GLOBAL EGG PRODUCTION has grown by close to a quarter over the past decade, new analysis reveals.
According to UN figures, total egg production worldwide has risen from 61.7 million tonnes in 2008 to 76.8m t in 2018.
A breakdown in the figures has been compiled for the International Egg Commission by economist Peter Van Horne.
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China Produces about 34% of the world’s total
Mexico is the world’s biggest consumer of eggs, at 368 per capita every year
Latest figures suggest Brits eat close to 200 eggs a year.
He says that China is, by far, the world’s biggest producer of eggs, accounting for 34% of all production in 2018 – 466bn in total.
China is followed by the EU, USA and India. Those four countries together account for close to 60% of the world’s egg production.
Dividing the total egg consumption with the world’s population creates an average of 161 eggs per capita.
But there is considerable variation in egg consumption between countries, Mr Van Horne said.
Leading the world are Japan and Mexico, where people eat 337 and 368 eggs each every year respectively.
South Africa is an example of a country where consumption is lower – just 130 eggs/year.
In Europe, the average is 210 eggs/year, but within that, there are high variances – in Spain consumption is 273 eggs/year while in neighbouring Portugal consumption is almost half at 146 eggs/year.
Latest figures in the UK suggest per capita consumption is about 200 eggs/year.
