein per day per capita | 2.89 grams of protein per day per capita | 4.47 grams of protein per day per capita | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.52 grams of protein per day per capita | 2.13 grams of protein per day per capita | 3.21 grams of protein per day per capita | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.19 grams of protein per day per capita | 1.71 grams of protein per day per capita | 2.73 grams of protein per day per capita | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.12 grams of protein per day per capita | 1.51 grams of protein per day per capita | 2.85 grams of protein per day per capita | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.84 grams of protein per day per capita | 1.56 grams of protein per day per capita | 2.18 grams of protein per day per capita | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.53 grams of protein per day per capita | 1.46 grams of protein per day per capita | 1.58 grams of protein per day per capita | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 153 Uzbekistan 1.59 grams of protein per day per capita compare
- 154 Djibouti 1.58 grams of protein per day per capita compare
- 155 Haiti 1.54 grams of protein per day per capita compare
- 157 Armenia 1.48 grams of protein per day per capita compare
- 158 Chad 1.48 grams of protein per day per capita compare
- 159 Turkey 1.41 grams of protein per day per capita compare
More economy & growth data for South Africa
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate 108.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 0.4836 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.4 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 6.87 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0145 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 95.75 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate 1.77 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0106 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 69.91 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate -28.9 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is animal protein consumption in South Africa?
- Animal protein consumption in South Africa was 1.53 grams of protein per day per capita in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest animal protein consumption recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 4.47 grams of protein per day per capita in 1975.
- What is the lowest animal protein consumption recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.46 grams of protein per day per capita in 2020.
- How does South Africa rank for animal protein consumption?
- South Africa ranks 156th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is animal protein consumption rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Animal protein consumption. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Quantity that is available for consumption at the end of the supply chain. It does not account for consumer waste, so the quantity that is actually consumed may be lower.