Korea is a marginal performer (“D”) under the VACI, on par with Thailand. The country’s animal consumption and dependence levels are around the global average, and its animal protection legislative framework requires improvement.
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Korea slaughters around 20.5 land-based animals per person per year, compared to a global average of 10.1. However, the country’s dependence on farmed animals is marginally lower than the global average, with around 3.8 farmed animals per person versus a global average of around 4.1. Factory farming is widespread and growing, particularly with pigs.
The Korean diet contains an average proportion of animal products, with around 38.2% of the average person’s diet being made up of land-based animal protein, compared with a global average of 35.2%. This is the lowest of all the high-income countries surveyed. Each person consumes around 30.9g of land-based animal protein per day versus a global average of 27.2g.
Korea is rated as a marginal performer (“D”) under the Animal Protection Index (API), and its farmed animal protection legislation achieved the same rating under the index. The government has demonstrated political will to improve farmed animal welfare by passing the Animal Protection Act of 2017 endorsing the Five Freedoms. However, it has yet to translate these principles into detailed species-specific regulations for animal rearing, transport, and slaughter. Learn more about the quality of Korea’s legislative protections on the API here.