Uruguayans consume 100 kilograms of meat per person per year.

Per capita MEAT consumption in Uruguay has reached 100 kilograms per year, breaking the 2024 record of 98,800 kilograms.

Data from the National Meat Institute (INAC) report indicates a significant increase in meat consumption in the country: while last year's figure reached 98,800 kilograms per person (across all types of meat), it will reach 100 kilograms in 2025. "It is important that Uruguay maintains high levels of consumption and that the population has increasing access to it," stated the institute's president, Gustavo Scajola.

However, he analyzed this figure with nuance: “Perhaps when we talk about 100 kilograms of protein per person, it’s a good figure for comparison with global indicators, but if we analyze it within the framework of a country where meat is part of our culture and where all our production is related to meat, this figure hides the fact that there are people who do not have access to meat,” he mused, adding: “We should be glad that in Uruguay there is not a single person who does not have access to meat.”

Beef is the most popular meat, while lamb consumption is a concern.

Unsurprisingly,   beef   is the most popular meat among Uruguayans: annual consumption is 49.4 kilograms per person, accounting for almost half of all meat consumed. Poultry ranks second with 25.7 kilograms, followed by  pork   with 23.1 kilograms. However, lamb ranks last in terms of meat consumption, at only 2.3 kilograms per person per year.

For Scajola, this is a cause for concern, especially given that lamb is the country's second-largest exported meat and also the second-largest commodity on Uruguay's foreign market.

"This sector has been in free fall for 30 years, and Uruguay as a country has not provided itself with the tools or means to change this situation," the INAC president said.