There's a reason Thanksgiving has also come to be known as Turkey Day in the United States. The National Turkey Federation , an industry lobbying group, estimates that of the more than 200 million turkeys consumed in the U.S. in 2015, nearly a quarter of them were gobbled up on Thanksgiving.

When it comes to average annual poultry consumption per person, however, Israel is No. 1. Turkey became the nation's meat of choice early on, as it was cheaper than imported beef and required less refrigeration than chicken, an Israeli turkey farmer told the Times of Israel . The nation also credits itself with the invention of turkey pastrami.

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Across the world, poultry accounts for about 2 percent of daily diets, according to data compiled by National Geographic . In places such as the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Argentina, the average is more like 5 percent.

Developing countries like Nigeria and Pakistan generally consume less poultry and other meat. But the Association of Poultry Processors and Poultry Trade in the EU predicts that production of poultry will account for half of the growth in meat production over the next decade, driven largely by increased consumption in developing nations and thanks to "various competitive advantages," including its healthy image, affordability, limited emission and absence of religious restrictions.

The cost of an average Thanksgiving-sized 16-pound turkey in the U.S. increased from $21.65 in 2014 to $23.04 in 2015, according to the American Farm Bureau Association, but the cost of a Thanksgiving meal has stayed rather consistent when adjusted for inflation.