Canada vs South Africa: Number of cattle
Canada
10.98 million animals
in 2024
South Africa
12.12 million animals
in 2024
Canada rank
32nd
South Africa rank
29th
Number of cattle over time
- Canada
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 12.12 million animals against 10.98 million animals in Canada, a difference of 1.14 million animals.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Canada's.
The two have swapped places 8 times across 64 shared years of data; in 1961 it was South Africa ahead.
Canada ranks 32nd and South Africa ranks 29th of 197 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Canada averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 11.48 million animals | 11.72 million animals | 239,467 animals | South Africa |
| 1970s | 12.85 million animals | 12.41 million animals | 440,270 animals | Canada |
| 1980s | 11.46 million animals | 12.68 million animals | 1.21 million animals | South Africa |
| 1990s | 12.43 million animals | 13.24 million animals | 805,660 animals | South Africa |
| 2000s | 13.91 million animals | 13.66 million animals | 243,700 animals | Canada |
| 2010s | 11.94 million animals | 13.45 million animals | 1.51 million animals | South Africa |
| 2020s | 11.36 million animals | 12.21 million animals | 849,320 animals | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of cattle, Canada or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 12.12 million animals against 10.98 million animals in Canada as of 2024.
- What is the difference in number of cattle between Canada and South Africa?
- 1.14 million animals, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and South Africa?
- 64 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2024.
- How do Canada and South Africa rank globally for number of cattle?
- Canada ranks 32nd and South Africa ranks 29th of 197 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Number of cattle. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.