Number of cattle in Botswana
Botswana: Number of cattle was 918,057 animals in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
918,057 animals
Change on year
down 8.2%
World rank
106th
of 197 countries
All-time high
3.10 million animals
in 1977
All-time low
918,057 animals
in 2024
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Number of cattle in Botswana, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in animals.
Analysis
Botswana recorded 918,057 animals for number of cattle in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 64 years on record.
That represents a change of down 8.2% on the previous year and down 42.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of cattle in Botswana peaked at 3.10 million animals in 1977 and was at its lowest, 918,057 animals, in 2024.
Botswana ranks 106th of 197 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Number of cattle in Botswana, year by year
| Year | animals | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.57 million animals | — |
| 1962 | 1.59 million animals | +1.6% |
| 1963 | 1.58 million animals | -0.9% |
| 1964 | 1.56 million animals | -1.1% |
| 1965 | 1.26 million animals | -19.2% |
| 1966 | 1.04 million animals | -17.3% |
| 1967 | 1.25 million animals | +19.6% |
| 1968 | 1.40 million animals | +12.1% |
| 1969 | 1.63 million animals | +16.4% |
| 1970 | 1.65 million animals | +1.2% |
| 1971 | 1.70 million animals | +3.0% |
| 1972 | 2.00 million animals | +17.6% |
| 1973 | 2.12 million animals | +5.9% |
| 1974 | 2.32 million animals | +9.4% |
| 1975 | 2.56 million animals | +10.7% |
| 1976 | 2.85 million animals | +11.3% |
| 1977 | 3.10 million animals | +8.6% |
| 1978 | 2.90 million animals | -6.5% |
| 1979 | 2.84 million animals | -2.1% |
| 1980 | 2.91 million animals | +2.5% |
| 1981 | 2.97 million animals | +1.9% |
| 1982 | 2.98 million animals | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 2.82 million animals | -5.4% |
| 1984 | 2.69 million animals | -4.7% |
| 1985 | 2.46 million animals | -8.4% |
| 1986 | 2.33 million animals | -5.2% |
| 1987 | 2.26 million animals | -2.9% |
| 1988 | 2.41 million animals | +6.4% |
| 1989 | 2.53 million animals | +5.0% |
| 1990 | 2.70 million animals | +6.6% |
| 1991 | 2.20 million animals | -18.4% |
| 1992 | 2.00 million animals | -9.1% |
| 1993 | 1.82 million animals | -8.9% |
| 1994 | 2.10 million animals | +15.3% |
| 1995 | 2.53 million animals | +20.5% |
| 1996 | 2.25 million animals | -11.1% |
| 1997 | 2.21 million animals | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 2.35 million animals | +6.0% |
| 1999 | 2.58 million animals | +10.1% |
| 2000 | 2.60 million animals | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 2.47 million animals | -5.1% |
| 2002 | 2.00 million animals | -19.0% |
| 2003 | 2.03 million animals | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 2.05 million animals | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 2.12 million animals | +3.7% |
| 2006 | 2.15 million animals | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 2.17 million animals | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 2.22 million animals | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 2.41 million animals | +8.7% |
| 2010 | 2.65 million animals | +9.8% |
| 2011 | 2.55 million animals | -3.6% |
| 2012 | 2.25 million animals | -12.0% |
| 2013 | 2.08 million animals | -7.3% |
| 2014 | 1.60 million animals | -23.4% |
| 2015 | 1.74 million animals | +9.2% |
| 2016 | 1.50 million animals | -14.0% |
| 2017 | 1.10 million animals | -26.6% |
| 2018 | 1.06 million animals | -3.6% |
| 2019 | 934,732 animals | -11.9% |
| 2020 | 1.00 million animals | +7.0% |
| 2021 | 990,000 animals | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 1.10 million animals | +11.1% |
| 2023 | 1.00 million animals | -9.1% |
| 2024 | 918,057 animals | -8.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.43 million animals | 1.04 million animals | 1.63 million animals | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.40 million animals | 1.65 million animals | 3.10 million animals | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.64 million animals | 2.26 million animals | 2.98 million animals | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.27 million animals | 1.82 million animals | 2.70 million animals | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.22 million animals | 2.00 million animals | 2.60 million animals | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.75 million animals | 934,732 animals | 2.65 million animals | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.00 million animals | 918,057 animals | 1.10 million animals | 5 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More agriculture & rural data for Botswana
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0178 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 138.54 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0839 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3204 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.0% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of cattle in Botswana?
- Number of cattle in Botswana was 918,057 animals in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of cattle recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 3.10 million animals in 1977.
- What is the lowest number of cattle recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 918,057 animals in 2024.
- How does Botswana rank for number of cattle?
- Botswana ranks 106th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of cattle rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 42.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of cattle. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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