Almost half of the world’s pigs are kept in China. China’s enormous pig herd reflects both the country’s population size and the central place pork occupies in Chinese food culture. Pork is the most widely consumed meat in China, so domestic farming has developed on a scale unmatched by any other country.
China’s pig industry includes small household farms, regional producers and highly industrialized operations. The country’s demand is so large that China can have the world’s biggest pig herd while still importing pork when domestic production falls short. Disease outbreaks, especially African swine fever, have periodically caused sharp changes in herd size and global pork prices.
The phrase “almost half” refers to the share of pigs, not necessarily the share of global pork exports or land used for pig farming. Another common mix-up is confusing herd size with pork consumption: China is also the world’s largest pork-consuming market, but those are separate measurements. Pig production is important enough that China has maintained a strategic pork reserve intended to help stabilize prices during supply disruptions.