South Koreans ate an average of more than two chickens per month last year, doubling their per capita chicken consumption over the past two decades, according to data released Sunday.

Statistics from the Korea Rural Economic Institute show that per capita chicken consumption reached 26 birds last year, with domestic production accounting for 20 birds per person and imports making up the remaining six.

By the weight of chicken meat consumed, excluding bone weight, the per capita figure increased from 1.4 kilograms in 1970 to 7.8 kilograms in 2003. It then doubled to 15.7 kilograms last year. Among the total 790,000 metric tons of chicken meat consumed last year, domestic production accounted for more than 70 percent, or 607,000 tons.

Last year's figure fell between pork consumption at 30.1 kilograms and beef at 14.8 kilograms.

Chicken consumption in South Korea typically peaks during summer, as Koreans traditionally turn to stamina-building dishes like samgyetang (Korean chicken soup) to beat the heat. Last July, more than 30 percent of the roughly 100 million chickens consumed were used to prepare this dish.

Despite the popularity of samgyetang and the growing Korean fried chicken market, however, South Korea is not the world’s top poultry eater.

According to a report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, South Korea’s per capita poultry consumption is projected to reach 17.6 kilograms this year -- 3 kilograms above the global average. However, it is far behind the 49.3 kilograms in the United States and 23.1 kilograms in the European Union.

Nonetheless, South Korea’s poultry consumption surpasses its neighboring countries, Japan and China, where per capita figures are 13.4 kilograms and 14.1 kilograms, respectively.