196 CONSUMPTION 



millions may be taken as representing in round numbers the animal- 

 food consuming population of the world. Some important sections 

 of the population of Eastern and Southern Europe, especially those 

 that can rely upon large supplies of sea or river fish, consume little 

 in the way of animal foodstuffs. Oh the other hand, the wealthier 

 sections of the population of China, and perhaps also, under favour- 

 able conditions of supply, of other regions in the same class, may 

 consume relatively large quantities of such foodstuffs. These 

 two may be taken as roughly balancing each other, hence the total 

 of 600 millions arrived at above may be taken as a fair estimate. 

 If the entire population of the world is taken as amounting to about 

 1,600 millions, the meat-consumers would number well over a third 

 of the whole. 



Fifty years ago the total estimated population of Europe, North 

 America and Australasia was less than 300 millions, while the 

 regular meat-consuming population outside these continents was not 

 more than 10 millions. The total of meat -consumers in the world 

 at that time probably represented somewhat less than a quarter 

 of the entire population of the globe. 



There has clearly been a rapid increase in the meat-consuming 

 population of the world during the last fifty years. This increase 

 amounts, apparently, to over 90%, and some further allowance 

 should also be made for the rise in the standard of living not only 

 in Europe, but also in Asiatic and tropical countries. It is more 

 difficult to ascertain with exactness the changes in the proportions 

 of meat-consumers to meat-abstainers during the period, owing to 

 uncertainties regarding the numbers of the non-European popula- 

 tions. The facts available make it fairly clear, however, that 

 meat-consumer? have increased more rapidly in numbers than meat- 

 abstainers. The latter, in an}* case, have been largely self-contained 

 in the matter of foodstuffs, and have not had, nor are likely 

 to have, any notable surplus of animal foodstuffs available for 

 export. They may for a time increase their exports of cereaL 

 and feedstuff s, but should the standard of living rise among these 

 peoples, such products may in certain cases be retained for home 

 consumption. 



The rapid increase during the last fifty years in the white 

 population of the world (and in certain coloured populations under 

 European rule) has been due to several causes. The less frequent 

 occurrence of devastating wars and pestilences as compared with 

 earlier times, was perhaps the most effective cause. The opening 

 up of vast new regions of great agricultural productiveness, 1 

 encouraged the growth of white population outside Europe ; while 

 the development of cheap transport, enabling the surplus foodstuffs 

 and feedstuffs of these new regions and of tropical and sub-tropical 

 countries, 2 to be carried economically to other regions, to supple- 



1 For details, see Part I., Chap. iv. a See Part I., Chap. v r 



